Parliament turns tense as lawmakers trade accusations over misuse of child sexual offence statistics, with both sides urged to focus on solutions.
KUALA LUMPUR: Proceedings in the Dewan Rakyat turned tense today as Members of Parliament engaged in a heated exchange over the use of crime statistics during a debate on child sexual offences, with both sides accusing each other of misrepresenting data for political purposes.
The dispute began when RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) defended comments he had made a day earlier, maintaining that his remarks were based on published reports indicating an increase in sexual crime cases in Kelantan.
“As I mentioned yesterday, allegations have been made against me. During my debate, I referred to reports published by New Straits Times and Free Malaysia Today, which stated that sexual offence cases in Kelantan had increased. These are facts taken from published reports and should not be distorted,” he said.
The exchange took place while Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran was winding up the debate on the Sexual Offences Against Children (Amendment) Bill 2026.
Rayer urged the government to explain the measures being taken to tackle what he described as a rise in child sexual offences, prompting Kulasegaran to repeatedly remind MPs not to politicise the issue. He stressed that the figures cited in the House were based on publicly available reports.
The debate intensified when Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin (PN-Putrajaya) challenged Rayer’s interpretation of the data.
He pointed out that the New Straits Times report cited was published on March 16, 2023 and referred instead to a more recent report dated May 15, 2024, which stated that Selangor recorded the highest number of sexual crime cases over the previous three years.
“That is largely due to its larger population. We should not politicise this matter. When it comes to child sexual offences, the priority should be finding solutions rather than focusing on which state recorded the cases,” he said.
Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) also disputed Rayer’s claims, citing data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia to argue that Kelantan did not record the highest number of child sexual offence cases in any category.
He accused Rayer of selectively using statistics and attempting to exploit the issue for political advantage ahead of the Johor state election, describing the approach as “low-level politics”.
The exchange briefly descended into disorder as MPs from both sides continued to interrupt one another, with one opposition lawmaker making a personal remark before the Deputy Speaker intervened to restore order and resume proceedings.
In concluding the debate, Kulasegaran appealed for calm, reiterating that the government’s priority was to address child sexual offences through meaningful policy measures rather than allowing the issue to become a political dispute.
