2 œ theSun | WEDNESDAY JULY 29 2009

news without borders

Rounding up drug addicts to reduce street crimes

by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Rounding up drug
addicts can dramatically reduce street
crimes statistics as they are behind
80% of such cases, according to fed-
eral police.
Federal police CID director Com-
missioner Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin
said yesterday that street crimes
referred to crimes which affected the
daily lives of the public such as snatch
thefts, wayside robberies and other
theft cases.
He said snatch theft is the prime
target of the police as it had horrifying
consequences, including causing fa-
talities. Mohd Bakri was responding to
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
Razak’s announcement on Monday
about plans to reduce street crimes by
20% by the end of 2010. The measure
was one of several in the National Key
Result Area (NKRA) encompassing
crime. The other KRA are education,
corruption, helping the lower income
group, public transport and rural basic
infrastructure.
Stating that the 20% target was
achievable, Mohd Bakri said it would
require a joint effort by the public and
other voluntary enforcement agencies
or groups such as Civil Defence, Rela,
Rukun Tetangga and the Anti-Drug
Agency to bring the crime rates
down.
“We can do it. We found that 80%
of such crimes are mainly committed
by drug users to feed their addiction.
If we nab them, then we may even see
street crimes statistics being lowered
by more than 20%.
“But everyone must play their role
to shut out the ‘ruang dan peluang’
(space and opportunity) for these
criminals, and we will see the results
we seek,” he told theSun.
He said although there has been
a rise in street crimes this year but of
late the caseloads are reducing as a
result of special operations by police.
Snatch theft cases doubled be-
tween January and April this year, com-
pared with the same period last year.
According to police statistics, 1,206
snatch theft cases were reported for
the period this year, compared with
606 last year.
There had been several “remark-
able cases” of victims who died after
falling during snatch thefts, including
the case of a pregnant lady who died
after being attacked by two men on a
motorcycle in Johor Baru in May.

briefs
MCA factions must
reconcile: Liow
PUTRAJAYA: All warring factions
in the MCA should put aside their
differences as the party needs to
focus on a bigger agenda, which
is to strengthen the Chinese-
based party to face political
challenges of the future.
MCA vice-president Datuk
Liow Tiong Lai said it was now
important, not only for MCA
leaders but also the nearly one
million members, to concentrate
on party unity.
“What is important is unity
in the MCA and how we are
going to face challenges of the
future. So whatever problems
we have must be solved through
internal channels. I believe MCA
members know and understand
that unity is priority,” he told re-
porters after a press conference
here yesterday.
Liow, who is also health
minister, said it was equally
important that focus was placed
on party restructuring as an
effort to strengthen the MCA,
and to give undivided support
to the president Datuk Seri Ong
Tee Keat to carry out his reform
agenda.
The minister was comment-
ing on the statement by Deputy
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin
Yassin telling Barisan Nasional
component parties not to wash
their dirty linen through the
media.
Off to court if
negotiations fail
KOTA BARU: Kelantan Mentri
Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz
Nik Mat has not dismissed
the possibility of the state
government taking the fed-
eral government to court if
both parties could not reach
an agreement on the oil
royalty.
“There is no reason for
the federal government not
to give the (oil) royalty to the
Kelantan government be-
cause the oil rig is in Kelantan
waters,” he said on the state
government’s claim for RM1
billion in oil royalty from the
federal government.
“We’ll negotiate, if we can-
not negotiate, we will take
the matter to court, if not to
the court here, to the interna-
tional court.”
The issue on the oil royalty
was raised by Kelantan PAS
deputy commissioner III Datuk
Husam Musa in the campaign
for the Manek Urai by-election
recently. – Bernama
No offer for flood
mitigation project
PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of
Finance (MoF) yesterday said it
has not appointed a company
or issued a letter of offer to any
company to implement the Sun-
gai Muar, Johor, flood mitigation
project.
According to a statement by
the ministry here, the ministry
had received information that
there were irresponsible people
who were distributing a letter
claiming the ministry had issued
a letter of offer to a company for
the project.
The statement said that ac-
cording to current procurement
procedures, the letter of offer
to a contractor would only be
issued by the implementing
agency and not MoF.
The statement said the min-
istry had made a police report
regarding the matter and it
was under police investigation.
– Bernama
Two NGOs want
ISA to stay
PENANG: Two non-govern-
mental organisations in Pen-
ang want the government to
maintain the Internal Security
Act (ISA) as a mechanism to
preserve peace.
The Putra Association
of Penang and Al-Ehsan Or-
ganisation of Malaysia, both
established about four years
ago, opined that the Act did
not pose any threat to those
who did not go against the
law.
“The ISA has proven to
curb certain quarters from
causing chaos in the country,”
the founder of the Putra Asso-
ciation of Penang, Wan Balkis
Wan Abdullah, told reporters
here yesterday.
About 50 members from
both organisations, carrying
banners, gathered at the Kom-
tar building to protest against
any move to abolish the ISA.
However, police broke up
the 30-minute illegal gather-
ing.
Al Ehsan president Mohd
Ridzwan Sulaiman, who was
present at the gathering,
said the organisation would
send a memorandum to the
relevant authorities soon to
urge them not to abolish the
ISA. – Bernama
Gunmen grab gems
worth RM300,000
JOHOR BARU: Three masked
gunmen escaped with jewellery
worth about RM300,000 from a
jewellery shop in a hypermarket
in Senai yesterday.
The robbers, one of whom
was also armed with an axe,
held up three employees when
they arrived at the shop at about
11.30am.
The hold-up was over in five
minutes.
The gunmen escaped in a red
Proton Saga bearing false regis-
tration number plate and driven
by an accomplice, said Kulaijaya
police chief Supt Zulkefly Yahya.
– Bernama
theSun
says:
Much
Marathon meeting on
NKRAs for PM
depends
on Najib’s
plan
pg 12
PUTRAJAYA: Barely 24 hours the participating ministers
after unveiling short-term targets and senior government of-
for the six National Key Results ficials. After this, the DTFs
Areas (NKRA), Datuk Seri Najib will meet periodically to
Abdul Razak chaired two-and-a- ensure that the six NKRA
half hours of back-to-back meetings targets are met.
with five lead ministers yesterday. The five lead minis-
The prime minister led the 30- ters who attended the
minute meetings, known as the meeting yesterday were
Najib delivery task force (DTF) meetings, Transport Minister
shows the beginning at 9.15am. Datuk Seri Ong Tee
front page Najib was accompanied by Keat (improving public
of Guang Minister in the Prime Minister’s transportation), Women,
Ming Daily Department in charge of Perform- Family and Community
depicting the ance Management (KPI) Senator Development Minister
NKRA lead Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon and Chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat
ministers as Secretary to the government Tan Jalil (raising the living
characters Sri Sidek Hassan. standard of the poor),
from the According to a statement from Home Minister Datuk
Transformers Koh’s office, this is the first DTF Seri Hishammuddin
movies to meeting aimed at outlining the de- Hussein (reducing crime), Rural
transform livery plans for each of the NKRAs. and Regional Development Minis- rural infrastructure) and Minister
the country. The meetings were attended by ter Datuk Shafie Apdal (improving in the Prime Minister’s Department
Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz (com-
bating corruption).
The DTF on widening access
to affordable and quality education
was not held today as the lead
minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
who is the deputy prime minister,
is currently in Uganda attending
the Global Smart Partnership
Dialogue.
On Monday, Najib set specific
targets in the six NKRAs in line
with his administration’s vision
of 1Malaysia, People First and
Performance Now.
The 6 NKRAs identified to sup-
port the National Key Performance
Indicators (N-KPI) are: reduce
crime, fight corruption, widen
access to affordable and quality
education, raise living standards
of the poor, improve infrastructure
in rural areas and improve public
transport in the medium term.
Hearing of Sivakumar’s leave application on Sept 4
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Perak state Foong (Jelapang). letters purportedly on the resignations of
assembly speaker V. Sivakumar’s leave ap- They also want the court to grant an the trio but the EC doubted the resigna-
plication for a judicial review to compel the injunction to stop the trio from acting and tions and refused to hold by-elections in
Election Commission (EC) to declare three carrying out the functions and duties of the constituencies.
state seats vacant and hold fresh elections assemblymen. Sivakumar’s counsel Razlan Hadri
is set to be heard by the High Court on They are also seeking a writ of “quo said he informed the judge in chambers
Sept 4. Justice Lau Bee Lan fixed the date warranto” to compel the trio to show yesterday that another affidavit was filed
in chambers yesterday. why they are still the representatives of on Monday to support their contention
The application will be heard jointly with their constituencies and can carry out the that the Federal Court’s April 9 landmark
a similar application brought by three op- responsibilities, functions and duties of decision, which declared that the EC was
position assemblymen – Chen Fook Chye, assemblymen. the rightful body to declare vacancies of
Tai Sing Ng and A. Sivanesan – and three Jamaluddin and Osman won their seats the seats and not Sivakumar, who was
voters, Ahmad Sabry Wahab (Behrang), on PKR tickets and Hee, under the DAP then the assembly speaker, did not affect
Abdul Latif Ariffin (Changkat Jering) and Foo banner, in last year’s general election. They Sivakumar’s application.
Hon Wai (Jelapang). later left their parties and pledged support Meanwhile, senior federal counsel
They are seeking to compel the EC to for Barisan Nasional, leading to the collapse Andi Razalijaya, appearing for Attorney
declare the seats vacant following the res- of the PAS-PKR-DAP coalition government General Chambers, said they will be raising
ignation of three assemblymen – Jamalud- in Perak. a preliminary objection that Sivakumar’s
din Mohd Radzi (Behrang), Mohd Osman On Feb 3, Sivakumar notified the EC that application was rendered academic fol-
Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering) and Hee Yit the three seats were vacant after receiving lowing the Federal Court’s April 9 decision.