The frightening 71%

 

(Sin Chew Daily) - The question is, what are the root causes of crimes? Without solving the root causes, crackdown operations would only be palliative moves that would not solve the underlying problems.

In addition to political disputes, public security has become the hottest issue affecting the people of the country over the past few months. A series of shootings, robberies and gang revenge attacks have filled the air with the offensive smell of blood, causing panic in the society after the general election.

Many domestic security problems are caused by the disputes among secret societies. They are engaged in "territory" fighting, drug trafficking, prostitution, smuggling activities, money laundering, fraud, robbery, revenge and killing. As Author of the book McMafia: Crime without Frontiers, Misha Glenny described, the world is not only flat, but it is also dark as secret societies have gone international and national resources of some countries have been dominated by gangs.

The temptation of money has led secret societies to commit a variety of crimes. Misha Glenny pointed out that globalisation and the prevailing Internet allowed secret societies to rapidly expand and become "multinational enterprises" like McDonald's. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and many other anti-crime organisations, the economic output of secret societies have actually accounted for 15% to 20% of the world's GDP today!

Secret societies are international and interracial. However, the quiet evolution of local gangs over the past few decades, particularly the "rise" of Indian gangs, is a phenomenon that should not be neglected.

Indians accounted for 7.3% of the country's total population. According to the figures released recently by the police, Indians have become the mainstay of secret societies in Malaysia, making up almost 71% of all gang members. The huge number of gang members, the brutal means being used, as well as how active they are have shocked the country. For instance, during the funeral of two Indian members of Gang 04, a few hundred of Indian young people, believed to be members of the same party, had actually paraded in the streets with banners bearing the Gang 04 logo. It was reported that they had also lighted firecrackers and ignored the presence of the police. Such an unusual phenomenon has not only reflected the rampancy of gangs, but also how severe the challenges are for the police.

Extraordinary actions are needed in desperate times. Therefore, the police has recently launched a massive crackdown operation, which is generally supported by the public. The question is, what are the root causes of crimes? Without solving the root causes, crackdown operations would only be palliative moves that would not solve the underlying problems.

Seventy one percent gang members are Indians. In the face of the cold and frightening figure, in addition to shock and fear, the people must also be aware of the lessons and potential crisis reflected by the figure. Namely, the plight of the Indian society has gone so serious until is no longer a problem that must be addressed by the Indian community. In fact, it has evolved into a very serious national issue affecting the whole country. The result of lax law enforcement has not only affected the people, but as well foreign investment.

As we all know, the greatest plight of the Indian community is poverty. And poverty is closely related to education and racial policies. An undeniable fact is, the Indians have become the greatest victim of the lopsided polices. Therefore, to relieve the plight of the Indian community and solve gang crime problem, it must be started from policy and institutional reforms. Otherwise, everything is just empty talk!