Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin, State Assemblywoman for
Damansara Utama on Wednesday, 8 February 2017 in Petaling Jaya.
What has MCA Wanita
Chairwoman Datuk Heng Seai Kie done for the establishment of Sex Offenders’ Registry
when she was the Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development?
First of all, I welcome the reply from the Ministry of Women, Family and
Community Development that agreed on my call to expedite the establishment of a
sex offenders’ registry[i].
However, I would like the ministry to give us a deadline as to when this can be
established.
Furthermore, I am totally dumbfounded by MCA Wanita
chairwoman Datuk Heng Seai Kie’s response to my colleague MP for Gelugor
Ramkarpal Singh on double jeopardy law. She conveniently quoted my position on
sex offenders’ registry to suit her argument on double jeopardy[ii].
It seems that she is confused between double jeopardy law and sex offenders’
registry!
Picture Source: Free Malaysia Today
First and foremost, I would like to remind Datuk Heng that
she was once the Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Women, Family and Community
Development. What has she done for the establishment of sex offenders’ registry
when she was a Deputy Minister? And just in case she does not remember, her MCA
colleague Chew Mei Fun, is now the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Women,
Family and Community Development. It is laughable that the MCA women’s wing
actually has the cheek to be proud to be the first women’s wing to call for
enforcement of a sex offenders’ registry. With the positions they have held in
the government for so many years, they should have gotten this done a long time
ago!
In addition, I would like to clarify with Datuk Heng that the
establishment of a sex offenders’
registry does not violate the Federal Constitution; hence there is no need for
Ramkarpal to “rebuke me”. All convicted sex offenders, who reside in Malaysia,
can and should be registered in the sex offenders’ registry regardless of where
the crime was committed. This is so all sex offenders can be monitored properly.
How a sex offenders’ registry should work depends on the legislation that
provides it. However, despite many years of activists and politicians calling
for the establishment of a sex offenders’ registry, the related law is still not
in existence.
Last but not least, it is shameful that Datuk Heng quoted
Richard Huckle’s case in her statement. I would like to remind her that Richard
Huckle went undetected and roamed free in Malaysia for 9 years even though he
violated at least 70 of our young girls here in that span of time. He was
detected by Australian investigators due to his online activities and was
arrested by the British police in December 2014 when he went home for Christmas.
He was charged only in the British court. Huckle’s case is a painful reminder
to all of us that there is still a lot for us to do to protect our women and
girls, and that there is an urgent need to strengthen our criminal justice
system in Malaysia.
If Datuk Heng is really concerned about sex crime, and since
her party is in the government, I would like to propose that she helps to
set-up a bi-partisan committee in Putrajaya, which includes not only concerned
politicians from both sides of the political divide but also women activists and
government officials. This committee should review all the existing laws and
propose the amendments needed to the parliament. It should also come out with a
holistic action plan against sexual crime that involves all relevant government
agencies and monitor the progress of the execution of such plans. I will be
very glad to be a member of such committee.
