Naturally, that prompted Malaysians to immediately rush online to settle their summons, but this being Malaysia, JPJ's mySIKAP system broke down on Thursday (9 December) afternoon due to the sudden surge of traffic.
Faced with no other choice, desperate Malaysians were forced to head to the nearest JPJ counters or kiosk to pay their summons in person - and that's where the problem started.
People mountain, people sea
Several videos showing a large crowd overpopulating the JPJ counter at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center have gone viral on social media.The videos, uploaded onto Twitter by user @HarizMohdWrites, show hundreds of Malaysians standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the hallway of the convention center with no space left for physical distancing:
This is dangerous. No physical distancing. Even worse inside the main exhibition hall.
— Hariz Mohd (@HarizMohdWrites) December 9, 2021
Are we not facing Delta and Omicron now?
@Khairykj @KKMPutrajaya pic.twitter.com/qEzzRaM068
It was like this outside before the event launching ceremony started.
— Hariz Mohd (@HarizMohdWrites) December 9, 2021
Next tweet will show inside the hall/exhibition area. pic.twitter.com/V1JtmCTnXy
@HarizMohdWrites then shared another video of the situation inside the exhibition hall, and somehow, it's even worse:
— Hariz Mohd (@HarizMohdWrites) December 9, 2021
Another Twitter user by the name of @Miss_Netto corroborated @HarizMohdWrites' claims, sharing another video of the mayhem at the convention center:
I was there and it’s crazy pic.twitter.com/3OUJMHSlm0
— Sheryn Netto (@Miss_Netto) December 9, 2021
We don't know about you, but we feel like we can't breathe just looking at the videos.
However, we do also have to note that not every one thronging KLCC were there to pay their JPJ summonses, because at the same time, the government's 'Program 100 Hari Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia' campaign was taking place in the same venue.
But still, facing the threat of a more transmissible COVID-19 variant, we don't think it's the right time to organise a mass event.
Huge crowd raises concern
Naturally, netizens were stunned after watching the videos, with many raising concerns of another COVID-19 cluster.Many remarked that the huge crowd, plus no physcial distancing, is just a disaster waiting to happen:
what a fucking disaster.... pic.twitter.com/SoLwVuvD9N
— ?️? Shamaa Koussa ?️? (@ShamaaKoussa) December 9, 2021
Many behave as though Covid has disappeared
— Steve Chong (@bluenail) December 9, 2021
Omg tacoddddd. Bayar saman dapat free covid ?
— Nanadd (@_nanadd) December 9, 2021
trying to raise the infection rate for 2nd darurat ?
— Julian Putra (@ketuakampong) December 9, 2021
A keluarga malaysia that doesnt SOP together, gets covid together ??????
— Næva VerScree ??️? (@NaevaVS) December 9, 2021
i tried to pay online but the PDRM/JPJ websites sume under maintenance. they should be prepared to do it online payment etc instead of physical events like this! dah 2 tahun kot semua menda online, takkan tak blajar2 lagi?! i just cannot brain this!!
— shaXu (@iamShaXu) December 9, 2021
Wahhhh Malaysia dah bebas covid ke?
— Arvin Kumar (@AK_arvinkumar) December 9, 2021
Interestingly, another Twitter user who goes by the handle @kewsicheng90 shared an image of a long queue outside a police station at Jalan Tun HS Lee.
Traffic Police station at jln hs lee also full of people.. pic.twitter.com/4qZohxT7pQ
— SC Lawan Zalim (@kewsicheng90) December 9, 2021
Sigh, let's hope that there's no Kluster Bayar Saman JPJ coming out of this. We really, really, really do not want to spend another day under lockdown.
MAIN IMAGE CREDIT: Twitter/@HarizMohdWrites