An opposition MP pointed out that the sudden spike in crime throughout the nation was a result of the hasty abolition of Emergency Ordinance (EO) in 2011 to appease the voters, and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should take full responsibility.

NONE "The government should accept and concede that its earlier decision to repeal the ordinance was hastily made, without proper study nor with due regard for the consequences which would follow in such event," said Puchong MP Gobind Singh ( left ) from DAP in a statement today.

He was referring to Minister in the Prime Ministers Department Nancy Shukri's statement yesterday that the government is prepared to enact new laws to replace the EO if necessary, in order to deal with the problem of escalating crime.

Her statement was in response to criticisms as well as feedback from the police, that the move has resulted in a sudden spike in crime.

what is eo emergency ordinance 050307 Gobind said he had asked the government to explain its plans to tackle the situation after the repeal of the EO which would release thousands of persons said to be hardened criminals.

Whe a similar question was repeated during this Parliament sitting by him, the home minister only gave a short answer that the police will "watch over them" without elaborating on the details of any proposed programs or regulations to monitor those released.

"This is a somewhat poor response to my question. Surely the government cannot expect us to believe that a mere watching over of those released would be sufficient to deal with the situation.

"Now, it would appear that the Najib administration was overly concerned with populist decisions when the decision was taken to repeal the EO. His government failed to put into place measures to deal with the sudden release of these persons back into society," he said.

Serious abuse

Gobind, however, rejected the proposal to bring back preventive laws as a solution as the EO had led to serious abuse over the years.

"He (Najib) should not now hide behind complaints by the police to convince us that preventive laws are necessary to justify bringing back the EO.

NONE "He should acknowledge that the problem isn't the result of the repeal of the EO alone but a combination of very many factors and the failure of his government to find solutions to all these problems before repealing it."

Gobind called for a complete overhaul of the laws related to police powers and detention, and a holistic plan to solve the crime problem at all levels.

His view was echoed by Gerakan secretary-general Mah Siew Keong ( right ) who was also against the revival of the EO.

In a statement issued yesterday, Mah said that any attempt to re-introduce preventive laws similar to the notorious EO, which allows for indefinite detention without trial, is not the solution, and any preventive law is open to abuse.

Instead, he urged the government to study the effectiveness of the criminal justice system as a whole, from investigations and prosecution to conviction and rehabilitation.

NONE "We need a competent investigations procedure to ensure those who commit crimes will be brought to book and it will serve as a deterrent."

Mah reminded the police and quarters calling for the enactment of a preventive law to tackle crime that others countries have successfully dealt with the crime menace without the aid of any preventive laws.

"In fact, the reason for the poor investigations that has led to a high acquittal rate is because law enforcers never had to thoroughly investigate crimes because they constantly relied on preventive laws like the EO."

It is also necessary to have a comprehensive action plan to combat the causes of crime like poverty, lack of education and economic and social disenfranchisement, he added.