<![CDATA[Malaysia deputy health minister fined US$229 for breaching coronavirus lockdown rules]>
Malaysia's deputy health minister and another politician have both been fined after pleading guilty to breaching the country's movement control order to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Noor Azmi Ghazali, the deputy minister, and Perak executive council member Razman Zakaria were ordered by a magistrate's court on Tuesday to pay the maximum 1,000 ringgit (US$229) fine each for flouting the rules.
They were charged alongside 13 others, all of whom had been photographed eating together on April 18 in direct contravention of Malaysia's strict ban on social visits.
The two politicians also visited a religious school in the northern state of Perak for prayers before having the meal, despite religious gatherings being banned under the movement control order Malaysia imposed in mid-March.
An imam leads a prayer during the first day of Ramadan at the National Mosque of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Under the partial lockdown, religious gatherings are banned. Photo: AP alt=An imam leads a prayer during the first day of Ramadan at the National Mosque of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Under the partial lockdown, religious gatherings are banned. Photo: AP
Speaking to reporters, Noor Azmi said in future he would "perform better" and expressed "sincere apologies".
The pair's punishment comes after a slew of the country's politicians were spotted flouting social distancing rules " sparking fierce backlash from ordinary citizens who have been ordered to stay at home except in emergencies or to buy food.
More than 21,000 Malaysians have been arrested for breaking lockdown rules, including students, senior citizens on low incomes who were waiting for free food and a young couple who met briefly to exchange a cake.
This has led some to question whether the country's politicians think they are above the law and immune to punishment. On Twitter, Malaysians have slammed the fine and called for the pair to be sacked instead.
A man collect supplies over barbed wire in the locked down area of Selayang Baru, outside Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday. Photo: AP alt=A man collect supplies over barbed wire in the locked down area of Selayang Baru, outside Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday. Photo: AP
"I applaud the law being upheld, but a mere fine for a deputy health minister is grossly unjust compared to those students who were forced to spend a week in prison for the same offence," said one user posting under the name Sheikh Shamir.
When the deputy health minister was asked whether he thought there was any bias in his sentencing, he merely said he would "abide by the legal and judicial system" of Malaysia.
Criminal lawyer Yohendra Nadarajan said there were "discrepancies" in the sentencing of lockdown violators, with "ordinary folks" given months in jail while politicians only received a slap on the wrist.
"At this time, we should not be sending people to jail and overcrowding the jail system. Jails place people in close proximity whereby any chance of spreading diseases is more likely to happen," he said.
Fellow lawyer Vince Tan agreed, saying that the courts had meted out some "very harsh" sentences in some cases.
Malaysia did briefly stop jailing lockdown violators after the director general of the country's prisons objected amid concerns that overcrowding already made social distancing "impossible". For a while, the punishment switched to an on-the-spot fine, but this decision was reversed on April 15 when the government returned to criminal prosecution of lockdown violators.
"Jailing people for disobeying movement control orders is counterproductive to reducing the spread of the coronavirus," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Malaysian authorities should understand that protecting the country's entire population from Covid-19 means reducing its crowded prison population, not putting more people behind bars."
Deputy Rural Development Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohamad, right, pictured at his impromptu birthday party. Photo: Internet alt=Deputy Rural Development Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohamad, right, pictured at his impromptu birthday party. Photo: Internet
Other politicians spotted breaking the lockdown rules include Deputy Rural Development Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohamad who had an impromptu birthday party and later defended the gathering by saying a group of people had turned up at his house as a surprise and he "didn't want to chase them away".
The chief minister of Terengganu state was required to provide a statement to police after visiting a volunteer food distribution centre, and Economic Affairs Minister Mustapa Mohamed was forced to delete a tweet in which he said he had visited his constituency in another state after being roundly criticised. Inter-state travel, unless for emergencies, is prohibited under Malaysia's lockdown.
Nurulhidayah Zahid, the daughter of senior politician and former deputy prime minister Zahid Hamidi, has also come in for criticism after visiting several politicians at their offices.
Earlier this month Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin " who came to power on March 1 " extended the country's movement control order until mid-May, saying it was necessary to slow the rate of infections, with 5,820 cases recorded so far.
Muhyiddin and his current cabinet came to power on the heels of a political coup that saw the breakdown of former ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan after just 21 months of rule and the nation's king stepping in to choose a new prime minister.
The coup, which came after the coronavirus pandemic had already reached Malaysia, angered many voters who saw it as effectively setting aside their landmark 2018 vote to install Pakatan Harapan after six decades of Barisan Nasional rule.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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