The Penang chief minister has been asked to explain why the state government has allegedly allowed an entertainment centre to operate beyond 1am, citing the fatal shootout yesterday in Bukit Mertajam.
Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch) chairperson R Sri Sanjeevan said the incident early yesterday morning in front of an entertainment outlet in Taman Sri Rambai raised the pertinent question.
“In 2011 Malacca opposition leader from DAP Goh Leong San criticised Malacca Chief Minister Ali Rustam for allowing entertainment outlets to operate until 3am.
“DAP had strongly criticised the act saying the state government was prioritising profit and not the people’s safety,” he said in a statement today.
He said it was ironical the Pakatan Rakyat Penang government was doing the same in allowing such centres to operate beyond the stipulate time of 1am.
“What is the Penang government’s explanation in this matter now?” he asked.
“MyWatch has received many complaints about the operating hours of Penang’s entertainment outlets but now we have to raise the matter because a shootout has cost someone’s life,” he said.
“Not just MyWatch but the Penang residents also want to hear the explanation of the chief minister and the Penang police chief immediately,” he said.
Fatal quarrel
According to Bernama yesterday, a member of a secret society was killed in a shootout with the police shortly after he had shot dead an acquaintance during a quarrel.
Penang police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi said police were tipped off at 2.30am about the shooting.
"Police rushed to the area and found the body of a 30-year-old man. We detected the suspected killer hiding in a container at an oil storage depot, about 500 metres from the entertainment outlet.
"At 4 am, police surrounded the depot and ordered the 40-year-old man to surrender but he refused," he told reporters at the scene of the incident.
An hour later, the man opened fire at the police, he said, adding that the police returned fire and killed him, reported the news agency.
