Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah
SIBU: Serious efforts must be made to ensure that schools would be free from gangsters, drug traffickers and hooligans.
In stating this yesterday, Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah stressed that the problem must be nipped in the bud; not ‘swept under the carpet’ for the sake of upholding the school’s reputation.
He was reacting to Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye’s call for schools authorities to give utmost attention to attempts by gangs to penetrate schools and recruit students to join them.
Lee had said school heads must not hide these activities just for the sake of maintaining the school’s name or reputation, and all teachers and school prefects must be the eyes and ears of the authorities to keep gangsterism away from schools.
“I am unsure how bad is the situation that is… gangsters recruiting school students as members but I certainly agree
with MCPF that this matter cannot be ‘swept under the carpet’ to protect the good name of the school. Serious effort must be made to ensure our school institution is free from gangsters, drug traffickers and hooligans,” Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman told The Borneo Post.
In this respect, he said teachers, school management, parents-teachers-associations (PTAs) must always be on the watch-out and be pro-active in stopping this menace from infiltrating the schools.
“The problem must be nipped in the bud and any student found to be involved must undergo counselling and if needs be, be reprimanded,” he stressed.