KUCHING, March 10: The public should be sent alerts about missing children via the National Urgent Response (NUR) Alert system instead of spam messages from the National Security Council (MKN), opines Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.
In a statement today, he asserted there has to be an urgent improvement to make NUR Alert more accessible when it comes to missing children so that alerts are sent out fast with wide outreach to expedite the investigation process and increase chances of children being found safe.
His comments come following the disappearance of four-year-old Eric Chang from Taman Riverview, Bintawa who has been missing since March 7.
“This is something serious and I am disappointed that the alert and awareness of the missing child is not widespread even among the residents and public of that area.
“NUR Alert is supposedly responsible to spread information quickly and as fast as possible through SMS/MMS to help trace missing children below 12-years-old who could be victims of crime or abuse,” he said.
Dr Yii said, according to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), cellular users must first go through procedures and choose to accept NUR Alert announcements before they are sent out, which he viewed as barriers and limits the effectiveness of this alert.
“When it comes to saving children’s lives, they create barriers, but when it comes to government propaganda and unnecessary SMS, they send anyways without our consent.
“That is why there must be a significant improvement to this alert system.
“We cannot just rely on enforcement officers sticking photostat ‘missing person posters’ in banks or even public notice boards. We need to adopt technology to ensure the alert is quick and widespread,” he said.
He urged for a single platform to be set up where information such as missing children can be accessed by different enforcement agencies, shopping malls, banks, elected representatives’ offices, cinemas, and members of the public.
Dr Yii believed that the public is understanding and will be supportive of receiving such alerts on their phones rather than MKN messages when they can participate in saving a child’s life. — DayakDaily
