Why is PDRM Searching Food Delivery Bikes During MCO?

By Syakir Roslan • 09 Apr 2020 in News

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Food-delivery services have become an essential part of life in modern Malaysia, now more than ever since the MCO came into effect.

Remember the old saying – one bad apple can spoil the bunch? That’s certainly true for food delivery riders as they’ve recently been subjected to random spot-checks by the police. Why and how exactly is this happening?

Take a look:

That sure is a hefty bounty of John D-Blends. I’m not here to condemn the people in the video because a lot of Malaysian smokers dabble in contraband cigarettes themselves. However, I won’t sympathise with them either because their actions have subsequently inconvenienced other food delivery workers.

After the video above made its rounds online, many of the men and women working for these services were stopped and searched by local authorities. Aside from bothering the people making their deliveries, those who use these services would also receive their food a little later than expected.

Not long after the video was posted, photographs of these spot-checks were also uploaded online onto social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter.

Disebabkan seketul dua mangkuk hayun. Semua kena sekali pic.twitter.com/BbRVX1kLcz

— ₆⁶₆Apx²³ ₆⁶₆ (@Tsgxy_) April 7, 2020

As tempting as those cartons look, it’s best to keep illegal activities – no matter how big or small, to ourselves and refrain from posting about them online.

When contacted by JUICE about the video, foodpanda Malaysia said they are “aware of the video that is circulating on Social Media of a rider’s bag that was full of cigarettes” and wish to “express our extreme disappointment with the actions of the rider in question.” The food delivery company said they strongly condemned such actions and will take all the necessary steps to prevent a repeat of such incidences in the future.

Furthermore, they are investigating the case internally and have reprimanded the rider, and would like to assure the public that this was an isolated case.

This situation reminds me of a lovely song about a famed legal/contraband cigarette which many Malaysian smokers have probably tried (at least once).