Coronavirus: Malaysian woman decries 'double standards' in sentencing

PETALING JAYA • A single mother who spent eight days in jail for breaching the Malaysian government's movement control order (MCO) has questioned why the daughter of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and her husband were each sentenced to just a RM800 fine (S$260) for the same offence.

"Why are there these double standards? I need an explanation for this," B. Lisa Christina wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Lisa, who lives in a fifth-floor apartment, was arrested by the police after she went to buy a packet drink and stopped to chat with three loitering Indonesians.

She was initially sentenced to 30 days in jail, but had her sentence reduced to a RM1,000 fine.

She pointed out that the fines given to Zahid's daughter Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid and son-in-law Saiful Nizam Mohd Yusoff were lower than hers.

"During the eight days in jail, I felt so shattered because I was unable to see my son and felt so embarrassed. I even had to borrow RM1,000 from my mother to settle the fine," Lisa posted on Facebook.

She added that she read on Tuesday that Nurulhidayah and Saiful Nizam were given an RM800 fine "for an even bigger offence".

Nurulhidayah's offence came to light on April 20 after she posted on Instagram pictures of herself and her husband visiting Deputy Environment Minister Ahmad Masrizal Muhammad and, separately, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri.

In the last few weeks, the issue of alleged double standards in how the authorities have dealt with those who violate the MCO have been raised by the public on social media and by the Bar Council.

Thousands of Malaysians are in jail while awaiting trial, after being caught at roadblocks for breaching the MCO.

Yet, two deputy ministers, a Perak state Cabinet member and the Terengganu Chief Minister, who were pictured at separate events sitting and standing close to others and breaching the government's social distancing rules, were not similarly thrown into jail.

The police instead conducted at least two weeks of investigations before handing down fines to one deputy minister and the Perak official. No action was taken against the Terengganu Chief Minister following investigations.

Meanwhile, the media has questioned why it was stopped from being inside the courtroom when Nurulhidayah and her husband's case was being heard.

At least five reporters in the courtroom of the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court on Monday were told by the authorities to leave without explanation, while non-reporters were allowed to remain, said journalists' group Gerakan Media Merdeka in a statement on Tuesday. The office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court yesterday denied any order to bar the media from covering the case.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK