SIBU: Deputy Home Affairs Minister Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has urged gun owners here to assist police in shooting incidents before drastic action is taken – like withdrawal of gun licence.
“I am urging all those people who own guns in Sibu to try to assist police before the matter be brought to the state to ask for withdrawal of gun licence.
“But before we do that, I want all gun owners to give us information so people causing them problems are brought to book,” Wan Junaidi told thesundaypost yesterday.
He has directed police to intensify their intelligence unit to find out who was committing such acts as he would not tolerate it.
He was asked to comment on the Friday’s shooting here, where two shopping complexes were shot – though the exact time of the incident could not be ascertained.
No casualties were reported.
Sibu police chief ACP Mohd Kamal assured the public that his men were beefing up safety measures. Wan Junaidi, who is Santubong MP, said: “I have seen it twice already these couple of months, basically in Sibu. I am giving instruction to police to intensify their intelligence.
“I don’t have any reservation to use whatever law against anybody committing heinous crime. If they had any kind of commercial or business disputes, under no circumstances should they resort to violence. This is a civilised and democratic country, and there are avenues to settle disputes.”
He directed the Serious Crime Department in Kuala Lumpur to look into the gun problem.
Wan Junaidi pointed out that shotgun licences were not meant to be used for threatening people left and right, but for the purpose of protecting crops and farms.
“Even though the shotgun is issued by the state, I can discuss with the state and ask to limit or withdraw the licence of some of the people we suspect are not looking after their guns properly,” he said.
Wan Junaidi said if the whole community was put in fear, it meant there were some people who got the propensity as and when they got angry with someone, or as and when they were unhappy with certain things happening around them, they could take a gun and use it to threaten people.
Towards this end, he understood the feelings of Sibu folk and felt sorry for them.
“This is just a few bad hats in Sibu thinking they can make use of the gun. I am directing the police to intensify intelligence especially on homemade guns – all the illegal kind of things, whether locally made or imported from elsewhere.
“In a civilised society, we don’t use that kind of stuff. In this country, there is no right to carry guns unlike in America … meaning what the government can give, they can also withdraw.”