Penang Gerakan has urged Chinese Malaysians to put aside the notion of discrimination and join the police force to make it more multiracial.

State party secretary Oh Tong Keong said that Chinese Malaysians must put aside the perception of unfair treatment, lack of promotional opportunities or the thinking that the job only involved risky tasks.

 

There have been many cases of Chinese Malaysians holding top or senior posts in the police force, Oh ( right ) recalled.

In a move to encourage more Chinese Malaysians to join the force, Oh added that the Home Ministry had relaxed certain requirements during the current recruitment exercise.

 

“Owing to increasing population and a greater need to enhance security and safety in our society, we certainly need to have more policemen and policewomen,” Oh said.

Oh also noted that wages and benefits in the police force have increased significantly over the years, in line with those in the white-collar jobs category.

 

Oh was referring to the current two-month nationwide police recruitment drive, which started on March 3, urging Chinese Malaysians to take up the opportunity.

 

The campaign, he added, specifically targets the Chinese community, of those between 18 and 28 years of age.

 

“We hope more Chinese men and women would come forward to take up the challenge to become policemen and serve the nation and the people,” said Oh in a statement.

 

Oh said that presently, Chinese accounted for 1,974 out of the 111,395 police personnel in the country.

 

“Currently, there are Chinese Malaysians being involved in voluntary policing. However, they do not have much authority and their duties are limited,” he said.

 

Oh opined that our law enforcement units should comprise of all races to meet the needs of our multiracial society.