Takiyuddin Hassan Should Redeem His Tattered Reputation As A Law Minister Who Subverts Parliamentary Democracy And Practices Double-Standards In Inflicting Heavy Fines Of RM50,000 On Poor Hawkers

Takiyuddin Hassan should redeem his tattered reputation as a Law Minister who subverts parliamentary democracy and practices double-standards in inflicting heavy fines of RM50,000 on poor hawkers whilst Ministers go off scot-free or are punished leniently.

Takiyuddin was severely castigated for lying to Parliament when he promised to implement the reduction of the voting age from 21 to 18(Undi18) by July 2021. Instead, the PN government endorsed the Election Commission decision to defer Undi18 until after September 2022.

Takiyuddin continues to defend the suspension of Parliament. Despite the King’s Royal Advice that the Emergency Proclamation did not prevent Parliament form convening, Takiyuddin’s open defiance is not only an act of treachery against the supremacy of Parliament in the Federal Constitution but also an act of “lese majeste” againt the King.

And now he continues to justify the use of emergency powers that victimises ordinary citizens, with 3 hawkers in his own state of Kelantan receiving RM50,000 compounds for trading beyond operating hours in their own house! If even Kelantanese can suffer such unreasonable action, we fear for hawkers for other states not ruled by PAS.

Takiyuddin has attempted to explain that the issuance of compound notices under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) must be carried out in accordance with guidelines set by the government, where they should be imposed a maximum compound of RM10,000 and not RM50,000. Takiyudin has shown himself to be heartless forgetting that for a Minister like him RM10,000 may not be much, but for a poor hawker even a 50% discount of RM5,000 is beyond their means.

One of the affected hawkers in Kelantan, Mohd Azizi Mohd Nor, even said he could not afford the fines and would have to choose to go to prison.

This is heart-rending as Mohd Azizi is like many ordinary Malaysians working hard to try to feed their families because the government has failed them. Who will feed his family when he goes to prison?

DAP has announced that our lawyers are willing to defend those who are issued these unfair compound fines, and challenge its legality in court free of charge. It is up to Mohd Azizi whether he wants to go to court.

But  Takiyuddin can save ordinary Malaysians the predicament and trouble of harsh punishment, by suspending such fines pending a full review of these laws to ensure justice to poor ordinary Malaysians.

Lim Guan Eng

DAP Secretary-General