For all the good that Malaysians do, there are also factors that point to a downfall in the country's efforts at becoming a truly caring nation.

To begin with, crimes are rife in the country, with murders and rapes taking place rampantly. This is in spite of Kuala Lumpur police chief Mustafa Abdullah's assurance that the city saw the lowest crime rate in the country this year.

This, he said, was supported by statistics which showed that crime took a 30 percent dip.

While that news is most welcomed, what should be the concern of our country's police force and ministers are reasons that are contributing to crimes taking place in the country.

Safety is no longer an option for Malaysians. Be it children or adults, none feel safe leaving their homes. There is widespread fear of snatch thieves, road bullies and rapists.

On this note, what are the police and concerned politicians doing to make this country safe?

Who is to blame?

This week, Malaysians were shocked to read of how a nine-year-old girl was raped and murdered, in Sungai Petani, Kedah. Going for her Quran recital class was the last thing that the child would have feared. But sadly, that routine turned out to be a nightmare that every parent would fear from now on.

If finger pointing takes place, for which Malaysia is well known for, who should be responsible for this tragedy?

An hour after her body was found, police detained nine Indonesian nationals, with the number hitting 14 later.

Should the culprits indeed turn out to be foreign nationals, can we hold the government at ransom for its once-upon-a-time "generosity" in allowing foreign workers to come over to Malaysia, a policy which created an influx of illegal immigrants in the country?

It is no secret that the illegal immigrants in Malaysia have been involved in various crimes such as robberies, snatch thefts, murders and even rapes. Where do Malaysians now turn for safety? Do we have to set up camp outside the Home Affairs Ministry?

A relatively small country like Malaysia should not have a problem maintaining its domestic safety. Still, crimes in Malaysia seem to be escalating by the day, contrary to what our good cops say.

Never a day goes by when we do not read or see news of a murder taking place someplace nearby or of a woman being abused or raped. What should our reaction be to such news?

Due to the volume of such news, has it numbed the public to undertake pro-active measures or has it lulled us into believing that the police will take care of the crime while we can continue to maintain status quo of our blissful lives?

It seems that neither the government, be it the legislation, judiciary or executive branch, nor the public in general have learned their lessons in tackling crimes in the country.

When under pressure, the police often retorts by saying that a lack of manpower dis-empowers them to go all out to fight crime while the public will be quick to add that crimebusters are not a role that they as taxpayers should be undertaking. In short, there is denial surging from all quarters on whose responsibility it is to combat crime.

Work together

In the case of rape, when women's groups presented their much-researched Memorandum on Laws Related to Rape to the government more than a year ago, that was the last the groups would hear of their effort. No minister in the country worth his or her character came forward to laud the group's effort in presenting such a lucid document.

The memorandum exchanged hands from one official to another and none had the decency to keep the women's groups informed of the status of the recommendations made in the document.

Now, as we end the year, the country is again saddened with the news of another child being raped and murdered. Perhaps our politicians, being good lip service providers that they are, will come to the forefront to make a statement or two to pacify the public about the government's efforts in tightening the rape laws.

To begin with, if the government is sincerely serious about wanting to tighten rape laws in the country, rape should be made a non-bailable crime. There should bo excuses made to grant perpetrators bail. The severity of the crime has to be understood by enforcers of the judiciary.

Politics of any kind should never seep into the judicial process and hamper true justice from being served. If the Government is concerned about making Malaysia a safe country for one and all, it should drop its typical authoritarian approach and work hand-in-hand with organisations that are doing their bit to fight violence of any kind. It would only serve in the country's best interest should the government recognise the laudable efforts that have been made by the NGOs in creating peace all around.

As for the public, they too should take the initiative to help keep watch over their own neighbourhoods. The issue of safety should be on everyone's mind, not just the lawmakers and enforcers.

As tax payers, while the public can voice out their dissatisfaction over shortcomings in the way crime in the country is being eradicated, they can also have a say in how crime can be tackled, by way of becoming action-oriented themselves.

Today, we are standing at a point where safety has become a subject for all to ponder. There is no longer the assurance that one can make it home safely each day. The streets are fraught with perverts and perpetrators. The worry for every individual remains whether they will get to see their loved one arriving safely at home each day.

On that note, who do we turn to for guarantee that returning home safely will no longer be an issue that keeps haunting our peace of mind?

JJ RAY started her career with a mainstream publication. A non-conformist, she soon saw the barriers that went up whenever, through her writing, she tried to make the world a home for one and all.