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extend help to exconvict
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 | Sunday October 15, 2006 Extend a hand to ex-convicts SOME TIME ago, when the Tapah Road Prison was declared open by Tuanku Raja Azlan Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Yusoff, the Sultan of Perak, I wrote to congratulate His Highness for gracing the ceremony. As the former Director-General of Prisons, the occasion was a triumph for me. I said in that article there is too much stigmatisation of and prejudice towards prisons and those who served time. After I wrote to congratulate His Highness, it was brought to my attention that the Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah, had graced a similar occasion in June 2001. I was also told that the Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Fauziah Al-Marhum Tengku Abdul Rashid, had visited the Woman’s Prison in Kajang, Selangor. I was stunned when Raja Nazrin Shah, the Raja Muda of Perak, invited Mohd Salleh Talib and Jamil Ahmad, the country’s longest serving prisoners, to the Istana to break fast after they were pardoned. (Redemption and freedom at last, Insight, Oct 8, was about Mohd Salleh’s release.) This was what we had been waiting for. The kind invitation is not only commendable but will, I pray, be a catalyst for the community to step forward and extend forgiveness to ex-convicts. Let’s give these fellow human beings a second chance. Stigmatisation or prejudice will only hinder their efforts to turn over a new leaf. On a visit to a prison in South Australia, I was briefed on the activities of a prison association and came away impressed. I then formed the Kelab Sahabat Penjara (Prisons Friendship Club) in 1995 with the view of getting the community to help with the rehabilitation and welfare of prisoners and their families. We looked for doctors, imans, teachers, counsellors and ordinary members of the community but our efforts proved to be unsuccessful. Currently, members comprise mainly prison staff and ex-staff. We looked for important names to be the chairman but there were no takers. Then it was suggested that I get (former IGP) Tun Hanif Omar to sound out (Ambank Group chairman) Tan Sri Azman Hashim. I was so grateful when he agreed; he has since contributed tremendously towards the club’s activities. Thank you, Tan Sri. I do hope that the publicity about Mohd Salleh’s life given by The Star will remind the community of the role it can play in rehabilitating ex-convicts and their families and encourage members of the public to step forward and support Kelab Sahabat Penjara in any way they can. Kelab Sahabat Penjara can be contacted by calling Aziz Razak at the Kajang Prison at 03-8732 8000 or e-mailing azira@prison.gov.my. Datuk Mohd Zaman Khan, Kuala Lumpur function remoteLocation( loc ) { remote = window.open('','TheRemote','width=480,height=500,resizable=0,scrollbars=0'); if (remote != null) { if (remote.opener == null) { remote.opener = self; } remote.location.href = loc; } else { self.close(); } }
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Latest page update: made by abrnadzrah
, Oct 15 2006, 1:09 AM EDT
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