'Along' menace will only end when the demand for it stops - Nur Jazlan

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the ‘Along’ menace in the country will only end when the demand for it stops.

He said those who seek financial aid from ‘Along’ must first be educated of the effects of their actions and the problems that may arise with it.

“Most of those who like to borrow money from Along are those who like to gamble and have active social life,” he said to a question from (Batu Gajah-DAP) MP V. Sivakumar at the Parliament today.

“If they really needed money, they would not have gone to Along,” he added.

He said those who often borrowed from Along were people who had certain habits that needed a lot of money.

“They then borrow from Along and then when problems arise, other people, like their family members are the one forced to face it,” he said.

Sivakumar had wanted to know what were the steps taken by the government to end the Along menace in the country.

Nur Jazlan said the government had carried out various activities to get rid of Along activities but he said eventually it is the people who must fight it.

He said the borrowers usually know whether the Along they are borrowing from is licensed or not.

“Police investigation reveal the reason for people to borrow from Along is because it is easy and fast, there is no limit on the loan amount as long as they can pay back the money,” he said.

“They also do not need supporting documents except for the bank account details and the address of their home and business premises,” he added.

He said a total of 51 Along have been arrested in 2011 with 25 of them charged in court.

“In 2012, a total of 206 Along were arrested with 95 charged in court. In 2013, 199 were arrested and 54 charged,” he said.

He said in 2014, 98 Along were arrested with 90 of them charged in court.

Last year, 351 Along were arrested and 44 of them charged in court.