CORONAVIRUS | Guidelines should be established to prevent disparity in sentences being meted out in court, especially now as the country looks to enforce the movement control order (MCO).

This comes as the authorities, including police and armed forces, are cracking down on members of the public found to be flouting the MCO, which began on March 18 in an effort to slow down and contain the spread of Covid-19.

“Disparity in sentencing is a long-standing problem in Malaysia. In the current situation, it is compounded by the fact that before this pandemic, this law (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988) was rarely used...