Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein's claim that the Selangor government's request for the establishment of an auxiliary police unit under the state was unconstitutional has been criticised by DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua.

In a statement today, Pua said the excuse Hishammuddin gave was "lame", as there is no such provision in the constitution barring the setting up of such a team, just as there is no provision against the employment of security guards.

bersih 21 charged in petaling jaya session court 230109 tony puah He also also labelled Hishammuddin's excuse as "irresponsible", charging the senior cabinet minister with prioritising politics over the safety and security of the residents there, just because Selangor is run by the Pakatan Rakyat government.

The minister's argument is that since crime has declined, the current measures are sufficient and hence there is no necessity for additional assistance from the state in the form of an auxiliary police team, which was first proposed by the Petaling Jaya local council (MBPJ) last year, Pua ( left ) added.

Hishammuddin recently shot down the state government's repeated requests for an auxiliary police force, saying that it was against the constitution.

A lawyer by profession, the home minister had previously accused the Selangor government of having done nothing to help reduce the crime rate, but had still incredulously asked for more of them now that the rates have dropped.

'Why are residents still hiring own guards?'

In response, Pua, who is also Petaling Jaya Utara MP, challenged Hishammuddin to order the removal of security barricades in self-declared gated communities in Selangor.

"Since Hishammuddin is so confident of the rate of decline in crime and the effectiveness of the existing police force, I'd like to openly challenge him to order the removal of all security barricades, boom gates, guardhouses and other barriers which have sprouted like mushrooms in Petaling Jaya and other cities over the past two years," said Pua.

These security measures, he said, have contributed to the lower crime rate in Selangor.

NONE "Given that it is technically illegal for anybody to block public roads for any reason, will the home minister ( right ) dare to order the complete removal off all such obstructions?" he asked.

Pua also said the Selangor government had taken the decision to tolerate the barriers despite these being illegal because of the residents' fear of crime, which had forced them spend hundreds of ringgit annually on security.

Their actions were proof of the lack of trust in the police force to protect them, resulting in them having to take over those functions themselves, said Pua, whose parliamentary constituency has one of the highest numbers of 'illegal gated communities' in the country.

Given the choice, he said, Malaysians would rather not have to pay for their own security guards and live with the inconvenience of illegal barriers and barricades, which have literally made cities like Petaling Jaya "war zones".

Urging Hishammuddin to "stop playing politics", Pua called on him to give priority to the people's interests by ensuring that they have enough police personnel to protect lives and property.