Kuching: Special Assistant to Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen, Michael Kong Feng Nian, has urged the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) to carry out the necessary verification work before referring illegal moneylending advertisements to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Kong was responding to Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng’s statement that MBKS had formally written to MCMC to report the phone numbers found on illegal moneylending advertisements. MBKS had also sought Kong’s assistance to expedite follow-up actions from MCMC and other relevant agencies.
“I am more than willing to take up this issue. Therefore, I urge MBKS to extend a copy of the said letter to me so that I can effectively do the needful,” Kong said in a statement.
However, Kong pointed out that MBKS must first determine whether the moneylenders involved are licensed or unlicensed before forwarding the numbers to MCMC.
“This confirmation can only come from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government or the respective District Offices, which are the authorities that issue moneylending licences,” he explained.
He said that if the moneylenders are licensed, the issue would be a breach of MBKS’s bylaws for putting up advertisements without approval.
“But if they are unlicensed, their activities would constitute illegal moneylending, giving MCMC the legal basis to blacklist the phone numbers involved.
“If MCMC were to act purely based on MBKS’ complaints without any verification of the offence committed, it would, in effect, be enforcing MBKS’ local bylaws rather than acting against actual illegal moneylending operations. This is both improper and outside of MCMC’s mandate,” he said.
Kong added that MCMC should not be used as a tool to enforce local council bylaws. Instead, MBKS should first lodge a police report against the illegal advertisements and provide the police with the phone numbers displayed.
“This will allow the police to investigate whether these numbers belong to licensed or unlicensed moneylenders. Once confirmed that they are unlicensed, a copy of the police report can be extended to MCMC for immediate action to block the numbers,” he said.
According to Kong, this coordinated enforcement process would ensure proper collaboration between MBKS, the police, and MCMC, with each agency acting within its respective legal jurisdiction.
“On our part, we have already spoken to the Ministry of Communications, and they have assured us of their support. But I urge MBKS to follow the due process moving forward and take up responsibility instead of simply passing the task to others and expecting others to do their job,” he said.
