YOURSAY | ‘Saying ‘we can't do anything’ is completely unacceptable when individuals are known, photographed and televised.’
'Disappointed' DG says any cluster from Najib rally will manifest in a fortnight
SOPs disregarded: Health DG ‘saddened’ by lack of self-control at court complex
Mazilamani: The concern of Health director-general (DG) Noor Hisham Abdullah is perfectly right, for we can only wait and see what infections may arise in the future from the crowd that gathered at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex on Tuesday in support of former premier Najib Abdul Razak in his SRC case.
The crowd was both expected and unexpected - expected because they were supposedly ardent party supporters, unexpected because the crowd was surprisingly big.
Those who gathered should have exercised the utmost concern for their personal health and safety as well as that of others, including outsiders who had other reasons to attend the court.
With the disregard of the standard operating procedure (SOP), they must not even care for the safety of family members in their respective homes.
As the DG mentioned, the effects can only be seen in two weeks so I cannot imagine what will happen with people crossing state lines to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha this weekend which will further heighten our concerns.
Plus, the worry involved our school-going children when they return to school.
IndigoKite6964: Selective policing and prosecution make the public lose confidence in the police force. If a group of people has gathered for a karaoke session, they would be arrested for not following SOP.
But thousands of people gathering in support of Najib, including politicians, and no actions were taken while it was happening, or even now after the event.
However, this special treatment is to the gathering's detriment and possibly the nation's too. The question now is how many will be infected and how many will die. Not to forget that they will be bringing the virus merrily back to the kampung to celebrate Raya.
I think the rest of us better just follow the face mask mandate now rather than wait until Aug 1. Keep a watch on the situation and be prepared for a possible movement control order (MCO) version 2.0 in two weeks.
ManOnTheStreet: I fully agree with @IndigoKite6964. The apparent double standards even in the DG's explanation smacks of discrimination when it comes to enforcement and attitudes towards SOP non-compliance.
Saying "we can't do anything" is completely unacceptable when individuals are known, photographed and televised.
Every other Ali, Ah Chong and Muthu is arrested except in this case. Every day, the ordinary rakyat is being blamed for not following the SOP, arrested and compounded but in this case, one has to be "soft"?
There should be strong criticism of those responsible for enforcement and effort should be made in finding ways to prevent a recurrence.
Selective enforcement just reeks of hypocrisy and will not hold water with the public and eventually erode the respect that people have for the government.
YellowCobra4612: It goes to show how these politicians do not care about the common people. They would rather have their agenda of having a show of support rather than care about the risk of Covid-19 exposure to these people who have gathered.
Will the politicians be held responsible when their supporters are Covid-19 positive and worse infect other innocent people? If people’s lives do not matter, do these politician care about corruption and its consequences to the country?
The Wakandan: Najib was walking from Masjid Wilayah with his supporters to the court premises and was seen shaking hands with them.
He probably doesn’t care about Covid-19, but at least he should care about others and they should not be unnecessarily exposed to the virus.
OrangViper2887: May I suggest that the recognisable faces in media reports, especially the leaders be charged for failure to observe SOP?
The crowd that was present was reportedly organised by certain leaders and they came from all over the country. Thus, they can be tracked, especially as they arrived by hired bus service.
The crowd was in the court compound and the police could have easily detained them. This indicates that the authorities were selective or compliant with the lawbreakers.
Will the government institute punitive action on all the officials on duty and the SOP violators involved?
RedParrot1151: "We can’t do anything because it has already happened," the DG said. But what nonsense is this? What are the police doing?
I thought Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said no more warnings, police will issue summons on the spot. Please, don't let there be double standards here. The rakyat are already tired of these double standards.
Don't you have photos to identify the culprits? Round them up and do Covid-19 testing as well as quarantine them. Isn't that the SOP for the police and Health Ministry?
Why must ordinary people always get the full brunt of the law but these politicians are allowed to get off the hook?
Hmmmmmmmm: The government talks big about the compulsory wearing of face masks in public, crowded places, etc, and then not have the guts to take any action against crowds not practising social distancing at the courthouse gathering.
All your good deeds for the past few months may be undone with just one such gathering. The many phases of MCO will be in vain all because of police inaction against a political gathering.
The authorities better start taking attendees’ names and quarantine them, their families and close contacts before they go back and spread the virus to the kampungs this weekend.
Lion King: It is unbelievable the government has allowed this to happen. Why was the government not firm in dealing with those deliberately flouting the law?
Doctors and health personnel are risking their lives on a daily basis. This group gathering should not have been allowed at all.
Iphonezours: The government must fine all those who did not practise social distancing during that hearing.
When ordinary people are fined, kampung folks are fined, students are fined, why should these people be an exception? Fine them, penalise them, there should not be any double standards.
Two Come Out: Didn’t they arrest some cleaners who gathered in front of an Ipoh hospital for the same reason?
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