KUALA LUMPUR: In what can be described as the first of many steps in addressing gangsterism, P. Waytha Moorthy wants to engage Indian prisoners who are currently serving their sentences.
“This is the first phase, the intervention programme where together with the Correctional Foundation Malaysia, we will go to the prisons, meet Indian prisoners and hold programmes that instil good values and religious understanding," he said.
Through this programme, Waytha hopes to connect with the families of the prisoners and include them in programmes under the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) and other governmental bodies.
“This is a target and assist plan and focused intervention. We have no choice because the crime rates in the community are very high. We will communicate with their families and send another team to look into the issues the families are facing such as children not going to school.
"We want to address their social and economic issues and prevent the next generation from getting involved in crimes,” he told NST in an exclusive interview.
He said on the second phase, Mitra will work with other agencies to help with job placements for those who have served their sentences.
“Gangsterism issues are still there but despite being short-handed, we want to take positive steps to address this. The first step is to engage with over 7,000 prisoners nationwide,” he said.
The programme will be launched at the Kajang prison later today.