Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has urged Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) not to waste public funds on convicted child porn collector Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin after the institution said it would offer him a second chance to study locally.
"Hopefully Mara will not waste public funds. #NoSecondChance," Khairy, who is Youth and Sports Minister, said in a Twitter posting today.
He said Nur Fitri can strive for a better life on his own, after serving a jail sentence and undergoing rehabilitation.
"No need for Mara sponsorship etc," he tweeted.
Selepas menjalani hukuman penjara & pemulihan yang panjang paedo boleh usahakan peluang kedua by himself. Tak perlu tajaan MARA etc.
— Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj)
May 6, 2015
Nur Fitri is sponsored by Mara to study at Imperial College in London and was described as a "maths genius".
He was last week convicted of possessing over 30,000 photographs and videos of child pornography, which included intercourse, and sentenced to five years’ jail by a London court.
Following this, Mara council member Nazir Hussin Akhtar Hussin said the institution was prepared to offer Nur Fitri a place to study locally, once he completes his jail sentence.
"This proposition is a way of our support to him. Personally, I agree. We will provide our support in various forms for him to reshape his identity," Nazir Hussin was quoted as saying by mStar .
The proposal sparked outrage, with several BN politicians criticising the move.
what he did is just unacceptable. it's a dangerous act & it's an addiction. so yes,
#NoSecondChance
— Lucaspeebo (@Lucaspeebo)
May 6, 2015
Both petitions raise concern over whether Nur Fitri would be a danger to minors around him.
"I strongly believe he doesn't deserve the scholarship. If he wants to continue his studies, he should be paying for it himself and I want his location to be disclosed as I want to know if there is a child predator living near me," petitioner Sabrina M wrote .
As at 5.30pm, the petitions have garnered about 4,700 signatures combined.
'Unfair for other students'
Joining the chorus of condemnation was MIC Youth leader C Sivarraajh ( left ), who said Mara's sponsorship is at the expense of taxpayers.
"He (Nur Fitri) should give himself a second chance by continuing his studies at his own expense and not at the expense of Mara.
"Malaysians are hungry for study loans and aid, and there are many students on the waiting list," Sivarraajh said.
He said Malaysia should also seek for Nur Fitri to serve his sentence locally.
"It is a serious offence and only mentally unstable people are attracted to children," he added.
In a separate statement, The Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) said supporting Nur Fitri is unfair to other scholars who lost their scholarship for more minor offences.
"There have been those found cheating in exams or being truant and such who were expelled from Mara institutes, when clearly their offences are far less severe than what Nur Fitri had done.
"Giving Nur Fitri a second chance also hurts him, because he needs (psychiatric) help, not a second chance to study," Abim president Mohd Amidi Manan said.
Mohd Amidi said there is also no guarantee that he would not re-offend.
"He must be rehabilitated first if we want him to live a normal life, and he needs to know and admit that what he did was wrong."
Related stories
