"Malicious compliance" is distinct from "malicious intent" or "maliciousness."
I thought I answered the question, that it just seems to me from the description that this is people saying they're following their interpretation of a policy to the letter rather than making a sincere effort to implement the policy effectively.
It just seemed from the comments that they were trying to use edge cases to shut down the policy, rather than to improve it.
As for how I responded to other people, a big part of that is that I'm familiar with where they're coming from, thanks to interviews and commentary.
I suspect I'm familiar with the left-wing argument thanks to the people in this thread, but I'm also well-informed enough to be familiar with the DeSantis arguments.