Wipe out the Ah Long menace

THE recent revelations of the operations of Ah Long is flabbergasting and brings shame to all Malaysians who cherish goodwill and kindness as their way of life. Pictures of men who were abducted and held captive by being chained like criminals is very disturbing.

These remind us of the days of slavery and it is unbelievable that Malaysians who are generally known for their friendliness and kindness can resort to such cruel acts against desperate fellow citizens.

Loan sharking has wrecked many individuals and their families. It has to be stopped before more become victims of the menace which has become a form of modern-day slavery. The problem is getting worse with borrowers having to pay extremely high interest rates and unethical modes of collection.

It is heartening to know that the Inspector-General of Police is viewing the problem seriously with his decision to go all out to hunt down and bring these culprits to task.

However, it is not enough for the police to capture and punish few cruel loan sharks each time their atrocity is highlighted in the media. What is needed is a whole-hearted, dedicated, full time and lasting commitment of the police force to fight this menace. More money, time and energy must be spent to fight crimes like this that bring about tremendous hardship to the people.

Greed and the get-rich-quickly attitude that is prevalent among us today contribute greatly to the flourishing trade of loan sharks.

In the pursuit of wealth and more wealth there is no place for compassion and empathy for fellow humans who are desperately in need.

Ironically, our materialistic system today seems to encourage such a culture where the rich and powerful are glorified, idolised and put on high pedestals regardless of how they acquired their wealth and status.

Punitive action against a few Ah Long and borrowers may deter some but will not solve the problem altogether.

What is needed is to get to the root cause of this menace and come out with a comprehensive plan that should include educating people on financial management and prudence and the disasters of excessive borrowing.

There must be deliberate attempts to bring change to the Malaysian mindset which blindly pursues material gains that can be detrimental to the well-being of society.

Poverty is a major factor that contributes to the flourishing of loan sharking. There is no way we can succeed in fighting loan sharking without a concerted effort by all parties to eradicate poverty.

It is the poor and helpless who are forced into the arms of unscrupulous loan sharks who in turn exploit them. Although the responsibility is on the government, all citizens have a role to play in eradicating poverty among fellow citizens.

The Government must look into the setting up of a loan scheme for those in dire need of financial assistance but with no fixed income to prevent them from resorting to loan sharks. The unreasonable requirements imposed by big financial institutions and unhelpful counter officers often make their applications for even a small loan almost impossible.

Loans and other financial grants must be made easily available to those who really deserve them and are eligible, without favouritism and unreasonable collateral.

Source: The  Star Online

3 dikurung seperti binatang oleh Along

dirantai,diseksa dan dipenjara oleh ah long

KUALA LUMPUR 27 Mei – Zalim! Hanya kerana gagal membayar hutang, tiga lelaki diperlakukan seperti binatang apabila leher dan kaki mereka dirantai serta dikurung dalam ‘lokap’ buatan ah long.

Lebih kejam, mangsa hanya dibekalkan dengan sebuku roti untuk setiap dua minggu dan terpaksa minum air paip dalam bilik kecil yang dilengkapi tandas itu.

Malah, mereka turut dijadikan seperti hamba apabila dirotan jika cuba merayu, membuat bising atau meninggikan suara. Wang yang dipinjam pula bukanlah banyak mana, cuma di antara RM1,500 dan RM4,000 sahaja.Kegiatan tidak berperikemanusiaan itu terbongkar apabila polis menahan dua lelaki dipercayai ah long hasil maklumat awam, di sebuah bank di Desa Jaya, Kepong, dekat sini kira-kira pukul 11 pagi ini.

Ketika ditahan suspek yang berusia 30 dan 33 tahun itu sedang membuat urusan pembayaran hutang.Susulan daripada penahanan tersebut, polis menyerbu sebuah bangunan rumah kedai lima tingkat di Jalan PBS 14/2, Taman Perindustrian Bukit Serdang di sini, kira-kira pukul 2.30 petang.Ketua Polis Daerah Gombak, Asisten Komisioner Abdul Rahim Abdullah berkata, dalam serbuan di aras bawah itu, polis menyelamatkan tiga lelaki berusia 25 hingga 49 tahun yang dijadikan tahanan.

Katanya, ketiga-tiga mereka ditempatkan dalam dua bilik yang diubahsuai seolah-olah seperti lokap polis. Beliau berkata, hasil pemeriksaan terhadap mangsa turut menemui kesan-kesan lebam di seluruh badan, dipercayai menjadi mangsa dera ah long.‘‘Berdasarkan keterangan mangsa, kita mendapati mereka dikurung antara 17 hari hingga dua bulan,’’ katanya ketika ditemui pemberita di tempat kejadian di sini hari ini.

Tambah beliau, polis terpaksa meminta bantuan pasukan Bomba dan Penyelamat dari Seri Kembangan untuk memecahkan mangga pada ‘lokap’ berkenaan dan rantai yang dipasang pada mangsa.Abdul Rahim menyifatkan tindakan ah long itu sebagai binatang dan tidak berperikemanusiaan kerana tergamak ‘memuatkan’ mangsa dalam bilik sempit seluas 1.2 meter X 1.2 meter tanpa aliran udara.

‘‘Kami yakin dengan penahanan kedua-dua lelaki pagi ini, kumpulan ah long itu yang juga terlibat dalam beberapa kes di Lembah Klang telah ditumpaskan,’’ ujarnya.Beliau berkata, modus operandi sindiket itu ialah dengan mengurung mangsa sekiranya gagal membayar hutang sehinggalah ahli keluarga mereka melunaskannya.

Ditanya sama ada ahli keluarga mangsa ada membuat laporan polis mengenai kejadian itu, beliau memberitahu, kesemua mangsa dilaporkan hilang oleh keluarga mereka di Gombak, Kajang dan Segamat.‘‘Kami terima tiga laporan berhubung kehilangan mangsa-mangsa. Dalam laporan itu mereka mendakwa mangsa dilarikan ah long namun tiada sebarang maklumat mengenai mereka,’’ ujar beliau. Kes itu katanya, kini disiasat mengikut Seksyen 384 Kanun Keseksaan kerana melakukan peras ugut dan Seksyen 342 Kanun Keseksaan kerana mengurung secara salah.

(SUMBER : SINAR HARIAN 28 MEI 2009)

Shut down loan sharks for good

THE phenomenon of the loan shark and its attendant problems are not new in Malaysia. However, the situation has now deteriorated to truly intolerable levels, as victims are not only harassed and threatened but also kidnapped and abused.

The public has a right to know what is being done to rectify the situation, since just about anyone’s friends, family members, relatives or colleagues can be victimised.

Loan sharks have even been known to target “wrong” people when they intimidate individuals through mistaken identities.

The people expect and deserve appropriate laws to be passed for public protection. After that, the authorities are responsible for the effective enforcement of those laws.

Although the official stand is that action is being taken to curb the menace, there is a simple way for the public to know if enough is being done. If there continue to be hapless victims at the mercy of loan sharks, then the authorities have not been doing enough.

How can public officials know if the steps being taken are adequate? One way to determine that is to begin with the commitment that the punishment must fit the crime.

As the severity of sadistic “Ah Long” activity escalates, so must legal provisions and penalties. Keep raising the levels of judicial deterrence and retribution until it becomes no longer profitable or sensible for loan sharks to remain in business.

Society deserves a zero-tolerance approach to these criminal syndicates, so let there be the requisite political will for the job.

What can possibly hamper the introduction of tougher laws, more stringent enforcement and heavier penalties when the country awaits all these?

It might be said that the public also needs to be educated and dissuaded from involvement with loan sharks, although anyone in dire financial straits might still be tempted.

A comprehensive solution would need to tackle both the demand and supply ends of the activity for more assured results.

By their very own actions, “Ah Longs” have made their trade a public nuisance, a criminal activity and a security threat.

The rest of society cannot afford to be lax to see what have now become serious crimes continue, in whichever form and to whatever extent.

Source: The Star Online