MTUC Penang says low-earning workers who can’t pay compounds for breaching Covid SOPs will be charged in court and may lose their jobs if they are sentenced to prison.
In the Dec 16 version of the Act 342 amendment Bill, the maximum fines for convicted individuals under the general penalty and penalty for breach of regulations were reduced by 96% and 92.5% to RM2,000 and RM1,500 respectively, compared to the Dec 15 version.
The health, science and innovation parliamentary committee will be briefed on the Act 342 amendment Bill at 8am on Monday, just two hours before the 10am Dewan Rakyat sitting.
Khairy Jamaluddin says the Act 342 amendment Bill is primarily targeted at repeat offenders and specific cases like the previous Teratai cluster linked to manufacturer Top Glove.
The penalties mooted by the Ministry of Health to elicit compliance by doctors to notify the authorities of scheduled infectious diseases need to have a good basis.
“I think we are no longer afraid of Covid-19. We are even more afraid of the kind of government and the kind of laws that will oppress us further in our day-to-day lives.”
The revised amendment Bill now imposes imprisonment of up to three years, a maximum RM50,000 fine, or both in general penalties for individuals convicted under Act 342; compounds for corporate bodies were halved to RM500,000.
There is even worry among health care professionals over the impact on their management of health care services, with the prospect of the sword hanging over their necks with the proposed amendments.
Ambiga Sreenevasan questions the need for “oppressive” punishments of Covid SOP violations, saying most Malaysians are vaccinated and are generally very responsible.