“I miss my father, I want to go back to him!” the boy reportedly told Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Chew Mei Fun.

The boy told Chew that he was only punished because he had been naughty.

According to a China Press report, Chew believed that the suspect did not intend to abuse his child and had only been driven to do so by the stress faced in taking care of the boy single-handedly.

“I believe that this family problem can be resolved immediately, but we still need to wait for the Department of Social Welfare to finish investigations and hand the report to the courts for a decision,” she said.

Chew also expressed her belief that the court would make the best choice for the boy’s future.

A video showing the boy chained outside his flat in Paya Terubong in Penang for five hours went viral last week.

A resident had spotted the boy when he came home on Saturday night and uploaded the photos and video to his Facebook page.

Chew said the boy was articulate in his speech and had immediately said that he missed his father when asked.

The father, who works as a school bus driver, was freed after he surrendered for questioning by the police.

Residents in the area had alleged that the father had frequently scolded and beaten his son, once with a baseball bat as well. The man had also driven the boy out of the house once for being naughty and not coming home immediately after school.