Women, family and community development minister Nancy Shukri today came to the defence of Kelantan‘s top cop, who was accused by a PAS assemblyman of smearing the state’s image.
She said Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat was merely carrying out his duties.
“If you need the data, then request it from the police,” she told reporters, referring to Melor assemblyman Wan Rohimi Wan Daud.
“We (the ministry) also request data from the police before issuing statements.”
Wan Rohimi had reprimanded Yusoff for making a series of statements which he claimed gave a negative image of Kelantan.
Yusoff had expressed concern over a rise in cases of underage sex and incest, with some cases involving girls as young as 10 and resulting in pregnancies.
The Kelantan police chief said 252 such cases were reported in 2024, a 22.3% increase from the 206 recorded in 2023.
While investigations found that 98% of the reported cases were consensual, he maintained that sexual activity among minors was illegal.
Yusoff also said these developments reflected a “deeply concerning shift in social norms”.
Deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay meanwhile said that Kelantan had the highest rate of drug abuse per capita among all states, with 1,130 cases reported per 100,000 citizens.
Wan Rohimi criticised Ayob and Yusoff over their statements, which he said appeared to have been intentionally released over consecutive days to give the impression that Kelantan was not a safe place to live in.
