MP Nga Kor Ming may the next person to be hauled up by the police for typing something on the social media i.e. Facebook or Twitter that the inspector-general of police is keeping a close watch on. As all this happens, those who need to be policed are wandering free going about their daily acts of terror and theft in the name of gangland rivalry and ‘territories to be protected’.
The brave magistrate in the case of PSM secretary-general S Arulchelvan should be commended for her bold decision to refuse the police a remand order to detain him further. But such people are very few in number for an overhaul change to take place. Instead of policing the country by ensuring that the levels of crime are constantly reduced, our police force seems very interested in policing the politicians.
It is the Chinese New Year holidays and it is an undeniable fact that nothing moves if the Chinese are on leave, but yet we are so arrogant to say that we ought to boycott them if prices of daily goods are to come down. We have to accept the fact that if the Chinese are not in business in this country, nothing will move.
The Malays have the civil service in their hands but who cares? The civil service depends on the private sector for its collection of taxes! If the Malays go on leave for a week, the country still runs, we may not be able to present titles to effect transfers or other government transactions, but generally the country still moves.
Coming back to the issue of policing, whilst politicians are being warned to keep their mouths shut or risk facing arrests, the underworld is left to roam and reign free.
Taking the CNY holidays as an example, there are so many youths using children's playgrounds as open-air bars and gathering points to have an open air drinking session and the police are just not bothered about it in most cases. The police says that it can only act if a police report is lodged, why must that be when police patrol cars themselves see it happen right before their eyes?
Must police only attend to crimes when reports are lodged? Why are they so quick to be at the doorstep of a politician’s or activist’s house but so late when it comes to keeping public order and decency?
We see so many locals and foreign workers now very openly drinking in the open and piling up beer bottles by the roadside, which then can be very conveniently used as a weapon if a fight were to erupt later. Why aren’t the police acting? Must a police report be lodged? But if a politician is gathering some friends to voice out for a cause, he is arrested immediately, whether there is a police report or not.
When an accident takes place, we see touts with coloured hair at the scene first before we see traffic policemen, the touts direct traffic, the touts try to settle arguments, the touts will then persuade you to listen to their advice on what ought to be done next with the damaged car. Where are the policemen?
We seem to be hearing of intakes for the police force every now and then but we don’t seem to see them when we need them most. But when a politician’s car is to be stopped, the police appear from nowhere to ensure that the politician is apprehended!
Underworld seems to have become braver
Generally what we seem to see is that after 2008, the underworld seems to have become braver especially in states where the opposition alliance controls. As to why the situation has been allowed to come to this state is for the enforcement authorities to answer. Have the police become busier in policing the politicians instead of ensuring the crime level and gangland activities are kept under constant police surveillance?
These are question which the police would have to convince the people if we are to have more faith in the force. We don’t want a situation like what we see in some states in Central and Latin America where the drug cartels have to be stopped by the armies of the respective states because these cartels have no fear of the police force.
Our police force once struck fear among the members of the underworld with brave and fearless officers taking on these members in whatever given situation. But today we have a situation where the fear is among politicians who can’t go about their work and say what they need to say because of the nature of their jobs as politicians.
What seems so very obvious is that politicians who are known to have’'corrupt’ tendencies don’t seem to fear the police. Further these politicians seem to be very bold in saying what they so wish because they ‘know’ that the police will not be policing them.
Opposition politicians, activists, cartoon artists and critical members of the public have now become the prime targets of the new policing system. This is only going to create more hatred instead of trust and faith which every peaceful democratic society like ours ought to have with its police force.
We would not need home guards and the dubious security personnel that we seem to see in housing estates, condominiums and apartments these days if our police personnel go about their patrols timely and regularly. Our youth will not be so bold to drink openly in children’s playgrounds and by roadsides in groups if our police personnel go about their duty regularly.
There are so many unmanned police beat bases in housing estates, if only a team headed by inspectors are manning such bases, crime level and social public behaviour can be easily monitored and kept under control.
Once a upon a time we had policemen who policed without worrying about politicians who had constant rallies to let the people know how the country is run and to allow the people themselves decide on who ought to govern them. We had joget sessions and tea dances. Women could bravely come out and socialise. Young men of all races in uniforms were a very disciplined lot and proud to be of service to the nation.
The right and the best candidates were appointed to fill the positions and the country was run without the need to constantly look over one’s shoulder. We hope we can go back to those times again.
