KUALA LUMPUR: There is no point implementing a blanket curfew system without addressing the root cause of juvenile delinquency, one of which is lack of parental supervision.
Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said many parents were too busy to provide guidance and supervise their children.
“Introducing the curfew system for those below the age of 18 to prevent them from getting involved in social ills should only be used as a last resort. I’m not against it as it has proved effective in Iceland and few other countries, but our government has to engage all sectors of civil society before it makes a final decision.”
Lee advised parents to play a more active role in the lives of their kids, both day and night.
“If parents or guardians are emotionally and physically unavailable to their children, kids will surely follow the example of their peers and mimic their behaviour. This becomes very worrying as some parents have no clue of their children’s whereabouts. And this should not just be a night-time issue, a lot of social ills happen during the daytime as well.
“I’ve seen kids as young as 10 years old in the street late at night on their basikal lajak (modified bicycles) racing and performing stunts on roads. Before you know it, we will have worrying ‘mat lajak’ problems.”
However, Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim is of the opinion that we have stepped too deep into the hole and regulation within reason was necessary.
“Things have gotten out of control and the authorities have the data of increasing social ills. We have to take the hard approach because many parents have lost control of their teenagers. Many teenagers don’t listen to their parents anymore, and it’s a worrying trend.”
Azimah suggested implementing a temporary ruling until matters were under control and early nights are a way of life for children, adding that it does not need be nationwide extensive, mainly at hardcore hotspots where social ills are on the rise.
However, she urged authorities to be reasonable and give some leeway to children who are working part-time, attending tuition classes or participating in sports activities.
Facebook group The Parenting Network Malaysia (TPNM) administrator Adam Lee said he believed that sometimes more laws create more crimes.
“The latest suggestion by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail may look rather harsh, knee jerk or even lacking in proper planning. However, with the rise of delinquents landing themselves in hot soup, such laws may indeed be necessary.
“When a major crisis or catastrophe occurs, do we then blame parents for not supervising their kids, or perhaps socio-economic factors in preventing kids from having better and more enriching activities in a safe environment?”
Lee also questioned whether or not the authorities have a right to label kids who flaunt this ruling as “criminals”, which will go on their “permanent record” for life.
“Eventually, we have to come to terms with the reality that there will never be one law or ruling that fits all.”