YOURSAY 'Waytha must take up the gun, and point it at Umno leaders who have totally failed in their duty to look after the interest of all Malaysians.'

Waytha: Shall we shoot all gangsters to end crime?

Onyourtoes: I think Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Deputy Minister in the PM's Department P Waythamoorthy are both missing the point when discussing police action and gangsterism in Malaysia.

It is not the role and the job of the police to explain why many Indians are involved in violent crimes. It is the role of the government of the day and the society as a whole to address Indian poverty which drove many into crime.

The role and the responsibility of the police is to arrest, neutralise and punish criminals irrespective of who they are. But in doing so, they must abide by procedures and laws.

The fact that they are many Indians involved in crimes does not mean the police cannot kill anyone of them if the situation warrants it.

The reasons why Indians are involved in crimes are different and separate from the reasons why the police need to shoot to kill in certain situations.

Mohamad Abdul Malik: The police's job is to eradicate, or if possible, eliminate crime altogether. And I think that they are on track.

It's the politicians job to find a solution to the social problems created by the past massive displacement of Indians. MIC and a few other Indian-based parties was part and parcel of the government for over 50 years and they were supposed to represent their community.

And for the past 50 years, the Indians has given them their wholehearted support. What were they doing all these years?

The police should not be the punching bag when it was the politicians' failure in the first place that gave rise to these problems among the Indian community.

Anyway I support the current actions of the police. They have a job to do and hopefully we do not have political opportunists derailing the action taken by them. I, too, have the right to a safe environment free of gangsterism.

Angry Citizen: Mohamad Abdul Malik, everyone has the right to safe environment and this being a country upholding the rule of law means those who break the law have to face their day in court, and this means they have to be arrested not just shot dead because the police are lazy to do the work of collecting evidence.

You won't understand this but that is the way of the civilised world which you do not belong to. Just pray you don't one day get shot by the police for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Joe Lee: Waytha is absolutely correct on this point: "Shooting these youths is shooting at the most visible portion jutting above the water, but which is only a very small fraction of the problem."

Waytha must take up the gun, and point it at Umno leaders who have totally failed in their duty to look after the interest of all Malaysians. This is blow back - Umno policies are the cause of the gangsterism problem.

Kyrie Eleison: Waythamoorthy, I don't think there is much you can do. Your mission to help the oppressed (Indians) will come to naught because you can't change the system. Unless you can change these Umno leaders, you will not succeed.

Judging from the way they browbeat and belittle you, it appears that you are just a nobody to them. In fact they think you should be indebted to Umno for getting your position in the cabinet (with all the perks and benefits).

If that is what it's all about, you might as well resign and save yourself from further embarrassment. I think you have lost the respect of all Malaysians either way.

Up2U: Malaysians are generally peace-loving and we do have very strict laws to deal with those in possession of firearms - the death penalty. If gangsters are in possession of firearms, then I fully agree that shooting them is the best and safest option for our men-in-blue.

Waytha, did any of these 'wayward youngsters' ever think about the victims they shoot? Irrespective of their racial background or even their nationality, shooting and killing those gangsters in possession of firearms put an end to the story. Period.

Hotsy Totsy: It's very strange those who talk a lot here have not gone to the ground to understand the plight of Indians. No one is protecting the gangsters, but there are laws to apprehend them and give them their just deserts.

Bumiasli: The armed snatch thiefs on motorbikes and sometimes in cars, are mostly Malays. What have the police done about that. Today the snatch thieves are armed with parangs and even kill the victims after robbing them.

I don't see any action taken on them so far. So stop discriminating any race. A criminal is a criminal and same treatment must be given to all.

Rahman Putih: Shoot or reform? The Malay community faces massive issues with drug addicts who commit more than 70 percent of snatch thief and break-ins. The government does a lot to reform and rehabilitate them.

Why can't the government work with Waytha and implement the Hindraf blueprint so that the vicious cycle of gangsterism is wiped out amongst Indian Malaysians.

Sinner: Waythamoorthy, I expect Zahid to tell you that if you do not like it here, emigrate to India.

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