Ah Long

(The Star)KUALA LUMPUR: Some 80% of the 870 cases involving loan sharks recorded by the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department since January last year involved habitual gamblers.

Department head Datuk Michael Chong said these gamblers were “defaulters” and not “victims”.

“By defaulting on their payments, their family members suffered at the hands of the loan sharks.

“These gamblers are defaulters. Don’t call them victims, they don’t deserve to be called victims. Their family members are the victims,” Chong told The Star yesterday.

He said most gamblers got into trouble with loan sharks after losing their bets on international football matches and other games such as roulette, and they needed to continue borrowing to recover the original sum.

“If he loses RM1,000, he will borrow another RM1,000 to recover the loss. When he loses that, he will then need to borrow RM2,000 to recover the original RM2,000.

“All of them never think. They only think of paying back their debts by winning from gambling,” he said.

However, Chong said most of the time, the complainants would not admit to being gamblers until they were coaxed or exposed by their family members.

He said the department had advised the complainants in 95% of the gambling-related loan sharks cases to “disappear and not return” until they had enough money to pay back their principal sum.

“In some cases, their families have disowned them for repeatedly getting into trouble with loan sharks.

“In fact, less than 5% of the cases we handled have been able to immediately and fully settle their principal sums,” he said.

I agree that these guys do not deserve sympathy. If this were to happen to my friends and relatives - brothers, sisters, father, mother, grand-father, grand mother, etc. I will not step in to help, simply because we cannot condone wrong doing.

There is a difference between a guy needs capital to earn a living (micro-credit) and a guy seeking an easy way out. Those small timers seriously wanted to start small new business will work damn hard not to default and keep paying back their principal. These group of people deserve assistance. I heard on the radio this morning the government considering setting up a fund to help, I think it's a waste of time. They need to get down to the root before jumping the gun.