When Canny Ong was kidnapped from a parking lot in the upmarket Bangsar Shopping Complex a few years ago, it was the beginning of a public cry for help to shopping malls to ensure the safety of the premises.

Sadly, that SOS has fallen on deaf ears because only a handful of mall managements have actually taken the trouble to install crime prevention devices.

One reason for defiance is the absence of legislation to compel managements to take responsibility for the safety of shoppers.

Two weeks ago, a 24-year-old air-stewardess was kidnapped from another upmarket shopping complex, this time in Selangor. Why has history repeated itself and what is being done to ensure this does not happen again?

Is it too much to ask that mall managers invest in ensuring shoppers' safety? Is profit-making their only agenda?

It is also unfortunate the government and politicians seem unperturbed about the safety standards at shopping malls, especially in the car parks.

The fact must be accepted that shoppers have become an easy target for criminals. The next step is to find ways to make sure malls are safe.

Going into denial, as is often the Malaysian way of dealing with such matters, will not help.

Authorities must buck up

Malaysian Association for Shopping and High-Rise Complex Management president Joyce Yap was quoted in The Star (June 20, 2006) as saying that the association had submitted a comprehensive security proposal to the housing and local government ministry in May 2004.

But true to the Malaysian style of politics, nothing has come of it.

One hopes that Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting starts checking with his officers as to what has happened to the proposal. If he already knows about it, why has he not acted on it?

Unlike privileged politicians who can demand protection for themselves whenever they want it, the public enjoys no such prerogative. Perhaps this explains the couldn't-care-less attitude of politicians.

The truth is that public safety is the least of their concerns and people are left to take care of themselves.

The association's proposal called for installing panic buttons linked to sirens in car parks, as well as vetting all new security guards and providing annual refresher training for current personnel.

Yap said the association has done its part, but that certain of its proposals need to be backed by legislation for effective implementation.

"We urge the minister to review the report and to help us, not monetarily but in providing us with skills, expertise and training," Yap was quoted as saying.

Avoidance of responsibility

Now, it is for minister Ong to assure that everyone residing in Malaysia that safety is of paramount concern to him as well as other members of the cabinet.

Ong's suggestion, that mall managements should enhance security if they are genuinely concerned about public safety, smacks of double standards in view of the proposals already submitted to his ministry. Once again, a politician is passing the buck.

While managements are responsible for security at shopping malls, they could do with the help of the authorities. Regular surprise checks by ministry officials would ensure that safety is not being compromised by lax security measures.

Selangor police chief Yahya Udin was right in stating that security and safety at any private complex is the responsibility of the management, but was a little callous in excluding the police from taking responsibility as well.

Despite the current poor image of the police, the public would still be relieved to see police personnel on their rounds. They too could make spot checks on shopping malls to gauge the standard of the security features.

Managers of shopping malls must operate business with a conscience. Where safety is concerned, the people are no longer taking chances - and this goes right to the heart of profits as well.

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.