KOTA KINABALU: The State Islamic Affairs Department has been urged to monitor unregistered Tahfiz charity centres in Sabah.
According to Sekong assemblyman Datuk Samsuddin Yahya, such centres were prevalent in Sabah.
Samsuddin said that he did not want such centres to manipulate the children under them to become their slaves to seek donations from the public.
He also said that such centres have given Islam a bad name.
The assemblyman also called on the Community Development and Consumer Affairs Ministry to act strictly against those found manipulating children and adults to raise sympathy and gain donations.
He said these individuals garnered public sympathy by showing letters from the charity bodies and from the Tahfiz charity centres.
He added that such incidences were rampant in Sabah and they should be monitored.
The Sekong representative also pointed out that students from SMK Batu Sapi and SK Bahagia are risking their lives each time they cross the road to go to school.
He said vehicles travel at high speed along the stretch of road and students have to run with their heavy load to cross the busy road.
“If they are not careful, they may be killed while crossing,” he said.
Hence, he called on the Road Works Department to provide a bridge for pedestrians to cross the road.
Samsuddin also urged the Rural Development Ministry to consider expanding the MESEJ programme to islands within his constituency.
He said most of the inhabitants on the islands proposed were the poor.
“They comprise fishermen and live at islands such as Pulau Timbang, Tronglit, Sibuad, Api-Api, Terusan, Simagung, Shanghai and seven others,” he said.
The MESEJ programme most suitable for them should be related to aquaculture, he said.
Samsuddin also urged the local government to conduct its surveillance at sports complexes and shops to stop smokers from littering their cigarette buds all over the place.
He said that fines and compounds should be imposed on the perpetrators on the spot.
With regard to housing, Samsuddin called on the Local Government and Housing Ministry to construct more affordable houses at his constituency.
He said that that need for such housing at his constituency was critical as the cost of houses now was too high.
Due to the high cost of housing, the squatter areas in Sekong have increased, he said.