Malaysians don’t feel safe
(Malaysian Mirror) – Malaysians do not feel safe in their own country, a Home Ministry survey shows.
Statistics since 2003 have shown that the crime rate in the country had risen an astounding 43% and the recent opinion poll on the ministry’s website confirmed that most Malaysians feel insecure about their safety.
The ministry started its poll on Saturday and by 6pm the next day, 95% of the more than 6,000 people who responded said they felt insecure about their safety.
They were also not confident about the Government’s performance in safe-keeping the people’s safety and security.
Why they do not feel safe
More than half of the respondents formed this opinion because they or their family members had been victims of crime while 36% of the respondents said they were influenced by news about crime.
The survey indicated that every Malaysian knows someone who has been a victim of crime!
Only 1% of the respondents said they felt safe while the others said they are ‘not sure’.
On the level of safety in the country, 95% of respondents felt that it was not guaranteed as compared to 3% who felt that it was still guaranteed.
To a question whether the Government has done its best to ensure that the safety of the people was at the best level, 95% of 6,155 respondents replied in the negative.
Only 2% felt that the Government has taken the necessary measures to ensure public safety.
Is crime a global issue?
A total of 79% of respondents disagreed to a statement posted on the website that crime was a global issue and that Malaysia was not the only country faced with the increasing crime rate, while 17% others agreed to it.
Ironically, the opinion poll followed two high-profile cases, one involving the son of the country’s commercial crime chief Comm Koh Hong Sun.
His 22-year-old son was killed in a fire at the family’s high-rise apartment in the affluent neighbourhood of Mont Kiara Baru in Kuala Lumpur on July 15.
The next day, the nation was shook again over the death of young political aide Teoh Beng Hock, whose body was found sprawled on a fifth floor balcony of the Plaza Masalam building in Shah Alam.
An earlier poll, carried out by independent group Merdeka Centre at the height of the Perak political issue and the start of the H1N1 flu outbreak, showed that on top of fearing about crime, Malaysians worry most about the economy and related ‘bread and butter’ issues.
What an earlier poll showed
The survey, among more than 1,000 randomly selected registered voters aged 21 and above, indicated that three out of 10 people polled were more worried about unfavourable economic conditions in general, the climbing prices of goods and the fear of not landing a job.
Safety is their second biggest worry, with the growing incidence of social problems among youngsters ranging from the volatile road bully culture of mat rempit and moral decline to drug abuse as well as the menacing presence of some foreign workers.
Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman Lee Lam Thye said there was a need to implement the idea of a ‘safe community’ where people can live, work and play safely and healthily, in line with the ‘1Malaysia’ concept of prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
"Besides improving the lives of individuals, a safe community creates many common benefits, such as improved safety for the public, less crime, improved productivity and competitiveness, lower health-care costs and a reduction in other social expenditure," he said in a statement here.
A community approach
Lee said a safe community approach provides a focal point for community leaders, employers and employees, policemen, firemen, safety professionals and others to build a better community where they worked or lived.
Several months before he stepped down as prime minister in 2008, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Malaysians were not paying enough for security.
He said building owners or tenants were ignoring the need to install and operate CCTVs, including employing workers to operate them.
The government must be made to understand that Malaysians take their safety seriously.
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein called on Malaysians to participate in the poll saying that he appreciated their views, comments and complaints.
He said the public could also submit their feedback to n [email protected] for further action.
