Letters
by Bong AP
I am appalled and disgusted to witness and read the dailies of such happenings every day and the problems seem to be endless.
In spite of so much that have been written, highlighted and discussed its’ always remained forgotten.The country and cities’ public safety have declined to a very low level where lawlessness prevails to an extent where hardcore criminals can have a free hand to commit vicious crime freely anywhere .
This has come to a boiling point where the general public perceptions are criminals rule by Night and the government Rule partially by Day. Very soon we will end up like Somalia where anarchy prevails and there is no day and night creating warlords all over the country.
The public are being tyrannized by such deteriorating situations in their daily life. Even simple folks are affected like small time traders, news vendors, hawkers and delivery boys are being robbed.
We will soon become a Nation of rot and decay if nothing is being done to arrest this complacency and inaction.
The government must have ZERO tolerance on all criminal activities and come up with a policy to deal with hardcore criminals. It’s not rational to keep on treating the problems which the police also failed miserably and leaving no time to treat the root cause.
One good example is the Mat Rempit social menace issue which remains unresolved year after year and the sickness has spread nation-wide without any long term solutions to the “Two Wheels of Death” problem. They have turned to robberies and assaults . Daring robberies are even staged by these MAT REMPITS on PENANG BRIDGE. Indeed they bring shame to us in the eyes of the tourists.
THESE SOCIAL MISFITS ARE NO DIFFERENT COMPARED WITH THE SOMALIA SEA PIRATES. Someone in the Government has even come up with an idea to glorify them and the work he has done remained half-cock and forgotten Serious research must be done in this respect to preempt such lawlessness in this country.
The government has failed to administer strict social order and lacks the political will to maintain law and order. The situation has been exacerbated to such an extent is primarily also due to the free and uncontrolled flow of illegal and legal immigrants in large numbers into the country. To the extent of building illegal settlements scattered all over the countryside which have taken root here a long time ago.
To make matters worse illegal immigrants while holding jobs are adding to the crime statistics by moonlighting as hired killers, armed robbers, kidnappers, rapists etc ,etc.
The present system begets inefficiency from police shoddy investigations, arrests, detentions, right up to the judicial system. Our enforcement officers should be firm and fair in exercising their duties to instill in the public that the laws in this country are sacrosanct.
Generally the public have lost trust in the institution of Justice where punishment meted out does NOT reflect the seriousness of the crime committed.
Given the rampant crime rate in the country it is justified to change the laws with the times to give harsher sentences to transgressors as a deterrent especially recurring cases .
The vicious recalcitrant criminals obviously cannot be reformed.Their lack of remorse and thinking clearly place no value on the sanctity of human life. How many robberies, killings, rapes, assassinations etc must it take to make Malaysians realise the weight of the current problems and situations we have at hand?
Malaysians naturally are peaceful and forgetful lots and history will repeat again and again . We must not let down our guard and stay alert always. There will be no future for all Malaysians if we cannot enjoy simple thing like Peace and Public Security which is the constitutional rights of all MALAYSIANS.
Can we afford to be indifferent about it, ignore it and let the number of crimes to escalate?
ALARM BELLS ALREADY RINGING A LONG TIME AGO.
Wake UP Malaysia !
[The language in this letter is not the most exemplary (with minimal editing) but the cry of desperation shared by Malaysians at the breakdown of law and order and rampat crime rate must be heard by the authorities. – Admin]
#1 by Godfather on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 7:54 am
How many criminals have been caught and successfully prosecuted ? How many cases have been solved ? Even with video evidence, we still cannot hunt down the perpetrators of violent crime.
The police are more adept at covering up than finding evidence. If you make a police report, the first question asked is: Did anyone die ? If not, then you are lucky and you should not expect any favourable outcome to your report.
#2 by drngsc on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 8:19 am
You are right, Godfather,
Soon we will be no better than a failed state, despite all our talk and tall buildings.
What amazes me is that the powers that be could not care less!!!
You try making a police report on these incidences, except for loss of life or limb, the police may even refuse to take your report. At one time, our leaders were supporting the Mat Rempits.
Looks like we are a failed state.
#3 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 8:19 am
“The government has failed to administer strict social order and lacks the political will to maintain law and order. The situation has been exacerbated to such an extent is primarily also due to the free and uncontrolled flow of illegal and legal immigrants in large numbers into the country.” – Bong AP
I am sure Bong AP is correct that immigrants, legal or illegal, add to the crime statistics.
However is it really true crime surge is “primarily” due to free and uncontrolled flow in and out of foreigners (legal or illegal immigrants)? What are statistics and facts about proportion of local versus foreign participation in crime?
Mat Rempits are a social menace. Are they foreigners? I doubt so.
#4 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 8:24 am
“Looks like we are a failed state” – drngsc
Tun Dr Mahathir would disagree. It is a failed country – not a failed state, ie a country that has not turned out meeting his expectations…:)
#5 by taiking on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 9:04 am
From lepak to mat rempit – that is an improvement! Look. At least they did not stay put as lepak-ers alright. They have actually moved on. It is only the police and the goberman. They quite obviously have stayed behind. Rakan muda (in umno’s terms it means tonnes of money earned) did not change anything at all. And what is worse, the umno goberman is too preoccupied with symptomatic treatment. The cure for lepak then was to give lepak-ers something to occupy their time since they loiter too much; and the cure for mat rempits is to give them a track to zoom about since they like racing so much.
The malay students in our local universities are predominantly girls. Where have all the malay boys gone? Has this got anything to do with the lepak/mat rempit culture? I fear that there could be a relationship somehow between the two. The goberman must find out the root cause. Is this an education problem purely or is this a nasty and potentially disastrous side-effect of NEP or both?
I suspect the rot began as a direct side effect of NEP and then it spreaded to education. 30+ years of “Never fear NEP is here” comfort will no doubt give young malays false sense of economic security and will dress them with artificial achievements and success. With ideas like these swimming in their heads can we blame them for thinking: “Why study? NEP is here”. In other words, we are looking at a further side effect to the main NEP side effect. If this is unchecked, the malay society will rot to its core. They need help but not of the NEP sort. They need real help but not of umno’s rhetorical type.
Of course umnoputras will not realise this. They have the money and the advantage that common malays have not. They can afford to send their children overseas for education. And all they have to do is to ensure continuity in their hold on power and position.
#6 by k1980 on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 9:08 am
The police in crime-ridden districts should be given an ultimatum to buck up or be dismissed from the force. As an incentive, they must wear “Fraidy Cat” logos on their caps and uniforms until they prove themselves to be otherwise.
#7 by k1980 on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 9:17 am
Our incompetent police force reminds me of a dark page in the country’s history when the Malayan soldiers threw down their weapons and ran for their pesky little lives as soon as they saw the Japanese troops enter their kampungs.
#8 by ktteokt on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 9:20 am
Mat Rempits are not penalized by the police for one simple reason – they are of the same race! Racial differentiation in dealing with crime in Malaysia has led to deterioration in the maintenance of peace and order! PDRM is nothing else but another RACIST organization!!!!
#9 by monsterball on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 9:31 am
Malaysia is under auto pilot long long ago.
UMNO is busy thinking and planning how to put oppositions into jail.
Police are indirectly on their own….with no professional management from a proper and serious Minister…or PM.
We depend on the vast majority policemen/women joining the Force to defend the country and people…doing their jobs with no supervision.
This is the result…right now..and getting worst.
UMNO never really care for Malaysians.
They pick and choose who to care.
MCA…..MIC… Gerakan..are biggest good obedient lapdogs to UMNO…than the old ones.
Totally useless….decided by People’s Power…ignored by Najib.
#10 by SocratesPlato on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 9:54 am
“This has come to a boiling point where the general public perceptions are criminals rule by Night and the government Rule partially by Day.”
What rule by night? In JB, they rule 24 hours/7 days! You see snatch thieves rule in the streets even in broad day light! The police even with their shiny new car at the scene will just hide inside and reluctant to come out to chase these people on motorcycles.
Some of these criminals caught when seeing the police tell them they need to feed their big family. So how? The police releases their own people on the spot.
#11 by SocratesPlato on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 9:58 am
There is no point pouring in money for more policemen, raising their salary, more ammunition and police cars. They come to the scene of the crime 30mins late eventhough the police HQ is just 10mins walk from where I stayed. I can see their shiny polished uniforms with every single bullet polished on their belts standing there talk cock. Their car seats still have wrappers on. Then just leave later and no case. NFA.
We need QUALITY badly, not QUANTITY. even if u raise their salary twice over, they will still be sitting in the car trying to avoid the criminals. so how?
#12 by suara on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 10:10 am
The solution is not more money for policemen or even more policemen. Have you ever wondered why the traffic police are always around to catch law breakers and employing tactics like hiding under a tree just to catch them. But when it comes to catching criminals, they are no where to be seen. Of course in all our minds, we obviously know the reasons.
The soution could be just as simple as reallocating police resources. As for the Mat Rempits, why even bother to have a study on why they become Mat Rempits. Waste of money!! Just catch them, jail them,cane them and make sure that the punishment is severe that they will think twice about commiting the crime again.
These are common sense solutions.
#13 by SocratesPlato on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 10:18 am
For me, the reason why Mat Rempits roam like lords of the street is simple. They are their own people. The police will hesitate to catch their own people. Simple logic. Some of them could be their friends or relatives!
#14 by Godfather on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 10:45 am
“Just catch them, jail them,cane them and make sure that the punishment is severe that they will think twice about commiting the crime again.”
Now you are going against the beliefs of Putera UMNO. Azeez “Mat Rempit” Rahman became famous in UMNO because of his “catch and release” philosophy on Mat Rempits. Not even tagging, just catch and release.
Many of these criminals don’t have valid licences or road tax discs. Has anyone been charged on these offences, never mind the “reckless driving” charge ?
#15 by UzMiNoOnist on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 12:51 pm
I don’t have much hope for the Police to do anything effective.
This is glaringly true when you hear the country’s Top Cop can make a statement in the press implying that it is alright to be Mat Rempit because of boredom.
I think whoever say that is a NUT case and not fit for a Top Cop. No wonder we have so many unsolved cases, given that the Top cop has a Tidak Apa attitude.
#16 by williamtan on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 1:10 pm
Yesterday there was a Hitz.fm program on mat rempits and two rempits was in studio together with ASP Foo of the traffic division. From the conversation, it seems the police is treating them with kids glove. The police just did not get their message accross that is, stop illegal racing or face the consequences. I have a feeling that upon leaving the studio, the two rempits will continue to race as usual.
#17 by OnandOn on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 1:43 pm
I recalled 2years ago I was having breakfast with my friend in one of the mamak store. One of the malay guy drop on floor, he was having heart attack. My friend who with company ERT knowledge try very hard to recover the poor malay guy. I saw the police station just across the road(100meter away) and call thier phone number that painted on the wall to ask for help. The police refused to come over! There were nothing else we can do about the poor malay guy on the floor. There were hospital that <1km away, they also refused to send ambulance over. 20min later, my friend told me we lost the guy and he was 5days away from his 21st year old.
#18 by anna brella on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 3:12 pm
Age-old wisdom: Change the head and the body will follow suit.
As we all know, Mat Rempits and a non-performing PRDM or a nose-diving economy are only the inevitable symptoms of the underlying cause: the misguided mindset and the rotten policies of UMNO/BN.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
#19 by ktteokt on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 4:19 pm
These guys are still primitive and they only know the \Law of the Jungle\!
#20 by sheriff singh on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 4:59 pm
Have you all read today’s Malay Mail?
Headline today : “Teen Crime on the Rise. Robberies. Snatch thefts. Drug abuse. Wangsa Maju a hot spot. Cops Surprised.”
Teenagers involved. Even deaf mutes involved. Students murdered, slashed. etc etc.
What the heck is the Police doing? They are “surprised” i.e. not on the ball. What is KL City Hall and the Federal Territories Minister going to do? What is the MP there going to do in addition to his famous “unqualified people in the State Excos” statement?
#21 by frankyapp on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 6:40 pm
Sheriff singh “what the heck is the poilce doing ?” Good question Mr. singh ! The answer is simple,the police is sleeping . Mr.Singh,did you see “police pondok” everywhere in cities,pekan,towns etc ?.Did you ever realize,all these “pondok ” police guys normally just close their eye when crimes committed infront or next to them ? Let me give you some example, illegal parking on four foot ways right under their noses,nothing has been done about it.Mat Rempit racinhg through their eyes and ears,just never do anything. Walk in the office to report an accident or a minor crime,they will tell you this “sorry lah,this’s not my business,why don’t you go town central police station,traffic section,the accident case and CID section to report your criminal case” .And you may add “Tuan who’s to see ” “don know lah,just go there,can you see I’m very busy lah “.This is the attitudes of most of the police guys when you need their help.With this kind of mentality,how much can you or we expect from them.This is indeed the main reason why our crime rate has gone almost sky high.
#22 by private_undergrad on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 7:48 pm
Pls don’t give face, Uncle Lim.
‘Shoot’ them directly in the face, right in front of the press.
Call them ‘lembap’, and for sure they will ‘shoot’ back, disregarding the fact.
Make a fuss out of this matter, and for certain the noise will get bigger, and that’s how we are heard.
And most of all, that’s why you are voted in!
#23 by Taxidriver on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 10:14 pm
Despite the deployment of a few hundred more police personnels to tackle the alarming crime rate in JB, the situation is getting worse! To the JB residents, this is not at all surprising. The police are more deligent when it comes to setting up roadblocks to nab traffic offenders. Instead of using police cars to patrol housing estates and crime prone areas, they wait near traffic lights with their car head-lights off to wait for another motorist to beat the red light or they randomly stop a car to check.
I do not have to say further than that except to say there is no money to be had fighting crimes. Who wants to do that??
#24 by katdog on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 10:23 pm
Talking about about administering strict social order, i wonder if we the Malaysians ourselves has not done anything to keep our society in order?
How many of us park our vehicles in illegal spots or break traffic laws? How many of us are road bullies on the road? How many of us then pay bribes when we are stopped fully expecting the police to reciprocate? How many of us litter in public areas expecting someone else to clean up our trash? How many of us smoke in areas where we are not supposed to?
If the adults flaunt the rules whenever it suits them, how can they then expect the younger generation to be respectful of law and order? When the young generation observe the adults getting away with breaking the law time and time again, they will begin doing it themselves. They become bolder each time there is no repercussions.
Have we Malaysian’s done our part in instilling respect for the rule of law in our society?
#25 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 30 April 2009 - 2:10 am
Perhaps Najib should go walk in the streets of Wangsa Maju and KL without his bodyguards?
#26 by OrangRojak on Thursday, 30 April 2009 - 2:46 am
Only tenuously related – perhaps the rule of law was never very strong in Malaysia? I posted a link to a BBC story about Batang Kali recently. There’s a short version of the BBC documentary “In Cold Blood” at Google Video which is certainly worth watching if you’re wondering what it’s all about, and I’m not the only one in Malaysia who hasn’t heard of it. It’s quite disturbing in spots – if you’re still at school it might be worth watching it with your parents, and maybe not just before bedtime:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4316661308467486103
#27 by sotong on Thursday, 30 April 2009 - 7:28 am
Don’t blame the police….it is our so called ” leaders ” who are more concerned of being popular and wealthy than doing a good and decent job.
#28 by kerishamuddinitis on Friday, 1 May 2009 - 2:49 pm
What can we expect from mata-mata buta? They don’t have time to catch criminals if they have to spend time learning how to blockade the town to ‘protect the electoral process.’ And it sucks up 6k to 8k of manpower to do an excellent job of this. Nevermind the manhours.
Then, they need to fine-tune the whole technique and procedures of setting up roadblocks at various arteries into the city so that the resulting massive traffic gridlock inconveniencing the rakyat can be blamed on the unsavoury ‘opposition.’
And then, there is the massive crackdowns on peaceful gatherings by the rakyat that need to be conducted wherever more than 4 people gather – especially if the gathering is in celebration of a victory by PR in by-elections. And there were so many recently, their officers missed their favourite CSI programs. They were pissed! They resorted to beating huge shields like what’s done in herding animals.
Then, there are the numerous reports that need to be tracked down, seized and destroyed for being professionally incorrect in documenting the causes of death under custody.
And finally, the most challenging, time-consuming and delicate performance of duty that they need to ensure the officers are all more than well-trained to execute flawlessly. It takes massive number of hours to learn this – how to say ‘I don’t know’ repeatedly without batting an eye (mata-mata buta) and in as many variations as possible. This has several stages of competence to achieve – after perfecting the art of saying ‘I don’t know’, they need to progress to the next level of ‘since I don’t know, I will do nothing’ and the final stage is for them to all attain a state of imbecilic idiocy.
That is mata-mata buta nirwana.
#29 by Taxidriver on Friday, 1 May 2009 - 8:57 pm
In JB I have come across notices outside police stations and police pondoks that read: “Jika terdapat gate terkunci sila bunyi loceng” or ” jika pintu terkunci sila tekan loceng”
It puzzles me how they can lock up such places, and I wonder what they do inside?
#30 by frankyapp on Saturday, 2 May 2009 - 6:35 pm
Taxidriver,didn’t I have given the answer to your question ie “wonder what they do inside “.I repeat that” the police are sleeping “.
#31 by ringthetill on Sunday, 3 May 2009 - 6:51 am
Signs of a failed state?