Cafe owner fined RM50,000 asks why customer was let off

 

A cafe owner has complained that a customer who did not check-in was let off. (Bernama pic)

KOTA KINABALU: A cafe operator is questioning why his cafe was slapped with a RM50,000 fine but the customer who failed to check-in with MySejahtera had escaped punishment.

Fred Malawa, 50, claimed the incident took place at 9 Cafe in Puterajaya, Sepanggar near here, last month shortly after 11pm that day. A police team conducted a routine check and found that the customer had not scanned the app.

“Without much explanation, the police immediately issued the compound to my partner who was at the shop at the time but strangely enough the customer went scot-free,” he told FMT.

“As far as I know, both should be fined in this instance but my partner did not make a fuss at the time probably because he was panicky.”

The fine issued to 9 Cafe that is owned by Fred Malawa and a friend. (Fred Malawa pic)

He added the police also made a mistake of putting the wrong date on the compound notice.

Fortunately, the fine was later reduced by the health department. “We nearly did not want to pay it because we thought we were not wrong. We even contemplated in bringing this to court but in the end my partner paid the fine,” he said.

“As the operator, we only have the right to ask customers if they have scanned the app but we have no right to take their phones or other private belongings to check whether they have done so.

“If the authorities were to be fair, both the operator and the customer should be fined,” he said.

“The authorities could have let us off with a strong warning instead of a compound or the very least given us an explanation why the customer, who just left after that, was not fined,” Malawa said.

He added they have since closed their shop and are doubting whether they should open any time soon. - FMT