by Chong Eng

Day in day out, Malaysians are told repeatedly though the mainstream media that the level of crime has dropped and that the government’s transformation programme has been successful.

In reality, most Malaysians especially women live in constant fear and trepidation when we go about our daily lives. We are aware that not only are women the most common target of snatch thieves but that they are also being increasingly targeted in other ways, such as shopping mall carparks.

This week alone, two horrific incidents stood out. Most of the crimes that we hear/read about daily involve Malaysian female victims. In these two incidents, foreign tourists were the targets.

A young American woman was picked up by a taxi in Mutiara Damansara and subsequently robbed and raped by him and an accomplice, while two Austrian sisters were slashed and robbed in a park in Rawang.

The high incidence of crimes against women is a stark reality in Malaysia, and the Prime Minister and the federal government must do much much more to convince us that they have a solution or at least comprehensive measures to tackle this menace.

These two latest crimes will surely make it into the international press and Malaysia’s reputation as a popular holiday destination will most certainly take a huge dip, if the situation is not nipped in the bud.

Apart from the negative publicity generated by these recent crimes, this will surely cause panic and fear among Malaysian women who use taxis as their regular mode of public transportation.

We note with some relief that one of the perpetrators of the robbery/rape case involving the American tourist has been detained, and DAP Wanita calls on the police to do all it can to hunt down the other perpetrators, and ensure that they are dealt with severely.

DAP Wanita is not convinced that the level of crime has indeed dropped and urges the Prime Minister to get a grip on reality and tackle this critical issue comprehensively and strategically. -The Rocket