KUALA LUMPUR: The Women, Family, and Community Development Minister was put under the spotlight in the Dewan Rakyat for delaying the setting up of special criminal courts for children in every state.
Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said(pix) (BN-Pengerang) said when she was the former minister in the Prime Ministerâs Department in charge of legal affairs, the government had already agreed to set up these special criminal courts in every state in 2017.
âBut till this day, it is not done,â she said.
âWhen children go to the ordinary criminal court, Mr Speaker, you are also a criminal lawyer like I me, when they have to go in and out for this, they are embarrassed and who will want to be a witness,â she said.
âThatâs why we need a special court and a special witness room with a special approach,â she said.
She then took a swipe at the minister responsible, that is Datuk Seri Rina Harun, for not being able to settle this matter.
âIf you just want to be a minister, but you cannot settle this, donât be a minister.
âNow with the Covid-19, how many cases are there involving children being abused at home? How many cases of children becoming victims of such crimes?â she asked.
âWhen at home, itâs like trusting the fence, then the fence eats the rice. (a Malay proverb, harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi),â she said.
âI want to ask the minister who is responsible for this, but I donât know who is responsible since there is no one sitting there, probably busy, but this is a huge problem and not something you speak from that chair,â she said.
âDonât just talk about the 12th Malaysia Plan but forget the people who need their government by using these MPs as their eyes and ears. When we criticise, itâs not like we hate the government,â she said.
