Tuesday June 12, 2007

Wrong to give Rela power to detain illegals

THANK you for the enlightening article “Ever Rela to help” (Sunday Star, June 10). The interview with Rela Director-General Datuk Zaidon Asmuni goes a long way towards explaining the mindset behind the many recent actions and dealings of this organisation.

My read from this article is that the DG is overly influenced by his past employment as the Pahang Immigration Department director which has coloured his judgement and interpretation of the mandate entrusted to Rela (People’s Voluntary Corp).

Rela is not a professional law enforcement organisation. However, this almost half-a -million strong volunteer force has now received and utilised powers which are, in many instances, equal to and beyond those given to our normal law enforcement bodies.

The rationale that it is cost effective to utilise a large volunteer force to conduct the business of law enforcement is not good enough to justify the empowering of this organisation without the necessary checks and balances.

It places good and useful citizens in the unfair and impossible position of enforcing the law without knowing the law.

A 10-day course is inadequate training when Rela’s powers and responsibilities are similar to those of professional law enforcement entities.

The wearing of uniforms is a case in point. As they are not professional law enforcement officers, it becomes absolutely necessary to wear the Rela uniform at all times.

The uniform represents accountability, recognition, transparency and respect. We must know who we are dealing with at all times.

For the DG to justify the “walloping” of illegal workers, and wave off allegations of violence and mistreatment by Rela members as “in response to something that happened,” is irresponsible and dismissive of the actual incidents.

Anyone, whether employer or worker, has a right to challenge or question Rela members - especially if they come around without uniforms. If such questioning makes them angry, then I must point out that professional law enforcement involves accountability and responsibility.

Due to the new powers given to Rela under the amended 1972 legislation, it should now be necessary to screen people before they are allowed to wear the uniform (or not wear it as the case may be).

Also, racial profiling seems to be a practice of Rela in law enforcement. According to the DG, a Mat Salleh (Caucasian) is easily determined as a legal tourist while an Indian looking individual could not possibly be. Double standards, prejudices and racial profiling must cease to be acceptable practices.

The DG stated that we must choose between security and human rights, and insinuated that we can’t have both.

We are not at war and neither is Malaysia a country experiencing internal violence. We do not need to choose between security and human rights.

It is a mistake to give Rela arbitrary powers to detain illegal immigrants.

The amendment must be rescinded as it has no mechanism of accountability, disciplinary action and does not accommodate professional training catering to the new set of responsibilities.

It was a response to past and current populist, alarmist and xenophobic beliefs that illegal immigrants are flooding the country and taking away local jobs.

AZRUL MOHD KHALIB,

Kuala Lumpur.

News Poll

Latest Jobs from Star-Jobs

Latest from StarProperty