‘Not true’, says Prisons Department as singer Yasin alleges ‘taiko’ bosses rule jail life

KOTA BHARU, Sept 21 — The Malaysian Prisons Department has denied claims by singer-composer Yasin Sulaiman that life in prison depends on money and influence.

Prisons Department senior director of prison policy Mohamad Rosidek Musa said the claim was untrue, as it has standard operating procedures (SOP) to handle misconduct or negative incidents among inmates.

“The claim is untrue. In the prison system, we focus on rehabilitation programmes and address negative occurrences.

“We admit certain incidents may happen, but not to the extent alleged. Many released from prison succeed in building new lives, so why focus on the negative aspects?” he told reporters after the closing ceremony of the Malaysian Prisons Department Bookathon Programme 2026 at Pengkalan Chepa Prison here today.

Earlier, Yasin claimed during an episode of the AididitMyWay podcast that a hierarchy existed among inmates, including groups referred to as “bos” and “taiko”, while also alleging that drugs could be smuggled into prison if an individual possessed money and influence.

Mohamad Rosidek said any misconduct is dealt with according to established rules and procedures and that SOPs are continually improved.

“We will address every infraction and take action according to set rules and procedures. Each year, we tighten our SOPs and review them step by step,” he said.

He said conditions at Pengkalan Chepa Prison remain under control, although overcrowding is still an issue the department is addressing.

“Conditions at Pengkalan Chepa Prison are under control because we have satellite prisons and inmate reintegration programmes allowing prisoners to work outside. We are working to overcome overcrowding to ensure proper inmate management, he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Rosidek said the Malaysian Prisons Department Bookathon Programme 2026 received a donation of 10,000 books for inmates nationwide, excluding Sabah and Sarawak.

He said the programme, launched in February, was organised in collaboration with Boustead Holdings Berhad, Royale Chulan, and Syarikat Muda Osman Sdn Bhd (SMO) to encourage the public to donate new or used books for inmates.

“The donations comprise various reading materials, including motivational, fiction, and religious books, while SMO also offered a 20 per cent discount on books purchased and donated through campaigns across its 31 outlets,” he added. — Bernama