Criminologist P Sundramoorthy questioned police chief Aidi Ismail’s conclusion that incidence of gangsterism in the state was negligible as the population there was predominantly Malay.
Sundramoorthy said gangsterism cuts across borders and was not limited to a particular community.
“To understand gangsterism, one needs to look at the crime that is happening in Terengganu.
“I will be shocked if there isn’t (any gangsterism). I am sure Terengganu has its own problems,” he told FMT.
“Gangsterism is not only limited to extortion and terrorising a neighbourhood. There are many forms of gangsterism including drugs, gaming activities and others,” he said.
Media reports had quoted Aidi as saying that Terengganu had no record of gangsterism as 97% of its population were Malays.
He said the community still showed respect towards figures of authority, which included village elders, village chiefs and imam, adding this was an advantage as it could prevent gangster-related crime.
Sundramoorthy said there was no place in Malaysia or the world where it was entirely drug-free.
“There is always someone controlling the drug business. There must be some form of sale and distribution of drugs in Terengganu,” the Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer said.
He added that there could be loose, semi-structured or well-organised gangster groups in the state.
PPBM: Terengganu better than other states?
PPBM supreme council member Tariq Ismail said Aidi should not link race with crime and as a member of the country’s enforcement agency, he should be above any form of racial prejudice.
“Since he said the culture is an advantage and can prevent crimes related to gangsterism, he should elaborate on why the culture in Terengganu is better than that of other states.
“I can say as a Malay, I find Confucianism and elements of Buddhism have a lot of positives that can provide a moral compass to anyone.
“If he is referring to crime syndicates of other races, please elaborate. This is because bringing race into the equation is nonsensical,” he told FMT.
Tariq said crime was not restricted to colour, race or creed.
“It’s about opportunities or lack thereof. Culture plays a part as does enforcement and obviously opportunities.”
Tariq also asked if the 7.3% decrease in the crime index for the first 10 months of 2017 as compared with the same period last year could be attributed to police efficiency.
Racial profiling
Meanwhile, DAP deputy secretary-general P Ramasamy urged Aidi to apologise for his statement.
He described the assertion as unscientific, illogical, dangerous and a form of racial profiling.
The Penang deputy chief minister II said the police should not make such wild and irrational statements.
Ramasamy said Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun should sack Aidi from his post if an apology was not forthcoming.
Ramasamy also questioned if recent arrests and detentions of Indians for alleged gangsterism arose out of a perception among the police that those from certain races were more prone to crime than others.
“Is it because of this pernicious racial profiling that Indians are often linked to crimes and gangsterism?” he asked.