Kelantan Amanah and Puteri Umno have welcomed the state government's proposal to impose a "night curfew" on teenagers.

State Amanah Youth leader Hazmi Hassan said this is because teenagers are vulnerable to bad influences, and this, in turn, could contribute to the rise in criminal cases in the country.

"Among them are drug abuse, illegal racing, theft and sexual crimes. We cannot deny that there are a lot of juveniles involved in such cases in Kelantan.

"We hope the state government will not implement the proposal half-way but see it through in its enforcement," Hazmi told Malaysiakini.

Hazmi was commenting on the proposal by Kelantan Welfare, Family and Women Development Committee chairperson Mumtaz Mohd Nawi (photo) during the winding-up of the debate on the 2019 Kelantan Budget at the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.

Several countries including, the United States, Australia, Thailand, Germany, Iceland and the United Kingdom already have such measures in place, he said.

'Provide ample infrastructure'

Hazmi urged the state government to create a situation where there would be a win-win scenario for the administration and the target group.

"Teenagers are valuable assets for our country. We urge the state government to create more recreational centres and playgrounds in every town, as well as to upgrade existing public facilities in the state.

"They (teenagers) have to be guided so that their youth does not go to waste. We are busy controlling their freedom while failing to provide the infrastructure for their entertainment.

"Ultimately, this will cause them to rebel against the rules," he said.

Hazmi (photo) pointed out that other countries which implemented such measures had ample infrastructure provided for youth to indulge in their activities during the day.

"We must have active but disciplined teens and stop controlling or punishing them without paying heed to their physical and spiritual needs.

"For example, teenagers outside of Kelantan are busy with piano lessons, football or badminton clinics during the day. This is different from Kelantan, where the bored teenagers devise their own entertainment," he said.

'Be more rational'

Meanwhile, Kelantan Puteri Umno information chief Najihah Yasim said the night curfew for teenagers proposal sounded like a good measure to combat social ills among the youth.

However, Najihah cautioned that the term “curfew” seemed to be punishment-oriented in nature and this could raise ire among the young people.

"The state government should also look into the needs of the target group, especially their involvement in night-time activities such as sports or certain learning-oriented activities.

"Maybe the state government has measures to make the 'curfew' seem more rational and that could entice the commitment of parents as well," she said.

The proposal to confine children and teenagers to their homes is not new.

It was floated in February 2017 following an incident in Johor Bahru, where eight teenaged cyclists were killed and several others injured when a car ploughed into them on a highway at 3am.

As for other countries enforcing such a rule, at least 500 US cities have curfews on teenagers. In most of these cities, children under 18 are prohibited from being on the streets after 11pm during the week, and after midnight on weekends.

About 100 US cities, including Los Angeles, also have daytime curfews to keep children off the streets during school hours.

Meanwhile, in Thailand and Singapore, the police will send cautionary notes to parents whose children are caught loitering after 11pm.