When big names get sick, who gets held accountable

Free Malaysia Today

Hawker stalls face swift closure and naming. A big theme park got a kitchen closure, silence, and invisibility. Who enforces public health equally?  Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2025/11/10/when-big-names-get-sick-who-gets-held-accountable  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5 Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTNews

Transcript

00:00Last month, 12 hawker stalls in Penang were caught with rats, cockroaches, and filthy counters.

00:07They were shut for two weeks, fined, and publicly named.

00:11Swift action, clear message, public health first.

00:15Now let's look at a much bigger setting, a family day at a theme park in Selangor.

00:20Over 300 people fell ill after eating there.

00:23Food poisoning, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, the works.

00:28Thankfully, everyone recovered within days.

00:31But here's the twist.

00:32The public only found out a month later.

00:35No names, no accountability.

00:38The park's kitchen, yes, just the kitchen, was shut for cleaning.

00:41The park itself stayed open, business as usual.

00:46Compare that with small operators.

00:48A school canteen closes, a hawker stall gets fined, but a multi-million ringgit venue?

00:54Just a quiet kitchen clean-up and a statement weeks later.

00:59Even more puzzling, investigators didn't test the water supply.

01:03Foodborne illness can come from food, surfaces, or water.

01:07Skipping that step leaves holes in the investigation.

01:10And there was no mention of a police report to rule out foul play.

01:14Why the restraint?

01:16Was the silence about protecting the public or protecting the business?

01:19Would a small operator have received the same courtesy?

01:23Or are enforcement standards as uneven as our reactions?

01:28Malaysia has always said public health comes first.

01:31But when the stakes are big, the urgency seems smaller.

01:35Visit Malaysia 2026 is around the corner.

01:38Are we ready to show the world that we hold every kitchen to the same standard?

01:42Transparency isn't punishment.

01:45It's protection for consumers, for tourism, for trust.

01:50We need consistent rules, timely reporting, and the courage to name names when safety fails.

01:56Because when big names get sick, accountability shouldn't shrink.

02:00It should set the standard for every kitchen, every venue, every Malaysian.

02:05Read when big names get sick, who gets held accountable by Frankie D'Cruz on FMT,

02:11and ask yourself, who's really protecting public health?

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