Ensure schools free from gangsters, drug traffickers and hooligans

May 6, 2017

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. 

Karim welcomes proposed amendment to gambling law

February 17, 2017

SIBU: Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah welcomed the news on the proposed amendment of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 to curb online gambling.

“However, I have yet to study this proposed amendment and do hope it could curtail online gambling,” Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, told The Borneo Post yesterday.

The assistant minister was commenting on the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s recent statement that the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 would be amended to combat online gambling.

 

Meanwhile the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the move to amend the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 is long overdue as there is a need to add more bite to the Act with gambling becoming very sophisticated these days.

He also pointed out that there is a need to update the Act to cope with the technological advances as it is difficult to check and trace online gambling.

Oxidation ponds unhygienic and dangerous – Abdul Karim

October 9, 2016

Oxidation ponds are strictly out of bound to public as they are unhygienic and dangerous.

SIBU: Oxidation ponds are unhygienic and dangerous thus are strictly out of bound to the public,says Assistant Minister for Housing Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He thus called for concerted efforts to secure such areas from being accessible by members of the public especially children. Abdul Karim, who is also Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports was commenting on the oxidation ponds under Housing Development Corporation (HDC) in Sibu Jaya and types of safety measures taken to keep out the public, following the latest drowning case there last month.

“There are oxidation ponds in some HDC projects throughout Sarawak including Sibu Jaya. They are under the preview of the local councils where these ponds are located.

Pokemon Go a temporary fad that will fizzle out — Abdul Karim

August 16, 2016

SIBU: Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah finds the latest craze – the location-based reality game ‘Pokemon Go’ as a fad that will fizzle out over time.

“I find this latest craze as just temporary. It is just a fad. It is like fashion or any other interest.

“After a while, the interest will fizzle out and other new interest will crop in.

“We are dealing with youths’ interest here…and basically, youths’ interest on anything (that) comes and go,” Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman said yesterday.

He was asked on his view on the latest craze in town, where public especially the youths are playing the digital game – Pokemon Go and whether the disadvantages outweighed the benefits of playing the game.

Abdul Karim opined that the government, schools, religious authority and parents need not worry too much.

“Just be observant so that children playing Pokemon Go are doing their homework and having their meals,” he advised.

Abdul Karim: Check vaping in schools, colleges

January 7, 2016

SIBU: The Education Ministry is urged to put a check on vaping before it reaches a critical level.

In giving this reminder, Assistant Minister of Social Development (Youth) Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said he was reacting to the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation’s (MCPF) call for the ministry to expedite the issuance of a circular to all schools and educational institutions on the guidelines to prohibit vaping.

Its vice-chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, reportedly said the use of vape in schools and educational institutions should be disallowed in view of the long-term disastrous effects on the students’ health.

Lee was also reported to support fully the ministry’s decision to ban vaping among students and teachers in schools and other educational institutions.

Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, said: “I fully agree that the Education Ministry must prohibit vaping in all schools and educational institutions.”

Apart from the findings that vaping had a long term disastrous effect on health, it also did not help in students and teachers economically, he added.

Use ‘educational approach’ to combat drug abuse, says Abdul Karim

April 6, 2015

SIBU: Drug awareness programmes should be intensified to educate the public, particularly students, on the dangers of drug abuse.

Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who made the suggestion, said educating the people was more important than conducting drug screenings in schools, which is not something new.

“This has been done in some schools in Sarawak, where some students were suspected of drug abuse,” Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Halt the drug scourge

September 15, 2014

“Many drug users are from the younger generation because of peer influence and trend." -Tuan Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah

Agency: 7 out of every 10 drug addicts caught in Malaysia last year aged between 19 and 39

SIBU: Loud calls for more educational and youth-related programmes are ringing across the country as drug abuse is ensnaring a huge number of youths.

In the first 11 months of last year, of the 7,078 drug addicts rounded up, 4,893 – or 69.13 per cent – were individuals aged between 19 and 39.

According to the National Anti-Drugs Agency’s (AADK), friends had influenced 2,929 of these 7,078 drug addicts, or 42.88 per cent, to get hooked on drugs.

Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye urged the Malaysian Drug Prevention Association (Pemadam) to implement more educational programmes as the bulk of drug addicts were youths.

“The answer to this drug problem is actually prevention. Unless and until you can mount an effective prevention programme, you will be just ‘fire-fighting’ all the time.

“More importantly, is the prevention programme (effective) to stop people from getting hooked on drugs? This is the most practical way, and it requires a concerted effort,” Lee told The Borneo Post.

Lee said sporting activities were also effective in keeping youths from being lured into taking drugs.

Kejampatka pengawa nyeliahka sindiket dadah beterabaika nembiak sekula: Karim

July 17, 2014

SIBU: Pengawa kena nyeliah sindiket dadah beterabaika nembiak sekula patut dikemerat sereta dikejampat.

Menteri Muda Pemansang Raban Nembiak Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah madah, enti laun ngatur pengawa dikena nyeliahka pekara tu tau ngeruga pengidup nembiak jemah ila.

“Pekara tu patut diputarka kitai enggau naka pengelengkas,” pia ku iya maya dipinta ngelansa ripot Bernama ti madahka sindiket dadah diatu nyau berani ngiga nembiak sekula nyual dadah.

Ba ripot Bernama, Sapit Menteri Dalam Nengeri Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar madahka nembiak sekula diatu dikena sindiket dadah nyual dadah laban bulih untung ke mayuh agi enti dijual ba sekula.

Ku Wan Junaidi, nembiak muntang mendingka jaku tauka lengkas tepawah runding enggau jaku umbuk.

Berindik ari pekara tu, Wan Junaidi madah, sida deka ngiga palan ke patut ba menua tu alai ngatur program pelajar bekaul enggau pengawa munaska dadah.

Abdul Karim ti mega Kaban Kunsil Nengeri Asajaya mantaika penemu, bala raban sindiket dadah naka alah ngiga chara dikena ngulihka untung mayuh.

Stop students from being used as drug distributors

July 16, 2014

SIBU: The menace of drug syndicates targeting school children to peddle drugs must be nipped in the bud, stressed Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

“If it is not curtailed early, our future generation can be destroyed,” he cautioned when reacting to a Bernama report that drug syndicates in the country had become more and more daring by using schoolchildren to distribute drugs.

The report further quoted Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar as saying schoolchildren were now being targeted by the pushers as they saw a good market in schools.

According to Wan Junaidi, students were easily influenced because there were those among them who did not know the ill effects of drug abuse.

Wan Junaidi also reportedly said they would identify hotspots in the country and implement prevention programmes.

Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, warned that drug syndicates would use all avenues to make more money as to them it didn’t matter whether the drug users were school children, women, poor folks, rich folks or professionals.

What was important to them, he added, was getting more people to become drug users because more users meant more money for them.

Karim: Don’t crucify all bikers

August 21, 2013

"... don’t crucify all bikers ..." -Tuan Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah

SIBU: The public here have reacted differently to a call for the government to ban full-face crash helmets with tinted visors.

Hulu Rajang MP Wilsom Ugak had earlier said the ban would bring down crimes such as armed robberies, murders and even snatching cases where perpetrators used such helmets.

Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye is fully in favour of the call in the interest of crime prevention.

“I hope the Transport Ministry and Home Ministry could look into the proposal rationally. They can view this from the perspective of crime prevention and easily identifying the culprits.

“They can make decisions to ban only those with heavily tinted visor because they are very often used by criminals to carry out crimes,” Lee told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday.

Asajaya assemblyman Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, however, begged to differ as bikers riding long distance required such helmet to protect them from the glare of the sun as well as reflections from the mirrors.

“The issue that needs to be seen is that… are the crimes committed by those on bikes mostly done by those using heavily tinted visors?