At The Dewan Rakyat

Reports by ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN, ELIZABETH LOOI AND FLORENCE A SAMY
The Star

IS THE crime rate in the country so alarming that an MP loses his appetite each time he attends Parliament while his wife and children are left at home?

“My house has been burgled twice. Now I am here as Parliament is sitting while my wife and children are at home.

“I am so worried about them that I lose my appetite to eat,” said Huan Cheng Guan (BN – Batu Kawan) when debating on the Royal Address.

He said the crime rate, especially in Penang, was alarming where in his residential area alone, robberies and snatch thefts happened almost every day.

He said the increasing crime rate was a serious problem that must be tackled immediately as the majority of victims were those in the lower and middle-income groups.

His views drew keen interest among MPs.

Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (BN – Bintulu) said the crime rate in his constituency was also increasing to the extent that gangsters were attacking policemen.

“I appreciate that Bukit Aman is taking a serious view of this and that they would act. But please don’t tell the press if they turun padang (carry out their investigations). Do it quietly,” he said.

Chong Eng (DAP – Bukit Mertajam) said the problem stemmed from the failure of the police to effectively enforce the law so much so criminals were adopting the attitude of “we’ll steal whatever we can sell.”

“Even if they have stolen, the police couldn’t catch them, so they’ve become so daring as though the law does not exist to them,” she added.

Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (BN – Jasin) suggested that the police replace those who could not do a good job in combating crime.

“Those who are about to retire, just let them retire. Replace them with those on the waiting list (for promotion). As they say, new broom sweeps clean,” he said. – Bernama