Report SOP Violations on MySejahtera - BFM interview (6th Oct)

 MySejahtera has launched a "complaints" button that allows users to report SOP violations. We discuss if this is a good idea.

Image Source: Rahman Aziz, Shutterstock

Produced by: Alia Zefri, Raihanna Azwar

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharmilla Ganesan

Podcast link:

https://www.bfm.my/podcast/evening-edition/evening-edition/report-sop-violations-on-mysejahtera

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Interview note:

1.    To start off, what do you make of this MySejahtera feature that allows members of the public to report SOP violations? Is it something we need? 

 

The feature will make reporting on SOP violations easier for the public. Imagine if someone encounters an obvious case of SOP violation, but the person has uncertainty about the complaint reporting mechanism, or he feels simply too much hassle to do so, then he gives up. This is not good. 

 

Give you an example, if one has to look up which is the correct email to send the report to, have to type in a lot of information including the exact location and the description of the incident, and then attach an image or two. Many things can go wrong, including imprecise location or unclear language about the description of the incident. One can go less wrong with the centralised channel in the feature of MySejahtera for more simplicity and clarity, for the relevant authority and enforcement team to investigate and take action.

 

For this intention, we should view it in the same vein as with various public complaint reporting channels currently used by local authorities, such as pothole and street light malfunction reporting by using Waze or a dedicated app.

 

2. Based on the information we have so far on how this reporting works, what are some advantages to implementing it? 

 

So far from the news report, it says that the app will list 4 clear options based on the nature of SOP violation, either by individual or by a premise operator or related to quarantine order, or other issues.

 

From the demo video on the report procedure shared by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, it looks simplified and user friendly: one just has to select the nature of SOP violation, key in the location (which will be identified in a map), take a photo, lastly to confirm the report. You could also lodge the report later and upload the photo from your phone storage, which is quite sensible. That means you don’t have to always do it so obviously in front and facing the person or the premise, or when you are in a rush of something. I am pretty sure the general public who want to lodge a report would appreciate the feature.

 

3. There has, however, been criticism of the feature as well. What are some of the possible negative implications of this feature? 

 

The public, including both individuals and business operators, would be worried if the report mechanism led to abuses such as direct compound fines based on what was the evidence provided and reported against them. 

 

On non-face mask wearing or no physical distancing individuals being reported, i wonder how the authority can actually identify the persons based on a photo report. If they could, people may be worried about their privacy being infringed. Let’s say, what if the one’s identity can be determined, but the report may not be accurate to depict the situation? The photos may be the snapshot of the moment, but may not be the whole story about the incident. For example, there are plenty of possible reasons why some would like to take off the mask for a while, even for changing a new face mask.

4. In a larger sense, is it fair to have members of the public reporting on these violations? Might it not lead to abuses of the system or people being targeted?

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5. There is also the question of practicality and enforcement. What would you like to see in terms of how this mechanism ties in with enforcement agencies? 

 

Personally I do think it is good and beneficial for both the authority and the public to have a simplified, convenient and centralised feature for reporting SOP violations. I would argue that the drawbacks are not about the technology but how the authority uses the information, and whether this would lead to injustice or careless action by the authority.

In order to avoid abuses, the authority or enforcement agencies cannot take the report on face value, and make immediate judgement based on what was reported. The reports should only serve as a reference and an alert for follow up action to investigate if the complaint is true. Just like, if one receives a report about a pothole on a road, you do not immediately send a road repair team to the spot, one has to go over to the location, investigate and verify the report first. 

Also, there should be a mechanism for the alleged party to explain or defend their case if they do have a legitimate ground. This opportunity should be given before a compound fine is issued.

6. What are some other ways to monitor SOP adherence and violations? 

 

The enforcement team must do their jobs on the ground, make their presence seen and felt within the community, so as to keep the public and business operators on their toes for not relaxing on the SOP adherence. But the usual problem is that the manpower is limited, thus they may not be able to effectively enforce and cover their duty area.

Personally I do not agree with the kind of suggestion to outsource the policing work to the willing 3rd party individuals and for them to get incentivised for making the reports. This would have perverse consequences.  

So, therefore, crowdsource the public information from voluntary reporting like the MySejahtera system, I do see the merits for helping the authorities to do the job better, and then the general public know they have to behave accordingly to avoid being reported by another fellow public member.

 

7. The issue of lax enforcement when it comes to the SOPs keeps coming up. What is the gap here? What else should we be doing to encourage better adherence to the SOPs?

 

We have to understand the social psychology and social behaviour regarding risk and response: people tend to seek comfort, convenience and social interaction, since they have lived so long under the ‘old normal’ - even though we have undergone the global pandemic of COVID-19 closer to 2 years, sure many still find the SOP measures encumbered and inconvenient: But they will adhere to them if: they are afraid or have great concern about the infection risk and exposure when the pandemic is still serious; second, they do not want to court troubles with the enforcement agencies; third, they will tend to follow social norm and conformity, so to be accepted by the society.

As the recent number of new cases is on the downtrend, we may need to worry about what the public perceived as reduced infection risk, therefore they might go more lax. Therefore, social norm and ‘new’ normal conformity would have to be turned into a normal force of social solidarity, we have to keep reminding each other about the importance of the SOP adherence. Relying on law and order, enforcement agencies and public complaints, these may not be sustainable for the long run. Each one of us has to make these SOP measures entrenched into a new habit and daily routine, until we can really call off the imminent threat of the deadly disease in the name of COVID-19 in near future.