Perlis Menteri Besar Shahidan Kassim has been taken to task by the DAP for suggesting that ex-gangsters and village bullies without criminal records be employed as enforcement officers.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng asked the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to publicly rebuke and overrule Shahidan's "shameful suggestion".

"Such a ridiculous statement would have been laughed off as a stupid joke if it had not come from a menteri besar who is also an Umno supreme council member," Lim said in a statement.

Shahidan made the suggestion earlier this week after expressing his loss of confidence with the Kangar Municipal Council's enforcement unit for its failure to uphold the law and allowing the proliferation of illegal squatters and hawkers in Kangar.

Lim questioned why Shahidan "behave so irresponsibly" as to even think of asking ex-gangsters to enforce the law.

"He must be naive if he believes he can find ex-gangsters without criminal records. If they do not have a criminal record, how are they known as ex-gangsters.

"Is Umno so bereft of talented leaders and members (until) they have got to resort to ex-gangsters to do the job?" Lim asked.

Wrong message

He advised the Perlis menteri besar to sack those ineffective enforcement personnel and replace them with retired police or army personnel with clean records.

The DAP secretary-general said Shahidan should not deliver a wrong message to youngsters that it is appropriate to behave like a gangster or a bully especially at a time when the government is trying to emphasise and strengthen moral values in school.

He also pointed out that Shahidan's latest idea of employing ex-gangsters as enforcement officials is the latest in a series of controversial ideas.

Those ideas included a proposal to build a 48km bridge from Langkawi island to Perlis, Perlis as a centre of traditional massage to cure impotency amongst males and a 10pm curfew for all youngsters below 18.

"Shahidan should seek counselling or advice from the prime minister if he runs out of ideas how to resolve problems facing the state instead of resorting to curfew of ex-gangsters," Lim said.