Under a new bill tabled in Parliament to amend the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act, a person may be fined a maximum of RM100,000 or jailed for up to seven years or both. Businesses and corporate bodies may be fined up to RM1 million.

Mohamad, who is better known as Tok Mat, joined a chorus of objections against the excessive fines, including from the likes of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

In a statement, he said that besides the excessive fines, the bill did not detail how much a fine was to be meted out for each offence.

“No laws ought to be passed without every single detail spelt out for the consideration of legislators.

“This piecemeal action shows the health ministry was not prepared to formulate the amendments.

“In the effort to rush this amendment bill, we cannot sacrifice transparency and justice. Justice rushed is justice crushed,” he said.

Mohamad said there had been issues concerning double standards in enforcing Covid-19 SOPs, especially among VIPs and those in power.

He said “regular folk” were being unreasonably fined while VIPs got away with a slap on the wrist.

In other countries, he said, those not wearing face masks were given advice and handed out masks.

Malaysia should not be a punitive nation but a compassionate one, he added.

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