YOURSAY | Slap on the wrist for VIPs, but a victory for rakyat

YOURSAY | ‘Had we not persisted, no action would have been taken against them.’

MCO breach: Zahid’s daughter, her husband plead guilty, fined RM800 each

Vijay47: Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s daughter was charged in court, she pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to a fine of RM800.

I will not delve further into this due process though it would have been delightful if she was also punished by a short stint in jail of about 10 years or so. That is, after she had been restrained in the stocks and flogged a few dozen times. Gently and lovingly, of course.

My question is, why did you plead guilty, Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid? I recall that when news first broke about your breaking the movement control order (MCO) rules, you were very defiant about it, insisting that you had permission to be roaming about in the streets and wherever your fancy took you. So why this change of heart?

Oh yes, I understand now, it was that Sydney Carton “far, far better thing” you do, that during these trying virus times, your patriotism compels you not to waste the court’s time and hence the “Saya mengaku salah, Yang Arif.” Bailiff, pass out the tissue paper, please. Yes, all nine boxes.

You may want to note, Nurulhidayah, that while you and your husband were charged, only you are the target for all the numerous barbs, arrows, and slingshots. Your poor husband has only a walk-on role.

Had you been a simple makcik from the kampung, nobody would have been bothered. On the contrary, many would have pitied you. No, you had to be your obnoxious father’s equally obnoxious daughter, you had to display the family arrogance of being above and beyond the law which applies only to cake-eating plebeians.

But like the fable ends, serves you right. Did I say Sydney Carton? Maybe I meant Mother Theresa.

Rupert16: Why RM800 fine and not RM1,000 like most others who were caught flouting the MCO?

If anything, Zahid’s daughter should be given a hefty fine for her arrogant and insolent behaviour when told about her violation.

Newday: Oh well, some small measure of satisfaction. The day she posted on Instagram, boasting her self-importance, she would not have envisaged the end result being an appearance in court a few weeks later.

It is sad that if it had not been for the efforts of the online community, nothing would have been done by PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police).

Anonymous 770241447347646: Whether it is RM1 or RM800, the public must congratulate themselves for putting pressure for all these so-called VIPs brought before the justice system.

RM800 is chicken feed as there is one VIP who claimed RM2 million was pocket money to him.

The fact that they were found guilty and paid a fine is a victory for the people. If they had not persisted, no action would have been taken against them at all.

They should keep on the work of exposing the crimes of anybody, however high their position in society.

Keep on raising issues and not remain silent. Otherwise, these so-called VIPs will think they can get away with it and move on to bigger crimes like the 1MDB fiasco.

Cyclonus: The daughter of Umno president fined RM800 for breaching MCO? That's inhumane and disrespectful.

May I remind all that she is the direct descendant of the reigning warlord and to be treated with the status that she is entitled to with all rights and privileges. Who are we but mere mortals to pronounce judgement on her?

Indeed, she should be put in jail for making fun of MCO and challenging the rakyat to make a police report against her. Commoners like us would have spent nights in the lockup pending trail.

GooseNBanter: The police personnel who issued them the permit must also be questioned.

Was it a life-and-death situation? An emergency? Attending to the final rites of a deceased family member? Purchasing/collecting vital medicines from the hospital/pharmacy?

Do the hosts at those ministries realise that as government officials, it was wrong not to have postponed her ‘appointment by invitation’ due to the MCO on their part?

What was the reason for the urgency in making that appointment that it necessitated a police permit to supersede a national MCO, and place all those who came in contact with her husband and her throughout that day at risk at the administrative capital?

She specifically mentioned that the trip was “to visit a dear family friend and exchange views and ideas”. This could have been done over the Internet. Why hazard such a big risk for themselves and others?

It will be an insult to the laws of the land, and most importantly, to all the other Malaysians who served their sentences behind bars, in cuffs, chains and dressed in prison standards if this woman grins her way out of it with just RM800 fine. Or even a RM30,000 fine for that matter.

Malaysia must be fair to them; they must be provided time in the slammer to contemplate, feel shameful of their betrayal to Malaysia, be remorseful and come out better rakyat after six months.

Unspin: To diffuse this unfair situation, I propose that Deputy Environment and Water Minister Ahmad Masrizal Muhammad donate a matching fund of RM800 to the Health Ministry to buy more personal protection equipment (PPEs) for our heroic frontliners.

This is because he was the one who invited ‘her royal highness’ to his ministry during the MCO period to discuss, presumably, the life-and-death matter of how we can totally eliminate plastic waste from being dumped into our rivers.

Anonymous_f0124ca6: Nurulhidayah went to Putrajaya on the invitation of the deputy minister to discuss Earth Day celebrations. How ironic.

She could have emailed or telephoned to convey her esteem views and made a great contribution in saving Mother Earth without posing a health risk to others.

We should nominate her for the Noble Prize for the environment. Or maybe have her replace Khairy Jamaluddin as the science and technology minister. Her future looks bright. She will stand out amongst the great environmentalists of our times. - Mkini