KUALA LUMPUR, August 14 — The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy supports a bipartisan parliamentary petition proposing a reduction of the fine for not wearing a face mask to RM250 for first-time offenders.
The health think tank cited the Ministry of Health’s National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019 that found one in three Malaysian adults had low health literacy, or poor understanding of health information needed for everyday health decision making.
“Yet, we are willing to blame and punish them for not fully understanding the consequences of not wearing a mask. This is wrong,” Galen Centre chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib said in a statement.
“When there are reports that the poor are scrounging through rubbish bins in search of used and discarded masks, not to protect themselves from infection, but to avoid being fined by law enforcement, you know that implementation and enforcement of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) has lost its way,” he added.
CodeBlue reported yesterday that over 100 MPs across the aisle have petitioned the government for a tiered compound under the face mask rule: first-time offenders — RM250, second offence — RM500, and repeat offenders — RM1,000. The government has yet to gazette a regulation specific to face masks under Act 342.
The petition started by two DAP lawmakers — Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii and Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi — pointed out that the RM1,000 compound is equivalent to 83 per cent of the monthly minimum salary, unlike in Australia, where the fine for not wearing face masks in public areas is AU$200, which is only 6.7 per cent of the monthly minimum wage.
Azrul said imposing RM1,000 fines for not wearing face masks in crowded public areas disproportionately punished and caused harm to those who are poor, marginalised, and living on the fringes of society.
The Galen Centre urged law enforcement to adopt the mentality and approach of education, deterrence and prevention, rather than entrapment and punishment, in the enforcement of the mandatory face mask policy amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
“We need to ensure that our actions and motivation are based on empathy, compassion and kindness. It should not be dependent and driven by fear and discrimination. Decades of experience in dealing with infectious diseases and the recent example of New Zealand has shown us that you do not necessarily need the stick to get results.
“Punitive action, particularly those which impose hefty fines and incarceration, should always be a last option,” said Azrul.
