‘7 TEEN SUSPECTS SIGN OF DEFECT IN SOCIETY’
Violence among youth alarming, says Lam Thye
BEATRICE NITA JAY KUALA LUMPUR news@nst.com.my
THE emergence of seven teenagers as prime suspects in the deadly Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah religious school blaze is the symptom of a serious defect in Malaysian society.
Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vicechairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said Malaysians needed to step out of their “bubble” and discard the “denial syndrome”, as violence among teenagers was alarming.
He said the revelation by the police that the early-morning blaze could be a revenge arson attack had shocked the nation and more questions arose when it was revealed that one of the suspects was 11 years old.
Police believe the crime was planned. Lee said whatever reasons given, the actions of those responsible were unacceptable because it claimed the lives of 21 students and two teachers.
Lee said action should also be taken against the parents who allowed their children to be out late at night, causing them to be involved in crime, as provided under the Child Act (Amendment) 2016 or the Penal Code.
He said the fact that all of the suspects were school dropouts, with some also involved in drug abuse and crimes, showed the severity of the social problems involving youth.
“Violent acts such as bullying among youth and students are increasingly widespread and should be taken seriously by the authorities, schools, parents and other stakeholders.
“Most underage offenders commit crimes due to negative peer influence, lack of parental guidance, bad influence on the Internet and the influence of gangsterism,” he said, adding that violence committed by teenagers was occurring more frequently compared with the past.
“Violence among students and teenagers need to be stopped, as the culture is becoming increasingly rampant in society.”
He said the issue was a societal one and required support from all parties, especially the government and all levels of society, including parents and psychologists.
The mental health aspect should be given focus, as it might also be one of the major causes of violence, he said, adding that the National Health and Morbidity Survey showed that about 4.2 million Malaysians aged 16 and above, or 29.2 per cent of the population, suffered from mental problems.
“More alarmingly, the mental health problem also involves students, because the ratio has risen from one in every 10 in 2011, to one in five in 2016.”