It is sad and tragic that while “unusual creativeness” are being exhibited to remove the “sting” of Lithuanian-born street artist Ernest Zacharevic’s “high crime” mural in Johor Bahru, there are no signs that the relevant authorities – JB City Council, the Police and Johore State Government – are being moved to capitalise on the heightened public awareness in the past week of unacceptably high crime rate in JB to launch a new initiative to wipe out JB’s reputation as the nation’s crime capital.

Two local artists had worked through midnight to add a Lego policeman armed with a handcuff to the controversial mural – a Lego man wearing a ski mask and holding a knife waiting to rob a Lego woman carrying a “Chanel” bag – but Zacharevic has dissociated himself from the addition with the comment on his Facbook that this is “a true vandalism”.

The authorities show a completely wrong sense of priorities, in expending energy on how to remove the “sting” of Zachas’ “high crime” mural in JB with various “creative” ideas to allow the “offensive” mural to remain in JB, when what is most important of all is for the authorities to take meaningful and effective action to ensure that JB becomes a low-crime city which is safe and secure for residents, visitors and investors.

The relevant authorities in JB – the JB City Council, the Johore Police and the Johore State Government – must not “do nothing” but must use the controversy over Zachas’ “high-crime” mural to launch a new initiative to wipe out JB’s reputation as the nation’s crime capital.