MALAYSIAN CRIME PREVENTION FOUNDATION (MCPF) PENANG STATE; TOWNHALL SESSION
SPEECH BY YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
MALAYSIAN CRIME PREVENTION FOUNDATION (MCPF) PENANG STATE; TOWNHALL SESSION
29TH SEPTEMBER 2020
E&O HOTEL, GEORGETOWN PENANG
YBhg Tan Sri Dato Seri Lee Lam Thye
Senior Vice Chairman, MCPF Malaysia
YDH CP Dato’ Sahabudin Bin Abd Manan
Penang Chief Police
YBhg Dato Seri Syed Jaafar Bin Syed Ali
Chairman, MCPF Penang
Puan Asmayani Bt Khalib
Director, Penang Health Department
YBhg Prof Madya Dato’ Dr. P. Sundra Morthy
Criminologist, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Tuan M. Kaleessvaran Manikam
Organising Chairman, Townhall Session MCPF Penang
Representatives from Government Departments & agencies
Distinguished guests,
Members of the media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A very good morning to all.
As most of us here are aware, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which has been declared as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” by the World Health Organization, has thrown the world into disarray and created new circumstances where most of us were unfamiliar with. However, despite the challenges of facing uncharted waters, Penang took early steps to stay one step ahead of the pandemic by laying out a strategic plan to contain the spread of the virus.
Even before the Movement Control Order (MCO) was announced, Penang had already launched the "Penang Lawan Covid-19" campaign, a dedicated platform to inform the people about the novel virus; while a state level task force was being set up to coordinate efforts between departments. Now, our Health Ministry within Malaysia and we in Penang, especially the State Health Department are continuously acting on as effectively as possible to prevent the spread of this disease.
Our frontliners composed mainly of different disciplines within the Health Services, together with the combined efforts from the Police, Military, JPAM, Rela, St John Ambulance, private services and even volunteers, are constantly working around the clock to ensure our safety. Their willingness to take risks to face something unprecedented and to face various challenges while carrying out their respective responsibilities is certainly commendable and deserves our full attention.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As coronavirus continues to affect all aspects of life, I must say, our law enforcement agencies are clearly doing a good job by playing a pivotal role in the enforcement of new health and social regulations, while ensuring that the society continues to function in a civil manner. I would like to note that as of 26 September 2020 (Saturday), Penang has maintained a compliance rate of above 99% with regard to the Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). The SOP compliance rate on the island was recorded at 99.64% with 319,012 premises checked by MBPP, whereas the SOP compliance rate on the mainland was at 99.35% with 556,087 premises checked by MBSP.
I would also like to note that Penang has succeeded to record a 33% drop in the overall crime rate compared to last year as a result of cooperation between the police, various law enforcement agencies and the public. Nonetheless, there is an increasing trend in commercial and cybercrimes in the state, which shows an increase of 384 cases or 50.7% compared to last year, largely due to online face mask trading, particularly during the early stages of MCO. I have been told that serious measures are being taken to increase public awareness, increase cooperation with MCMC to arrest suspects and increase the charge rate. I understand that further details will be shared during the forum session later.
Besides that, I would also like to add that through our efficient health system, ability to work together and innovative ways, Penang and Malaysia are doing particularly well with our contact tracing and in flattening the curve of infection rates. However, with more cases from emerging clusters, and the cumulative number of the Covid-19 cases in the country is still on the rise, I wish to remind that this fight is not over. We still have so much to do, we must continue to learn, understand and work constantly to improve the channelling of our efforts more effectively and strategically.
Hence, in line with the theme of today’s townhall session of “Policing Strategies during Covid-19 Pandemic: The Success Story of Police and Related Law Enforcement Agencies in Penang State” we are here today to gauge from the frontliners themselves, how they feel, and to:
- Understand the impact and effectiveness of the Health and Policing Strategies as implemented by both organizations with other Related Law Enforcement Agencies during the height and the present status of the Covid-19.
- To understand the Integrity Issues and the challenges faced by the Police and related Law Enforcement Agencies.
- To understand the issues and challenges faced by local Penang Community during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
I strongly believe that a better understanding of these objectives can help us strengthen our capacity to support our health care system to manage the illness domestically within the state and country. At the same time, it could also help us foster a greater teamwork within and across the public and private sectors and civil society. We must comprehend that in order for us to win this battle successfully, we all, irrespective of who we are, must work together, like we never did before.
Having said that, I would like to congratulate the Penang Chapter of the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation Committee, the Townhall Meeting Committee, and all those who have directly or indirectly made this Townhall meeting session possible.
I wish this event every success. Thank you.