Vibrant Miri City a safe haven for Orang Papa?

0

DESTITUTE: A vagrant in this file photo taken last August drying her clothes near a shopping complex in Miri. — Photo by Cecilia Sman

MIRI: Concerned Mirians want authorities in Miri to effectively tackle the problem of vagrancy, and stop passing the buck on what is said to be tarnishing the city’s image.

One concerned resident, Iqbal Abdollah of Piasau, alleged that there are areas in Miri including Pustaka Miri, the Miri City Fan and in city centre which have become a favourite place for vagrants to hunker down every night.

“If you go jogging around Miri City Fan at night, you will stumble across vagrants in slumber behind Pustaka Miri grumbling on the pavement when stirred by a noisy passer-by. This fellow is still there the next night, the day after and it takes little to conclude he is there every night,” Iqbal told The Borneo Post yesterday.

He said although complaints have been forwarded to the local authority, finger- pointing ensues with some saying, this is “not under our jurisdiction or we are not empowered to tackle this”.

To that, Igbal advocates: “We can do something about it as mentioned in Akta Orang-Orang Papa 1977 (Act 183). A Vagrant or Orang Papa as defined in Section 2 of the above Act.”

Quoting the Act, Iqbal said unofficially that the person sleeping every night behind Pustaka Miri or any other person without a place to stay, sleep, no money for food, begging, loitering for nothing but not a mental patient, is Orang Papa.

He further explained that under Subsection 3(1), a local authority like Miri City Council (MCC) is empowered to tackle this problem together with the Welfare Department by conducting ad hoc or major operations.

“But somehow this does not happen as the fellow is still able to sleep tight each and every night. And yes, there is a good place (a home for the destitute) for him, up to three years upon being officially classified as ‘Orang Papa’ by the magistrate with bed, decent food and activities for him to pass his time,” he stressed.

Iqbal believed that there are many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Miri willing to assist the ‘Orang Papa’.

Meanwhile, MCC’s Public Relations Office (PRO) when contacted, urged members who have information on vagrants to contact the council’s service hotline, 085-424211 during office hours.

“Although MCC is not an authority to arrest any ‘mental person’ in the street, we would like the public to give us feedback,” the PRO said.

“As for the case behind Pustaka Miri, this is the first time I heard about it.

“We will let the section in-charge investigate and take appropriate action,” said the spokesperson for the PRO.