KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali and Perak state executive councillor Razman Zakaria were fined RM1,000 each, not for violating the Movement Control Order (MCO) but for breaching the standard operating procedure (SOP) governing movements.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the breach of SOP included not practising social distancing.
Stressing that there was no double standard in the handling of the case, he said the government had already announced that elected representatives can move around to help people during MCO, subject to rules and regulations.
"Wakil rakyat (elected representatives) are allowed to carry out their duties to provide assistance to their constituents.
"However, they had violated the SOP by not abiding to social distancing. The fine was the maximum amount provided for the offence. This is different from some offenders who were sent to jail, who, apart from violating MCO, had also committed other offences under the Penal Code including obstructing civil staff from discharging their duties," he said.
He said harsher punishments were meted out to those who harassed policemen or crashed into roadblocks which had, in some cases, resulted in injuries to enforcement personnel.
Dr Noor Azmi and Razman, who were jointly charged at the Gerik magistrate's court along with 13 others, were found to have gathered in an infected area for a social purpose.
They had earlier visited the Lenggong Health Clinic to check the Hulu Perak district Health Office's preparedness in containing the Covid-19 infection.