“The police and military have done a remarkable job thus far, and deterrents are necessary. I’m just saying, if a court charge can be avoided, avoid it”
Raggie Jessy Rithaudeen
#تتفچوۏيد19: راماي يڠ ترتكان، عملكن تيمبڠ راس
#TTFCovid19
It is my earnest hope that the Government of Malaysia (GoM) will go easy on offenders who defy the Movement Control Order (MCO) by not charging them in court unless it can be established that their actions were not influenced by stress or anxiety.
While these are extraordinary times that call for extraordinary measures, citizens are also under extraordinary stress and could suffer depression at subconscious levels without them realising it.
The overall experience is new and unprecedented, and the likelihood that a pandemic of such proportions will recur within a century – give and take a decade, going by historical trends – is rather slim.
Thus, not only would a large-scale, no-nonsense deterrent serve very little purpose for the longer term, it would be very unfortunate to see someone who appears to know what he (or she) is doing but doesn’t, get charged in court.
The experience is new for everyone, even the police and military.
Thus everyone, particularly the law enforcers, must retain a sense of tolerance and compassion to anticipate any untoward, unprecedented or uncalled for reaction or response by a person who flaunts the MCO.
The police and military have done a remarkable job thus far, and deterrents are necessary. I’m just saying, if a court charge can be avoided, avoid it.
