Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance chairperson Nazri Aziz said the move to bar the media from the public hearing on crime was to help residents tell their side of the story.

Nazri, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, also said the move was to prevent the media from sensationalising what was said at the hearing.

A notice was issued before the hearing began, telling the media that the public hearing would be a 'closed' affair. Many reporters went in nonetheless. Photographers and cameramen were allowed to take photographs and footage before the hearing began at 8.30pm last night.

For comfort and security

"I would like to explain why we decided not to invite the press. This is for the comfort of those who are speaking here today," he told the audience after the hearing, which took three hours, ended.

"But I said just now there is no press, because I am worried the press will create sensational stories the next day. I have nothing against newspapers. They have their freedom. But we don't know what they will print tomorrow.

"If tomorrow, they print stories that hentam, hentam, hentam, hentam polis saja (bashing the police only), that might not reflect what happened here. There were criticisms of the police, but not as published. And for the police, they might want to find who said all those things.

"So to provide a sense of comfort and security to say whatever you want, we will hold close door meetings, so as not to be worried by what the newspapers publish the following day," he told the gathering.

Nazri said the hearing went well and said the MPs were willing to accept criticisms.

"As we see from tonight, everyone is civilised. There were criticisms of the government. I have been abused many times, even by my friends up here. But that's no problem. We are politicians.

"One resident who spoke just now, described me as a lion, but I am actually a reasonable person. But in the newspapers, they media picked up on the times when I was scolding Lim Kit Siang, what can you do? Lim Kit Siang also scolds me, but that's normal. This is our job. They are to oppose and we are to defend our position. That's healthy debate," he said to laughter.

"That's why I want to say what was raised up here is not a problem at all. Facing the public, even if you are cursed, is part and parcel of politics," said.

Cops absent

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said the absence of police officers was "clear proof that the police is still not prepared to adopt a new paradigm of policing for people despite all the talk of police rebranding with a new vision and mission.

He also said there is also no doubt that if the police is prepared "to fully respect and respond to the concerns of Malaysians about the law-and-order situation" there would have been no need for the Parliamentary Caucus public hearing to become a closed session with the media not allowed to report its proceedings.

A final hearing will be held in Penang on July 15 in Bukit Mertajam. The proceedings at all three hearings will be transcribed and the caucus will present a report to Parliament. The findings of that report will then be submitted to the police.

Residents with complaints of unresolved cases also passed documents to caucus members at the hearing last night.