A heated exchange broke out in the Dewan Rakyat after MPs disputed statistics on child sexual crime cases in Kelantan during the winding-up debate on the Sexual Offences Against Children Act.
The argument began when Jelutong MP RSN Rayer defended remarks he had made a day earlier, saying he had relied on published reports, including those by the New Straits Times and Free Malaysia Today, which indicated that sexual offence cases in Kelantan had increased.
Rayer said his concern was the government’s response to child sexual offences, which he claimed were becoming more widespread in the state.
He stressed that his remarks were based on published reports and should not be misrepresented.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran urged MPs not to politicise the issue, while saying the reports cited by Rayer could not simply be dismissed because they contained official figures.
Opposition MPs dispute the figures
Putrajaya MP Mohd Radzi Md Jidin challenged Rayer’s reference to a New Straits Times report published on March 16, 2023, which stated that Kelantan was among the states with the highest number of sexual crime cases.
He pointed to a more recent report dated May 15, 2024, which stated that Selangor had recorded the highest number of sex crime cases over the previous three years.
Mohd Radzi said crime statistics should be viewed in context, including population size, and urged MPs to focus on addressing child sexual crimes rather than turning the issue into a political debate.
Pasir Mas MP Fadhli Shaari also rejected Rayer’s claim, citing statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). He said Kelantan had never ranked as the state with the highest number of child sexual crime cases.
Fadhli accused Rayer of relying on media reports without sufficient statistical evidence and alleged that the issue was being politicised ahead of the Johor election.
Deputy minister calls for calm
The debate became increasingly tense as MPs attempted to intervene while Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Alice Lau called on Kulasegaran to continue his winding-up speech.
During the exchange, Pendang MP Awang Hashim shouted an insult at Rayer after being prevented from intervening.
Kulasegaran appealed for calm, saying he was obliged to answer questions raised by MPs and urged members to move beyond political arguments so that parliamentary proceedings could continue.
