The Chinese media gave front-page news and photo coverage to the “show of force” of the police in Johore Baru in projecting high police visibility in crime-prone areas, including night police patrols.
This is welcome by all, not only by the long-suffering people of Johore Baru from the reign of terror from rampaging crime wave, but also by all Malaysians throughout the country — showing that the police is capable of responding to public opinion and pressures.
The visible police presence day-and-night in Johore Baru must not be a transient “PR exercise” which will be forgotten after the end of the current nation-wide outcry at police failure to control and reduce crime, but must be a permanent feature of policing not only in JB but nation-wide, especially in hot spots of crime like Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Penang and Ipoh.
As an immediate follow-up to the stepped-up police presence and visibility in the streets and public places in JB to fight crime, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan should also announce measures to duplicate such high night-and-day police visibility in the crime “black areas” of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Penang and Ipoh.
When over 250,000 signatures nation-wide responded to the 100,000-signature campaign launched in JB to restore safety and security, it is a clear message to the police, government, Cabinet and Parliament that the Malaysian public are not prepared to keep silent anymore to be sitting targets and victims of rampant crime and lawlessness, whether in JB or any part of the country.
The Police should commend the Malaysian public for their awareness and public-spirited response to the signature campaign, as well as praise the media, in particular the Chinese media, for their high standards of journalism in reporting the people’s legitimate cries for effective policing to control and reduce crime.
I will propose at the meeting of the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance tomorrow the holding of nation-wide public hearings not only in JB but also in other parts of the country, particularly the black areas of crime like the Klang Valley, Penang, Ipoh, Batu Pahat, Alor Star and Sungai Petani to allow Malaysians to speak out their innermost fears and concerns about the crime situation.
Fighting crime to restore to Malaysians their fundamental right to be doubly free from crime and free from the fear of crime must always remain the top national agenda and not be allowed to be sidetracked as minor issue, as it is critical to the quality of life of Malaysians as well as determining the economic future and prosperity of the country — in assuring tourists and investors that they are safe to visit Malaysia or choose Malaysia as their investment destination.
In Klang Valley, Penang, Ipoh, Batu Pahat, Alor Star or Sungai Petani there is no similar IDR or the need to attract Singaporeans investors there.
Its only us, the rakyat. To BN, we are disposable.
But on IDR, will the Singaporeans come running ? I am sure they remember CLOB, where they were clobbered by BN gomen.
Johor Bahru residents now felt sense of relieves upon seeing more police presence in the city. But I think they are also naives thinking this is all the police can do, in fact this is what the police should have done as their basic duties. Effective crime prevention is when we have the lowest crime rate, crime prevention is not prevention when serious crime such as robbery, rape and murder happened repeatedly. I have just one question for Johor Bahru residents, how long do you think this is going to last? No, another question, when the police is gone and the crimes came back, what are you going to do? Another petition signing ceremony? OK, that is three questions already. And if Johor Bahru residents think it is their hundred thousands of signatures that got the police to visit Johor Bahru and kept them safe, think again! Next time, run to the MCA’s leader house and see what they will do for you.
And Johor Bahru, has the rapist been caught? has the robbers been caught? It took such a hoo-hah for the govt to send 400 patrol cars, by then the rapist has gone visiting another state or city in Malaysia. What about gansterism that is thriving in our city? And you think you have won the war against crimes then I said you deserves whatever unfortunate events that might befallen anyone of us, and that you are also as ignorance as the police are. Ok, maybe you are as selfish as another Johor Bahru resident can be. No no no, you are not selfish, you are powerless, you don’t have a choice, do you?
let’s see how long this will last…two, three weeks? when all the hoo-ha dies down, i can see things returning back to ‘normal’…and JB, the whole country at that, will not be the safer one bit.
Malaysia is doomed…
I agreed with what dawsheng said. The measures taken by
the government is not concrete enough. Those criminals are not that stupid to carry out their activities now at J.B, they can just divert to elsewhere to carry out their activities. We heard too much of these news everyday, whether it’s in J.B or elsewhere. Overall, the criminals activities are so rampant in Malaysia. We citizens plead and would like to see more police patroling on the road not when cases had happened or exposed in newspaper but it’s their duty to do so.
Give them a chance. I would say “well done” to the stepped-up police presence and visibility in the streets. At least it’s a step forward in the right direction. Hope it keeps going and lasts.
Yes, same should be extended to other troublespots like Penang, Ipoh and Klang Valley. No excuse not to afterall Police dah dapat gaji naik?!
Once again, an ah hoc solution to a very serious problem. Then again,this is Malaysia for you. That’s how things are done here and sure enough, there will be some people who will be ‘happy’ reading the news that the govt is deploying 400 policemen and 200 police cars to patrol the streets of johor. Talk about a fool being born every minute!
All of us MUST drop the habit of thinking short term and START thinking long term.
People, the question we must ask of the police and the govt is: –
“What are the SERIOUS LONG TERM measures that they are going to take to ensure our security?”
The way i look at it, 400 policemen and 200 police cars is NOT the solution to the big problem. Do we expect these 400 policemen to be still there after 5 years? If the answer is yes, It’s kind of costly don’t you think so?
What the police force needs to do is to RECLAIM back the streets of johor back from the criminals! That should be the MAIN mission of the PDRM now.
The day when the mere thought of conspiring to commit a crime is deter by the realization of a SWIFT, EFFICIENT and PROFESSIONAL consequence by our police force is the day when the IGP and the rest of the police force can hold their heads high and wear their uniform with pride.
As things are now, there is a slow and steady break down of law and order in the state with NO concrete and long term solutions whatsoever from the authorities concerned.
The demonstration in front of the MB house is the result of years of pent up frustration and anger at the incompetence of the police force and the authorities concerned should viewed at it as such and not as a group of misguided people disturbing the peace. Accepted your short comings as a professional and come up with long term plans and strategies to reclaim back your pride. That should be your challenge.
The day when some vigilante groups are formed to take over the role of the police force will be the day that our country has no need for a police force.
God helps us should that day arrive.
Please do not be fooled by what the government has just done. 400 more Polis can only frighten the robbers/ rapists for a while. And they (the useless administration) hope that this can last until the next election. Where is the tax payers’ money? In the pockets of corrupted menteri!
malaysia born Says:
June 24th, 2007 at 16: 30.06
//,,, The day when the mere thought of conspiring to commit a crime is deter by the realization of a SWIFT, EFFICIENT and PROFESSIONAL consequence by our police force is the day when the IGP and the rest of the police force can hold their heads high and wear their uniform with pride….//
I applaud the above.
Law and Order is NOT about the mere show of numbers out on patrol on the streets. The police force (service?) has for far too long compromised their effectiveness as a law enforcement body by introducing subtle discouragement to victims not to report matters of simple, but less-publicised crime, like pickpocketing, verbal abuse and threatening behaviour, snatch-and-grab incidents. I have been given reason for this – “Sudah biasa itu”.
400 additional policemen (eevn 1,000, as YB Kit suggested days ago) & 200 additional patrol cars are not substitutes nor replacement for QUALITY policing preventative and investigating skills. Brains are needed and towards this end, Towards this end, PDRM must be receptive to recruitment of highly qualified and EDUCATED personnel for all levels of the force, especially at middle officer levels above.
I’m not even mentioning the biggest cause of the loss of credibility of the police force, which is corruption, both perceived and real. I will just say that for many high-profile people and situations calling for proper in-depth detailed investigations, the police are perceptibly seen to be either indecisive or, suspiciously, were observed to go easy or look another way.
The problem to address is not for more cops to reduce street crime. It must be the complete acceptance, realisation and humble admission of the PDRM that they first acknowledge their unsatisfactory state of preparedness to face the challenges of becoming an incorruptible law enforcement agency, and then to act without fear or favour, with total impartiality, to uphold the law, with only the very, very minimum of discretionary powers of every officer and constable to “forgive” law breakers, be they traffic violators, petty thieves, dadah peddlars, DVD sellers, pimps, gangsters up to “tiger-generals” (Ahh,…! how I miss that term in the 60’s and 70’s when gangs had fancy names..), big taikos, commercial criminals, corporates.
Let’s kill the favourite advice from the cops..” Jangan buat lagi, yah?..”
When everyone, especially the crooks, know that crime doesn’t pay, and that the law will catch up sooner or later, then we would be halfway towards change and improvement.
The long arm of the law in Malaysia, currently, is not long enough. It’s an outstretched hand no doubt, palm upwards, but still, not long anough.
“The visible police presence day-and-night in Johore Baru†is ineffectual if illegals continue to stream in abated at the coastal entry points arranged by shadowy syndicates with connivance of local enforcement authorities bribed.
I am not just blaming Indonesian migrants. There are also many local criminals, as well. However are we given a profile of criminals by the government so that we need not guess? Look at the prison population. Those incarcerated are probably 40% foreigners, most of whom Indons.
We can safely deduce backwards that Indonesian migrants pose one of the major problems undermining the social fabric. Why else in 2002, the government reversed the policy to hire Indonesians last?
Dr Mahathir sowed the seeds of this humongous social problem. During his administration, hordes of Indonesians migrants came in. There are probably more than 3 to 4 million of them here presently. They were needed by Mahathir to work cheap in his fast tracked industrialization program and to service the plantation, cvonstruction and domestic service sectors. Politically there were easier to assimilate with Malays being of common language ethnicity and culture. They could be given passports, permanent residence and citizenship to vote in support of UMNO.
Now that the full measure of the problem is appreciated it is however not easy to reverse. The government has to contend with a matrix of international treaties and agreements that it has signed with Indonesia, which it cannot just repudiate. The other problem is that a lucrative industry in human trafficking has developed vested interest in foreign migrants with connivance and cooperation of bureaucratic and government officials sharing the spoils of their recruitment fees. Unless corruption is checked, the migrant problem that has contributed in no small way to the crime situation also cannot be checked.
The bludgeoning crime surge is a three sided three cornered triangular problem linked by 3 points of foreign migrants and their economic plight turning into crime, human trafficking syndicates and official/bureaucratic corruption, with little political will to stem official/bureaucratic corruption deriving its cue from the larger culture of political corruption at the top.
As corruption and lack of political will are the ultimate first causes, it is my humble opinion that all measures by way of more policing, no matter how commendable on the police part, will not ameliorate the crime problem for so long as the government does not pull up its boots straps to tackle corruption and there is no change of government.
Actually, the police officers are stupid…. the ministers that suggested this idea are STUUUPID…. look at other countries that have FBI, ICAC, and other crime prevention organization.
OPEN YOUR STUUUPID brain you STUUUPID ministers. Why waste so many police work force to DO PATROLING!!??? DUH!!??…. The criminals have brains and legs DUH!!?? They see your force patroling they can just smile, wave and say HI…. DUHHH!!?? When your stupid force leave the area, they will commit crimes….DUHHH!??
Why NOT HUNT THEM DOWN!!??? HUNT THEM!!! HUNT THEM!!! NOT DO PATROLING LIKE DUCKS!!! YOU STUPID POLICE OFFICER SHOULD GO WATCH “HOT FUZZ” THE MOVIE AND SEE HOW A REAL POLICE OFFICER SHOULD ACT LIKE!!!
HUNT THE CRIMINALS!!! NOT SMILE AND WALK PASS THEM!!!
That is always the problem of Malaysian Government: making hell of a huha of an issues, sounding gongs to announce that they are going to do this and that, wasting public money from taxpayers on the pomps and noises, but sorry to say at the end of the day nothing comes out of all the pomps and noises and the gongs!!
The Malaysian Government should get the work done without having to make worldwide announcements, with elaborate open-ceremonies and what nots.
To the Malaysian government, present and past, after spending colossal sum of taxpayers’ money, they consider actions taken and work done, to resolve all pressing issues facing the people and the society in Malaysia. That is a smoke screen.
They should buck up and stand up, less talk and pomps, less unnecessary squandering of public funds, and settle down quickly to resolve problems, and shows the people and the society the results of their work.
People of Malaysia will know how to judge their performance.
When the Police statistics showed crime rate in Johor was actually down since the beginning of year 2007, but, what people saw and experienced are a surge of heinous crimes in the State.
So, performance improved?
One does not to wait for salary increase to start improving performamce; only increased performance justifies increment in salary.
But again in Malaysia, the Malaysian government works the other way round, to please the large section of the potential suporters and voters of the ruling parties.
Let the police take the first step. Well see to it thst they take the next step and another after that. Hopefully with our encouragement they will feel proud to do a good job.
First and foremost they must fight the corruption among themselves. It is not a perception anymore. After that only they can tackle the other root of evils such as drugs, prostitution and gambling.
NST report:
“Ministry, kopitiam come to a boil over sky juice
By : Sim Bak Heng
JOHOR BARU, Sun:
A storm over a glass of water could end in a drought of plain water in the nation’s more than 10,000 kopitiam.”
Shafie Apdal is so stupid like so many of the other Ministers. Customers are not paying for the glass of water alone; it’s also the opportunity cost of the seating place, the electricity, labour etc. That’s the problem when so many of BN Ministers are either unqualified or are thrid-grade Arts graduates from kampung madrasahs! Never cease to amaze me the stupidity of Malaysian Ministers.
And they want Mlayaisia to be world-class! Can’t even get a glass of waterrr right!
Kopitiam owners are earning an honest living unlike so many corrupt Ministers with their billion ringgit scandals.
Well said, ENDANGERED HORNBILL!
Yes, it is the opportunity cost! But how many idiot UMO ministers know about such costs?
Night n day visibilty but are they working? I hv seen policemen trailing behind motorists who use emergency lanes during peak hours but do nothing while many of us law abiiding citizens hv to suffer the daily crawl. Arent we the morons?
“The long arm of the law in Malaysia, currently, is not long enough. It’s an outstretched hand no doubt, palm upwards, but still, not long anough.” WFH
Yes, palm up hands with the middle finger pointed to the sky in defiance!
upwards instead of hands.
Issues like human trafficking, crime and corruption are not partisan issues and yet these issues are allowed to be intensely partisan. Why?
DAP is equally guilty of attempting to do what BN MPs are doing i.e politicize every single issue that comes its way for political capital. When derogatory remarks are made against its MP or MPs it did not move a motion immediately to censure the MPs who were misbehaving but instead waited until it is ‘too late’. Of course it is not too late to want to do something. That’s BN way of politicizing the issue.
When steps are taken to try and improve security in areas like JB, we should congratulate the government for taking action like several readers here like Jong was quick to suggest. Whether it is too late too little does not matter as much. No doubt credit must go to the DAP for putting the pressure on the government, for bringing public attention to the situation prevailing in that part of the country.
My question is “Why must everything be partisan?”
I would like to see more Opposition MPs standing up to congratulate the government for making the right decision when the right decision is made – and not just oppose the wrong decisions. That way the national coalition would be forced to change its strategy and not oppose everything that the Opposition suggests.
The role of the Opposition is much wider than that. It includes bringing the national coalition to do what it wants just as much as not bringing the national coalition to do what it doesn’t want.
Huh??
Extend the beef-up to all Crimes areas especially in KL? Where have they got the will and the funds? Paying RM8 Billion to secure the loyal Government servants VOTE is better than to fight crimes!. Who are the major victims? As HsuDarren suggested:-
“What can be done here is to follow the example of Hong Kong, which has similar laws like us, being a British colony for a hundred over years.
Set up an ICAC. Or at least an IPCMC. I am very sure, just like what happens in Hong Kong, this institution, if given full power to investigate arrest and prosecute, will bring about a total change to our police force as well as other aspects of public service. We know we need it, but why aren’t we getting it? “
For more details & the 2 arrested and the Pics & Video Clip of the Demo GoTo:
http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2007/06/more-pics-video-alarming-crime-protest.html
Good grief, mwt out of curiousity, I went and took a peep at the website you gave above. They had the wrong pix of the Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaacob instead of Johor’s Abdul Ghani. I just wonder, how could they have mistaken the Pahang MB to be the Johor MB?
I do agree that not every issue have to be ‘partisan’.
However, I don’t see why we should applaud / complement /give extra credit to the government when she is doin’ sth she should duly carryin’ out when she has not these while?
Arent the government has an overriding duty of protectin’ the Msia citizens from harm and threats, safeguard the people benefits, possessions and promote stability?
BN govn has almost failed in everythg’…CPI plunged, Cost of livin’ soared, security threatened, currency depreciated, ecomomy worse off and the list goes on. What BN has done for the country development? BN leads Msia closer to the vision 2020/40 or further?
Also,BN govn has never admitted their fault, not once-ever-has the gov apologised for bein’ unclean, incompetent, inefficient, not once has BN say sorry to the Msia citizens for lettin’ ’em down year in year out…
If we ( all Msians) really want the country to succeed, we have to ENSURE our voices are heard.
Someone has to express our views, someone has to tell those BN ‘donkeys’ enough is enough! The citizens, are the beneficiaries; the gov is the public servant, BN MP’s have the responsibility to listen to us, correct and improve!! So far, opp party is the only party who dares to comment, critic, criticize the gov our behalf. MCA, MIC where are they?
Quote:
Someone has to express our views, someone has to tell those BN ‘donkeys’ enough is enough! The citizens, are the beneficiaries; the gov is the public servant, BN MP’s have the responsibility to listen to us, correct and improve!! So far, opp party is the only party who dares to comment, critic, criticize the gov our behalf. MCA, MIC where are they?
MCA and MIC are dogs to the donkeys… Don’t you know mate? When donkeys want them to bark, they bark!
BTW, more police on the street = more citizens lose kopi money? ;)
Please do not forget that these robbers, rapists, snatch thieves and murderers are not going to disappear overnight because of the sudden influx of of police personnel. They will just shift to other places and I hope the police can anticipate this and be prepared for it.
I hope the government will go for the long haul to combat against crime and not just “hangat hangat tahi ayam” not just in JB but all over the country including Sabah and Sarawak.
Every law abiding citizen is entitled to the basic right of having peace of mind on the street or in their house. Without this the government had failed their duty in providing safety and protection for the citizen as guaranteed in the constitution.
“So far, opp party is the only party who dares to comment, critic, criticize the gov our behalf. MCA, MIC where are they?” MWong
Everything you say about the BN government being “not up to the mark’ even wrong, is true. But they are not always wrong – just like no one is always wrong. My point is about the criticism often leveled against the Opposition for opposing for the sake of opposing. This is one such time when the Opposition rises above partisan politics to give credit where credit is due.
We scream because there are not enough boots on the ground when it comes to policing the streets of crime-riddled areas of our cities but when you see change, we find other reasons to criticize. It looks like enough is never enough! We should like some readers here say, “Give them time (to get it right) because they are trying to do something. The issue of too little too late can wait.
I am not suggesting that Opposition MPs stand up to give the government a standing ovation!
Now on your suggestion that members of the ruling coalition like the MCA and MIC should also criticize the coalition to which they belong, to which they owe some of their seats is a bit unrealistic for obvious reasons. Furthermore, it doesn’t happen that way in our parliamentary system. Any differences are sorted out behind closed doors and not on the floor of Parliament. Their support is ensured through the mechanism of party discipline.
Issues like illegal immigration and the presence of criminal aliens terrorizing our women and children, breaking into our homes are clearly bipartisan issues. These criminals do not ask if the home of a DAp MP is preferred to an UMNO Minister or an MIC Minster.
So why should these be treated as a partisan issue. This is the failure of the Parliamentary system.
You don’t see the same thing happening in the U.S. Congress, for example. Voting is not always along Party lines. The issue of illegal immigration for example is tearing the U.S. Senate apart, a divisive issue even among the Democrats. The U.S. Senate has a one vote majority – not enough to carry anything. They need 60 votes to pass any bill. You see some Democrats opposing the immigration bill and some Republicans favoring the bill. Illegal immigration is not a partisan issue.
Our system is just not conducive to this sort of approach to issues. Everything is made intensely partisan. It is in the political culture.
I don’t know which European country you are residing in but it seems it is the same problem where the Westminster model of Parliamentary democracy is followed.
The recent surge in crime is a sure indication that the government has forgotten its basic duties.
We seem to favour dishing out lucrative projects that start falling as soon as the scaffolds are removed and the basic services that need government control have been badly neglected like an effective police force that can perform to some basic standards.
That would have been covered with the IPCMC but the government is not only dragging its feet – it is playing dead!
http://malaysiawatch.blogspot.com/2005/08/milton-friedman-is-still-right.html
Like I said, I do agree that not every issue have to be ‘partisan’. We’ve given BN enough time to perform, is 50 yrs!! 2 generations gone by, isn’t that enough? We haven’t seen much improvement, let alone development!
Bear in mind in the world of globalisation today, Time waits for no men. We’re in a rat race, if our sleepin’ government continues to sleep for another several decades, we’ll simply left behind and will NEVER EVER able to catch up!
Msia has all it takes to succeed, the country is blessed with abundant natural resources, diversified cultural richness, etc, but why are we NOT progressin’?
We’ve Msia best interest at heart, why wait till it’s too late? I don’t think opp party (DAP) argue for the sake of argue, they’re just pressurisin’ for action to be done to ‘salvage’ the country. Criticism can always be received in a welcomed and positive way to leverage constructive impact. Somehow, BN MP’s choose to interpret them in a negative way, take it offensively and defensively, which is why ended up with conflicts big time.
Btw, I don’t use any western/democratic countries to bench mark parliamentary system. The West’s is not necessarily more superior than us. Every country has got political issues. It’s all depends on the country, different country, different context.
“Btw, I don’t use any western/democratic countries to bench mark parliamentary system. The West’s is not necessarily more superior than us. Every country has got political issues. It’s all depends on the country, different country, different context.” MWong
You said, “So far, opp party is the only party who dares to comment, critic, criticize the gov our behalf. MCA, MIC where are they?”
Where is the MCA and where is the MIC? Why are they not standing up to oppose? I suppose that’s what you mean.
MCA and MIC are members of the ruling national coalition and as members of the ruling party they do not oppose their own sponsored motions in Parliament.
There are some issues which are non-partisan in nature e.g. the fight against crime and human trafficking. Why can’t they be seen as such. Both sides should work together to handle the problems. Law and order is not an issue you take sides.
Both sides have been guilty of politicizing such issues.
To: MWong
My reference to the Westminster Model of Parliamentary Democracy and the comparison to the U.S> Presidential system is for a purpose. The purpose is to highlight how the system works.
In the U.S. Presidential system of government based as it is on checks and balances and on a clear separation of powers between the three branches of government i.e. executive, legislature and judiciary, debate in the U.S. Congress is not hampered by party discipline. A Democrat in the House of Representatives may vote against a Democrat sponsored bill and a Republican Senator may chastise a Republican sitting President. Voting is not on party lines.
This is not so in our Parliamentary system of government where there is no clear separation of powers and the concept of checks and balances is almost alien to it. Through what is generally referred as the mechanism of party discipline, convention requires that government MPs do not criticize other government MPs.
Don’t forget the Mongolian model.
As a Msian, I could understand the ”Never-rude-to-ur-dad-or-NO-pocket-$$$$” relationship between the coalition.
Thank you for remindin’, bout the LIMITATIONS of MCA & MIC under the BIG big brolly of Barisan..
So..PEOPLE, in the comin’ election, THINK TWICE, ACT WISE! By all means, vote ’em out.
been in the town for weeks… i dun see any police car or police man ? maybe they r hiding some where.