JOINING A GANG IS LIKE “SUPPORTING YOUR FAVOURITE FOOTBALL TEAM” - 9 YEARS OLD VIJAY

Meet 'Vijay', the cradle gangster

KUALA LUMPUR: He is a secret society member and wants to get a tattoo to show his allegiance. But he is afraid that his parents will beat him if he does. Why? Because he is nine-years-old.

FMT met the standard three thug recently and he was more than willing to share his underworld stories, but on one condition – that he be referred to as “Vijay”, his favourite Tamil actor known for his action movies.

Despite being a bright pupil, who scored 8As in his mid-term exams, Vijay, who studies in a school located in the Petaling district here, chose to join a gang because his 14-year-old brother was in one.

"In my school, we have four secret societies such as 08, 36 also known as Bob Marley, Satu Hati and 04, or 'kambing',” he said.

Asked how much he had to pay to become a gang member, Vijay said that he did not have to fork out any “duit geng” (gang money).

However, he said that secondary school students like his brother, who is in Form Two, must pay.

"In secondary school you have to pay RM11.10 to join Satu Hati or RM8.80 to joint 08 but I am not sure about the rest. In my school, there are 20 of us in Satu Hati and about 15 to 20 others in 08,” he said, adding that it was similar to “supporting your favourite football team”.

"I just followed my brother who became a gang member last year,” he added.

All about respect

Furthermore, Vijay said he had to turn to a gang for protection because in the school bus there were other gang members who threatened or hit him.

“So when I become a member of a tough gang, the others respect me,” he explained.

According to Vijay, clashes between rival gangs were common and fights usually broke out outside the school compound or in the school bus.

“In school, we show our 'gang power' by drawing our gang signs in the school toilets, but the teachers always clean it up,” he said.

Vijay also revealed that sometimes help was sought from outsiders, known as “mandai” or head of the gang, when fights erupted.

As for his dream of getting a tattoo, Vijay said: “When I go to secondary school, I will definitely get one.”