Juveniles as runners for illegal four-digit gambling
FIRST and foremost I am a mother and lately I have encountered unpleasant events, which lead me to writing this. I was approached by juveniles selling illegal four-digit numbers while I was purchasing mixed rice at a local coffee shop. I was flabbergasted as I was thinking, “shouldn’t these teenagers be in school instead?”. Before I could refuse, the teenagers moved on to other patrons who flagged them, seeking to purchase the illegalfour digit numbers. This scenario only shows that the teenagers and the purchasers are regulars.
My concern being a mother is, if underage children, who are supposed to be in school, are being recruited as “runners” then chances are high that these children, especially juveniles, will not be interested in staying in school as being a runner pays more than any part-time job they can get. Often, illegal numbers operators prefer to hire juveniles as their “salary” is supposedly less and the penalty upon them is much lower if they are caught by the authorities.
The plus point for the illegal number operators is that the juveniles they hire as runners will then start selling numbers to their friends in school. We can only predict that these scenarios, more often than not, will lead to gangsterism and other disciplinary issues in schools. When juveniles are caught in school over repeated disciplinary offences such as this, they are often expelled, which leads them to the opportunity of dabbling in illegal activities full-time. Once they are no longer in school they are not receiving the education to better equip them for their future.
Mandatory education in Malaysia is only applicable to primary school-aged children, whereas secondary schooling is not. If the Ministry of Education is able to amend the Education Act 1996 (Act 550), I believe that juveniles will continue to stay in school longer at least until the age of 17, which can be a preventive method against juveniles getting into the “wrong” employment market at a young age. Even if the juveniles do not perform academically well, there are options by making it compulsory for them to go to technical schools or polytechnics to receive their qualifications. When they are in school, educators are still able to impart good values and to influence them into making the right decisions in their lives.
Children are the foundation of this country and I urge our community to take note when they do see juveniles involved in illegal activities, especially working as “runners” selling illegal fourdigit numbers and to report these activities to the police and government agencies.
In conclusion, the public should refrain from buying or dabbling in any form of illegal gambling and unlawful activities in Malaysia to safeguard the interest of all.
Concerned Mother Ampang