Loan Shark Got Sucked!

This time a loan shark got sucked. Yesterday I noticed a series of painting-script which was sprayed onto the shop front of a business unit in a business center in Butterworth. The script was written there in red as "Orang Busuh, hutang tak bayar" and decorated with multiple $ signs and several enlarged xerox of identity cards of the debtors. It shown that the debtors had taken to their heels and the loan shark was in vein of his late discernment.

Loan sharks have thrived since the last few years in Malaysia. They have been accused for using strong-arm tactics to emphases their threats such as threatening phone calls, interrogative acts to family, traumatic or harassing jobs, car/asset damaging, disguised flyers, paint scriptures etc. against those loan defaulters. They are rarely known for their kindness and consideration when trying to collect debts. They have also been disguised by society for their illegal activities which caused social ills.

Many loan defaulters have suffered great pain and misery to their families. Sometime making their very last endeavor to settle loan became impossible. Therefore some have chose to take to their heels, some have took the very last channel to end themselves by committing suicide. Yesterday, there was a suicide case happened in Ipoh. A coffee shop operator hanged himself in order to release the tough tag of loan sharks. He was hoping of getting his family be altered with peace treaty following his death. [source: Oriental Daily News, Sep 27]. Cases of loan shark-related suicide and murder are seemed to have become markedly rife in Malaysia.

"I believe this problem cannot be solved overnight. I sometimes wonder whether it can at all be solved. I certainly have no solutions. This year alone, I had 250 loan defaulters who have caused great pain and misery to their families" said by Datuk Michael Chong, the head of the MCA public services and complaints bureau during an interview by FAY D’CRUZ on Nov 13/04. "The Consumer Credit Act is needed urgently because of the burgeoning of various kinds of consumer credit in country. We are also much aware of the misery wrought by illegal credit system, such as loan sharking." Urged by S.M. Mohamed Idris, The President of Penang CAP on Nov 16/04.

One of my friends has suggested that It is time to make the government aware of this situation that has became obvious. I easily shown him some name cards that have just taken from my mail box. See! this one is xx Credit Sdn Bhd; call Ah Meng 012-532xxxx; call Ah Heng 017-414xxxx, this one is xxx Credit Sdn Bhd; call 016-511xxxx & 012-542xxxx, wow! this one xxx Finance is a professionally computer printed enclosure that has a superior quality than bank. My friend then asked me: "Have you ever been to their offices? Vow! very class loh, many times bigger than yours and are fully equipped with cctv, and their dog-chains are very rough loh." I nodded.

I have doubted whether police have ever seen such kind of name cards/letters/leaflets. I also have doubted whether the Ministry of Trade have ever noticed that there were no company number imprinted after their company's name. I even have wondered why people are still taking their offers!