Crime too commonplace in Malaysia

“Papa Orang Utan” condemns the deadly stabbing of British medical students that is all over the news both in Malaysia and in London.

COMMENT

Peter John Jaban, fondly called “Papa Orang Utan”, the controversial DJ who is the voice of Radio Free Sarawak (RFS), has issued a strong condemnation of the fatal attack on two medical students from England.

Neil Dalton and Aidan Brunger, both from the Faculty of Medicine at Newcastle University, were celebrating the end of their six-week work experience at a hospital in Kuching.

As they sat drinking in the early hours of Wednesday morning, a group of locals who were in the same bar objected to the noise they were making. An altercation followed, but when the students left the premises to return to their accommodation, they were followed by the group of men, who then allegedly stabbed them to death.

Papa Orang Utan, who is on a visit to London, has expressed his disgust and shame at the crime. In a letter sent to FMT, he said, “I am in England, and for the first time I am ashamed to tell people that I am from Sarawak.  I am not the only one; many other Sarawakians living in England feel the same way.

“The story of two young medical students slashed to death in a vicious attack, in the centre of Kuching, by four drug addicts with criminal records is all over the news here – radio, TV, newspapers. It is even discussed in the streets.

“Even worse, these two boys were not tourists. They were carrying out much needed work for the people of Sarawak at the General Hospital.

“The millions of ringgit spent by the government to promote Malaysia as a tourist destination in 2014 have just been flushed down the toilet.  Sarawak is famous here now, but no one wants to visit.”

Peter John says that this was not a random attack, contrary to what many people outside Malaysia believe. He said, “Sarawak was once a safe state, but crime is spiralling out of control.  Robberies are commonplace, shootings are on the increase.

“My wife has been robbed three times in one year, but none of the crimes were properly investigated. So she didn’t even bother to report a man on a motorcycle who ripped her necklace from her neck in King’s Centre.”

He laments the attitude of the locals and the policemen who are supposed to protect citizens against crime and criminal activities. He said, “Most Kuching residents just accept that King’s Centre is very bad for snatch thefts.  The police consider snatch thefts to be a small matter.”

Peter John is angry about the lack of law enforcement in Sarawak and demands to know what measures are being taken to keep crime in check.

He said, “These are not small matters, but if we allow small matters to become everyday occurrences, then murders will become petty crime.

“After all, the murderers of these two students have previous convictions for serious crimes and are still in their 20s.  Even when the police manage to secure a conviction, the criminals are free in no time, ready to do worse.”

He recalls a particular crime in Kuching, a security recording of which he had the opportunity to watch. “Many Kuching people will have heard the story of two boys who were chased into a security booth in Samajaya by a motorcycle gang last month,” he said.

“In full view of security cameras, the three security guards calmly walked out of the booth, leaving the two boys to be attacked with parangs.  The result?  The suspects were released on bail, and have now disappeared.”

Peter John expresses disgust that after a crime has been reported, the police have the audacity to ask the victims if they want their cases to be investigated. He demanded to know if the police know their true role in society. “How many Kuching residents have made a police report following a robbery, only to be asked if they want it investigated?  Isn’t that what the police should do?”

He pulled no punches when he questioned the performance and deployment of police personnel, and said, “It is not a lack of police. There are supposed to be 33,000 policemen in Sarawak.  That is one policeman for every 73 people.”

Peter John is no stranger to being targeted by the authorities for his human rights activities and for being a vocal critic of the state.

He slammed police inaction and said, “It’s no wonder crimes are not investigated because the police seem to hound law-abiding citizens.  More importantly, what are the rest of the police doing?  Perhaps they should spend more time controlling crime instead of monitoring people like me for exercising their right to freedom of speech.”

Despite being hounded by the police, Peter John is no traitor. Nor has he brought disrepute to the state. He said, “I am not trying to tarnish the name of Sarawak.  I want to protect it and I call on the State Government, the Police Force, the Judiciary and both the mayors of Kuching to get their act together and do the same.

“There is no point spending a fortune on tourist promotion if the town is not safe.  It would be better to spend that money on CCTVs on every street. But CCTVs are only useful if the police actually put it to use.  So, sort out the crime in Sarawak and make our state safe, once again.”

Some people call this latest crime a random attack, but many Malaysians disagree. They have long complained about crime, but one minister brushed them aside and said that the high level of crime was just a “perception”.

Attacks on foreigners are increasing. An Estonian model was murdered in Tioman. A New Zealander was slashed in his KL hotel room. Gareth Huntley, working on a turtle conservation project, was killed in Tioman. A French model was raped and killed, also in Tioman. There are countless other attacks on people from Myanmar, Indonesian and Bangladesh. In addition, tourists risk being kidnapped in Sabah.

Some people allege that the foreigners were warned to avoid local bars. So, are locals supposed to accept that many places which they can afford to frequent are unsafe? Are they to hope for the best on a night out?

Some people say this was an attack against whites, but again many locals disagree. The men who attacked the students were high on drugs. So, what are the authorities doing to combat drug use and corruption of the police by drug barons?

The lives of two men who could have made useful contributions to society have been lost. Our sympathies go to their families, but what are we doing about cleaning-up the drug scene?

Is Peter John  right when he says that the police should make catching criminals a priority and not go after human rights activists, the people fighting for land rights, and members of the opposition?

So, what do you think?

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist