Uproot the core of gangsterism

Secret societies are backed by influential people in Malaysia, says NGO.

KUALA LUMPUR: The police are barking up the wrong tree on issues to curtail gangsterism, says a newly formed crime watch NGO today.

V Ravindran, the pro-term committee member of Malaysia Community Crime Care Association (MCCCA) recommends that the enforcement departments should instead look into prevention of crime rather than the gangsters themselves.

MCCCA is headed by the former inspector general of police Musa Hassan.

“Gangsterism is like a tree. Thus, the police should cut the ‘taproot’ of the tree. But, currently they are cutting only the twigs,” he told FMT.

He further added that shooting or arresting hundreds of gangsters is only a temporary measure. Such actions will not end gangsterism in Malaysia.

“There is no point arresting these small timers, also known as ‘runners’ or ‘semut’, who merely took instructions from their respective leaders,” said Ravindran.

“There are many more out there who are economically deprived ready to replace these ‘runners’”.

Secret societies

According to Ravindran, secret societies have been around since the 1850s.

“There are over hundreds of secret societies or gangs in Malaysia, comprising of all races; including natives of Sabah and Sarawak. Even foreigners have their gangs,” he said.

He added that several societies are well organised with their own flag, anthem, logo and in-house rules.

“Leaders of these secret societies are well connected with politicians, police and business people. These warlords are well respected in their community,” said Ravindran.

“Some of them even carried datukship titles. They are willing to spend millions of ringgit to recruit young members into the societies.”

“If the police are really interested in gangsterism prevention, they should first go after these people,” he added.

Ravindran believes that arresting the warlords is a better option in preventing gangsterism than going after the small timers.

Nevertheless, Ravindran admits that the police do find difficulties going after the big guns.

“Too much politicking on the issue of gangsterism by both BN and the opposition has hampered police efforts at times.”

He said the BN leaders have used the police for their personal agenda while Pakatan has been too critical on the enforcement agency.

“I’m not against criticism, but it should be constructive instead of destructive,” said Ravindran.

“It would be more helpful to police when politicians come out with suggestions instead of criticism and instructions,” he added.

DPM's silence blamed for 'rising racism' at Seri Pristana

Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's complete silence on the "bullying" at SK Seri Pristana is to be blamed for the exodus of non-Muslim pupils from the school, said DAP.

"It is worrying too that this whole problem may soon become a racial problem as the students who have been picked on and bullied happen to come from one race.

"There is no doubt that the person who must be held responsible for not nipping the bullying problem in the bud is the education minister.

"It is baffling and unbelievable that Muhyiddin could remain silent and do nothing till this day," said DAP vice-chairperson Teresa Kok (left) in a statement today.

As of Tuesday 10 pupils have asked to be transferred out of the controversial Sungai Buloh school following the arrest of V Kumancan, a father of a pupil at the school.

The school rose to infamy during the Ramadan period for allegedly making its non-Muslim students have their meals in a makeshift canteen in a shower room.

Kok asked what was to become of the upcoming education blueprint in light of the minister's inability to tackle the Seri Pristana situation, echoing former minister Zaid Ibrahim's sentiments.
Kok said that the matter requires the immediate attention of the cabinet, and also said that the police deserve to be criticised for questioning the school pupils.

“How could the police be so unprofessional and insensitive not to understand how primary school children will react to being ‘interviewed’ by police?” she asked.

“The police’s explanation that the pupils were ‘interviewed’ and ‘not questioned’ is weak and unacceptable,” she added.

She also urged the police to apologise over their actions, while asking authorities to provide counselling for the children who were affected by the incident.

SK Seri Pristana incident 'only a small problem'

The SK Seri Pristana incident where students were made to eat in changing rooms was only a “small problem” compared to other schools that have done well in integrating its students, said Deputy Education Minister II P Kamalanathan.

“We have as of yesterday’s count 10,094 schools in this country. We have 90 to 95 percent of schools that have done very well on national integration.

“Here we have one school; one person, who did not follow the policy. We should not say that the entire schooling system is like that,” he said.

He added that the Education Ministry’s disciplinary division is investigating the school’s headmaster, Mohd Nasir Mohd Nor, over numerous complaints lodged against him over the incident, but he has yet to be briefed on its outcome.

Kamalanathan was speaking at a forum themed ‘Education as a leveller or divider?’ in Kuala Lumpur today, where the moderator, Noor Azimah Abd Rahim, asked him to comment on the issue.

[More to follow]

Toe the line, Najib tells Waytha

 

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today said Senator P Waythamoorthy should toe the government line as the latter is a member of the government.

"As a member of the government, you must be toe the line, you must have one voice," he said curtly during a press conference at his office in Putrajaya.

Najib's statement comes in the wake of three of his cabinet ministers urging Waythamoorthy's resignation after the latter released statements questioning police action.

Waythamoorthy was handpicked by Najib to be appointed as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

Previously, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had all asked Waythamoorthy to resign from his position if he can’t toe the government line.

The urgings came after Waythamoorthy openly questioned the police’s conduct in shooting dead five suspected gangsters, all of Indian descent, in Sungai Nibong, Penang last week.

Waythamoorthy leads the Indian rights NGO Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia after returning from exile in the United Kingdom late last year.

He went on a hunger strike for either BN or Pakatan Rakyat to sign Hindraf’s blueprint prior to the May 5 general election, and Najib finally agreed to sign the blueprint in April this year.

Following a public signing ceremony for the blueprint, Waythamoorthy (right) instructed Hindraf and its followers to campaign for BN in the May 5 general election, where BN won, though without a two-thirds majority.

After the election, Waythamoorthy was appointed a senator and subsequently appointed as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department by Najib, meant to oversee Indian welfare issues.

Waythamoorthy previously vowed to step down if he is unable to fulfill his goals of being in the government - which is to improve the welfare of Indians.

Home Ministry declares war on 49 outlawed gangs

The Home Ministry today declared war on 49 gangs as unlawful under the Societies Act 1966, setting the stage for a possible clampdown.

The list includes some of the most active gangs concentrated in Kuala Lumpur and Johor, said the ministry in a statement today.

"The home minister declared 49 secret societies around the country as organisations that have contravened Section 5(1) of the Societies Act 1966 on August 28.

"These secret societies ... carry out activities that threaten the country's peace, such as drug syndicates, extortion, inter-gang confrontations, cause trouble and murder using firearms or sharp objects such as machetes, knives, nails and others," read the statement.

Among the actions that the ministry can take is seizure of the organisations' accounts and assets to be wound up by the Insolvency Department.

According to Bernama, he secret societies identified are:

- Gang 04 which is active in Kedah, Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur.

- Gang 08 which is active in Kuala Lumpur,  Selangor, Penang, Perak, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Malacca.

- Double 7 which is active in the peninsula.

- Tige Line which is active in 20 areas in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Kedah and Perak.

- Gang 30 which is active in the peninsula.

- Gang 38 which is active in 14 areas in Kepong, Jinjang and Setapak in the Kuala Lumpur and in Johor Baharu, Johor).

- Gang 24 (in six areas in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Perak and Johor).

- Gang 18 (in eight areas in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Johor).

- Gang 36 (Perak, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur).

Other secret societies identified in the peninsula are Gee Ah Eng, Loh Kuan, Tiang Yee Tong, Gang 21, Ang Soon Thong, Wah Kee, Sio Sam Ong, PNEH, Hong Hong San, Hai San, Sin Ang Bin, New Cell 20, Jit It Hai, Sio Koon Tong, Gee Lam Kor, Gee Leng Hor, Geng 35, Geng 303 and Geng Satu Hati.

In Sabah, the secret societies identified are ATAP, Hung Ann, Sui Yuk, Otai and Borneo Red EMP.

In Sarawak, they are Ah Ngau, Batu Tiga, Ah Feng, Batu 10, Sibu T, Ah Seng, Ah Chin, Lee Lung, Lo Han, Sg Merab, Sg Badut, Ting Ching Lee, Tua Cak Lee, Teksi Station, Pintu Merah and Krokop.

With the announcement, Abdul Rahim said no person would be allowed to register the secret societies as an organisation.

Ministry: GST a must, not an option

 

Implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) nationwide is a must, not an option, says Finance Ministry secretary-general Mohd Irwan Siregar Abdullah.

Describing this as the ultimate objective of taking care of the country, he said the ministry would try its best to include the plan in the upcoming October Budget to tackle the fiscal deficit.

Irwan (left) revealed that there would be some sort of rebate for individuals and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to ensure that the GST did not burden the people.

“We (the ministry) have identified a list of zero-rated items like basic necessities such as rice and milk powder,” he said.

Mohd Irwan said 14 months were needed for implementation should the GST plan be approved, and the taxes would be charged by 2015 nationwide.

“It’s a whole package. We look at the corporate sector, personal income tax and so on... nobody will be left out,” he added.

“More details will be announced next Monday after the fiscal committee meeting,” he said during a question-and-answer session at a briefing on the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) at the Securities Commission today.

When later pressed for the proposed percentage of the GST during a press conference, Mohd Irwan refused to reveal the number.

Asked if the government would proceed with the subsidy rationalisation move, Mohd Irwan said this would be done "gradually".

He said the government had pledged to ensure the cut from subsidies would not impact the public.

Stating an example, Mohd Irwan said some people do not deserve to be subsidised, such as those owning five cars.

He added that rationalised subsidy enabled the government to have better savings, which could be allocated towards public aid.

"More details will be revealed after the fiscal committee," he said.

Vell Paari: Quizzing of pupils must be raised in cabinet

 

MIC director of strategy S Vell Paari has said that the police’s conduct in questioning SK Sri Pristana pupils recently must be raised in the cabinet as there is “no justification” for the authorities' conduct.

“I, for one, do not believe that there could be any justification for such a shameful act,” he said in a statement today.

However, Vell Paari (left) said that the matter must be raised in the cabinet as something has to be done about the incident.

“To come out and say that ‘it was not proper’ is not sufficient. Action must be taken so that such incidents would not recur in future,” he said.

Vell Paari said that he would be bringing the parents of the children who were questioned by the police to the Prime Minister’s Department to meet Minister Paul Low next week.

“We are talking about children, not criminals,” Vell Paari said.

Yesterday, Sungai Buloh district police chief Junaidi Bujang admitted that police had questioned the pupils over the shower room canteen controversy that erupted at the school late last month, though he claimed that police did not “harass” the children.

However, he had earlier denied interviewing the school pupils.

OCPD: Yes, we 'talked' to the kids but didn't harass them

‘Stop scaring the kids, parents’

MCA calls for the authorities to ensure an environment free from harassment and discrimination in all schools.

PETALING JAYA: MCA Publicity Bureau chairman Heng Seai Kie has today expressed her regret over the incident where police personnel allegedly questioned non-Muslim pupils of SK Seri Pristana without the permission and in the absence of their parents.

The MCA deputy national organising secretary had also voiced her disappointment as more and more parents are requesting for their children to be transferred to another school due to the bullying, which also involved the teachers, that is allegedly ongoing at SK Seri Pristana, in Sungai Buloh.

“What signal are the headmaster, teachers and PIBG of SK Seri Pristana sending to the would-be pupils and public (with the alleged bullying) following the press conference by the parents of the affected pupils.

“It appears that innocent children have been driven out of the school because they are facing harassment from the same people whom their parents entrusted them with,” she said in a statement today.

“Please protect, nurture and provide the pupils of all schools with an environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Only then, it is a safe and condusive for learning,” she said.

Heng adding that the school authorities were abusing their powers if they did the alleged act to punish the pupils after a parent posted pictures on social media of the school converting a changing room as a temporary canteen during Ramadan, which went viral and drew flak from the public.

Also, Bukit Aman has to probe the matter allegedly involving its men as there are laws that protect minors, she said.

“The parents have every right to be concerned over the incident where an unidentified man accompanied by the headmaster took photos of their children without the parents’ permission,” she said.

Heng strongly urged the Sungai Buloh police chief to investigate the matter, and also the Education Ministry to probe and take action against the headmaster.

She also questioned the police on the outcome of their investigation on the death and kidnap threat against the parent who posted the pictures on Facebook, Guneswari Kelly, and her daughter.

“Surely the OCPD does not want to be overwhelmed with allegations of practising double standard and being lackadisical despite receiving a death threat report,” she said.

“It is time to put an end to this entire situation before it jeopardises our national unity. All related authorities such as the Education Ministry and the police have to take serious measures to end all of these nonsense,” she said.

Sungai Buloh police chief Superintendent Junaidi Bujang yesterday denied the allegation that police questioned the children without their parents being present, while parents insisted that such an act had taken place.

BN leaders come to Waytha’s defence

But, they say the deputy minister must check his facts before making any future statements.

PETALING JAYA: There is no need for deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waythamoorthy to quit his government post over his remarks on the police killing of suspected criminals in Penang last week.

Several non-Umno BN leaders believed there was “no reason” for Waythamoorthy to resign despite calls to do so by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaffar.

“The only mistake he made was that he should’ve asked for a proper investigation over the matter before accusing the police of not following procedures when firing at those gangsters,” Kedah Gerakan Youth Chief Tan Keng Liang told FMT.

“I don’t think there is a need to step down. Why should he step down?” he asked.

“He should have checked his facts first before making accusations,” he reiterated.

Labis MP Chua Tee Yong said the progressing political scenario should enable Cabinet ministers to “state their stand” on an issue.

“However, he must also acknowledge collective responsibility. It is important that he makes statements after getting the facts,” he said.

Asked if Waythamoorthy should step down from his ministerial post, Chua said there was “no need to”.

“If he said it is based on the sentiments of the public, then it is not correct. But if he is highlighting a relevant issue, then it should be investigated,” he said.

Tan said there was no pertinent need for Waythamoorthy to resign as “people are bound to make errors in life and become emotional in a matter”.

“It’s a learning curve for him (Waythamoorthy) as a new deputy minister to check before barging at the police or some others in future,” he said.

“I don’t think there is a need for him to resign at this state. There is just no reason to.”

Umno man echoes leaders’ call

However, Cheras Umno division chief Syed Ali Alhabshee maintained that Waythamoorthy should step down from his post for speaking out against the police over the shootings.

“As a Cabinet minister, he should be open minded, not relate the issue to a certain race,” he said.

“This is not an issue of Indians getting shot at, but of law and the action of the police to combat crime. Why is Waythamoorthy acting like he is blaming the police?” he asked.

“If he cannot differentiate his role and responsibility as Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) chairman and a Cabinet minister, then he should resign immediately.”