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18th December, 2009
KUALA LUMPUR: The number of cases involving “Ah Long” has dropped by 163 to 473 cases this year following the declaration of an all-out war against the loan sharks in June by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, according to MCA Public Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Michael Chong.
He said 636 cases involving loans of about RM57 million were reported last year compared to 473 cases involving loans of about RM30 million this year.
“We hope the number of cases will continue to drop,” he told reporters here.
Chong said 70 per cent of the 473 cases involved Chinese borrowers, 21 per cent Malay and nine per cent Indian.
He also said that 78 per cent of the borrowers were male and the rest female, adding that the number of female borrowers had gone up slightly.
“Eighty per cent of the borrowers obtained the loans due to their gambling habit. Most of the Malays borrowed for investment in shares and business while the Indians used the money for business and to support their lifestyle,” he said.
Chong also spoke of a female borrower whom he identified as S.L. Chong, 43, who had been admitted to the psychiatric ward of Kuala Lumpur Hospital after she could not repay RM15,000 borrowed from four loan sharks and about RM35,000 in credit card debts.
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