Nurul Izzah@Bangsar Puteri

A  dialogue was held on 28th July 2008 between PKR Lembah Pantai and residents of Bukit Bandaraya. The purpose of the dialogue was to discuss issues with the KL Draft Plan and get feedback and ideas from residents. In attendance were:

• Nurul Izzah (MP Lembah Pantai)
• Ali Ghazali (Deputy Division Head – PKR Lembah Pantai)
• Vinod Sharma (Legal Bureau Chief – PKR Lembah Pantai)
• Residents of Bangsar (60+ persons)

The bulk of the dialogue was spent on local issues that the residents have been facing, which are:

1. Crime
2. Lack of cooperation by police
3. Damage to roads and cars by lorries transporting construction materials
4. Concern over the new condominium project along Jalan Medang Serai
5. Overzealous tree pruning by DBKL
6. Lack of pavements, proper road dividers

What follows is a comprehensive report of what was discussed in chronological order  – mostly on resident’s complaints on local issues they have been facing.

Gerakan For The Future

On 20th June 2008, Koh Tsu Koon gave a public talk in Bandar Utama on Gerakan as it stands today and what lies ahead for its future. I attended the talk and was glad to see that turnout was good – well over a hundred people, compared to the dozen that was at the last Gerakan talk I attended. I even managed to bump into some Kayu Ara and Bandar Utama friends 🙂

Stripped and Measured

For the second time in a decade, Anwar Ibrahim now stands accused of sodomy and was brought to a hospital to be probed, measured and examined.

“When I was brought to the hospital, I was stripped naked for tests and had my private parts examined,” the PKR de facto leader told a packed 30-minute press conference at his house hours after he was freed on police bail.

“They also measured the necessary parts,” Anwar quipped.

However, he put his foot down when they came for his blood.

(snip)

Anwar, 61, added that he also refused to have his photographs taken while he was naked in the hospital.

“They’ve already seen all my private parts. Of course, I refused to let them take my photographs. They (the photographs) could end up on YouTube very soon.

“At my age, it’s not a problem but I don’t think it would be complimentary,” quipped Anwar, who was flanked by family members including wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and daughter, Nurul Izzah.

Nevertheless, he said that the police were exceeding polite and did not touch him at all.

“But I regret to say, that for a person my age with a severe back problem after a major surgery should end up in a cell reserved for the worst criminals in town,” said Anwar.

“And I was asked to sleep on the cold cement floor with nothing. At 1am, my wife brought a towel and that exarcerbated the pain.

“That’s why the moment I got back, my family doctor came to give me a strong dosage of painkillers to my back.

– quoted from an article published in Malaysiakini on 17th July 2008 (link)

The only nice thing I can find in this story is that the police didn’t force him to give his blood, or take photos of his –ahem ahem– areas. Far too little compared to the tragedy that this story is, the poor man had to sleep on the cold cement floor?

I had no idea his back was so bad that painkillers had to be injected directly into it. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I don’t slap people on the back when I greet them anymore, it would have led to a very awkard situation with the good sir.

You may find the following comic offensive, if you are then I apologise. Sometimes during times of sorrow its good to try and find some humour in the situation.

The Government’s Fear of One Man

The Federal Government’s behaviour is just appalling. They lock down KL in anticipation of a fictitious rally – based on two blogs and sms rumours? Here I was thinking that the government view of blogs was that they are non-credible news sources, but suddenly two blogs have the power to lock down KL? The traffic jams were incredible!

Today Anwar was arrested in a heavy-handed fashion that was completely unnecessary. It is just like it was ten years ago. On the night of his arrest in 1998, I was on the phone with a friend when the police trucks drove past my window in a convoy to his house. We had anticipated that his arrest could come at any time, and an hour later I walked to his house to see what happened. A crowd of people was standing around listless, no words being spoken – exactly like how you would imagine a leaderless people.

At this point in time I am uncertain what will happen next. Though Anwar requested that his supporters and the people of this nation remain calm, I do worry that some lower ranking Opposition people will organise demonstrations on their own. It would not be surprising given the culture of ‘rabble rousing’ that was present at PKR’s founding.

Malaysiakini References

Roadblocks set up amid protest fears (link)
Parliament out of bounds to public on Monday (link)
Gridlock in KL as police mount roadblocks (link)
Opposition did plan demo today (link)

Press Statement from Anwar’s Office

The Fuel Price Debate

Well the debate was alright, though far too short and somehow I felt that both parties did not explain themselves well enough. Shabery did himself an injustice by continuing to attack Anwar’s past – such as his demonstrations in the 1970s, his performance during the 1997 Economic Crisis. Though Anwar showed himself to be the bigger man by not criticising Shabery’s past and saying, ‘this is not an Anwar versus Shabery debate’, Shabery continued to repeat the same criticism.

Its a shame because what Shabery said made a lot of sense, but his criticising behaviour seemed to cater more towards anti-Anwar types rather than wooing fence-sitters. Why woo people already on your side? A waste of his time, better to criticise the ideas rather than the speaker.

Personally I agree with debate points given by both men, time willing I’ll write something about the pros and cons of maintaining the petrol price hike.

A translated summary of points I remember:

Why are we not in the same standing as neighbours like Singapore and South Korea, when we were at the same standing before? We have fallen so far due to mismanagement of the economy under the present government!

To those who criticise our promise that the petrol price will be lowered by 50 sen only should we take the Federal Government – 50 sen is only the first step. If the present price is maintained, our economy will continue to decline each month.

– Anwar Ibrahim

We are not even in the Top 20 of oil-producing nations, and by 2015 we will become a net oil importer! If ours is the only nation with increasing oil prices, then its fair to criticise but it is not – that is the global reality. Show me a nation that subsidises the price of petrol and has low interest rates – there is none.

– Shabery Chik

Nurul Izzah @ PJS3

A talk was given by the Opposition in PJS 3 (off Old Klang Road) on Sunday, 13th July 2008. The speakers were:

• Tian Chua (MP Batu)
• Ronnie Liu (Selangor Exco, ADUN Pandamaran)
• Gobalakrishnan (MP Padang Serai)
• Saifuddin Nasution (PKR)
• Dr. Hatta Ramli (PAS)
• Nurul Izzah (MP Lembah Pantai)

Old Klang Road was jammed solid from the Jalan Gasing entry point (due to roadblocks). Fortunately my friend drove (because I’m not that familiar with this area) and we took a mini adventure through the housing area from the opposite direction…which involved driving through a field of weeds on a makeshift concrete road with very poor visibility. Opposition ceramah finding is always adventurous!

We entered PJS 1 area and started searching for the hall, ending up going through THREE police road blocks. At the last road block they checked IC and driving license, even searching car boots. Police presence was heavy, probably 50+ cops – not as much as the horde at Lembah Pantai last Friday. No parang-wielders in sight, thank goodness.

By the time we arrived Tian Chua had just finished speaking, Raja Petra was there too but I’m uncertain whether he spoke.

All the speeches for the night were in Bahasa Malaysia, in which I am not very fluent so apologies in advance for missing details in the following summaries or mistranslation.

Ronnie Liu (10.36 pm)

I would like to thank Raja Petra for being brave enough to come here tonight and be with us. Let me talk about Saiful – I heard he showed up at PKR a week before the election claiming to be a close friend of a close friend of Anwar. During election time we accept any volunteer help we can get, so of course we accepted him.

I don’t believe he was not sodomised. As a matter of fact he was sodomised – sodomised by BN! We have been sodomised for the past 50 years, and to make matters worse we paid for it!

They have deceived us, gotten rich off us, at our expense without us being aware of it – that’s what I mean when I say we have been sodomised!

We are gathered here because nobody believes Saiful’s sodomy story. If it was true, why not charge Anwar in the Syariah Court? Where can four witnesses be found? That’s why they didn’t use the Syariah Court. Same story as before, same lies.

Gobalakrishnan (10.45 pm)

(Thanked those who were present)

In the recent MIC Perhimpunan Agung, Subramaniam said Samy Vellu is a great leader.

Is he a great leader? No! He is a great ROBBER!

Subramaniam has insulted HINDRAF! We don’t want leaders who are corrupted and under the control of others with evil intentions. The people have proven this in Penang, Selangor and the other Opposition States.

We will put forward the motion this Monday. Pak Lah and Najib Altantuya are scared of this, that’s why they placed roadblocks all over Kuala Lumpur. Don’t you feel sorry for the police, who earn less than plantation workers?

Pak Lah said that he will handover presidency to Najib in 2010. But what of Balasubramaniam? He has disappeared. You all saw him when he gave his second Statutory Declaration – who intimidated him to reverse his first one? He implicated Najib’s involvement with Altantuya and her murder.

I was surprised to read that Rosmah was present when C4 was tied to Altantuya – was she there to tighten the wires?

Now they place roadblocks all around out of fear. I say give Anwar a chance, give credible leaders a chance.

I need not elaborate further. You all are smart enough to know we have a stupid PM, Bodowi is his name.

The price of petrol is 16 cents in Venezuela, yet we have to pay RM2.70. Why should we suffer?

REFORMASI! KEADILAN!

(Ended the speech by leading the crowd in chants of Reformasi and Keadilan)

Dr. Hatta Ramli (11 pm)

We live in uncertain times. The government has spread rumours that there is a rally planned for tomorrow. Believe me, if there is ANY Opposition rally, I would know because I would be one of the organisers.

Dato’ Seri Wan Azizah was going to bring Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim as a guest. They fear him to the point that they ban the public, MP’s personal assistants and ALL guests from attending tomorrow’s Parliament session.

They even setup roadblocks all over KL! Bad enough you have to pay a toll, now you have to do a U-turn and pay again?

In the recent papers there is all this news about corruption in the Immigration Department. The Ketua Pengarah (Director General) of Immigration was arrested. Whenever there is a crisis in our country, our PM shows his power by suddenly grabbing these corrupt people.

Yet the ACA is still not independent. They report to the PM, not Parliament. We want corruption cases to be investigated thoroughly and convictions made, regardless if the arrested are ex-ministers or even current ministers.

I am disturbed when both the Director General and his deputy are arrested. It goes to show how corrupt the Immigration Department really is. But there are other corrupt departments in the government, such as Customs (cited a case where a Customs officer used department funds for a personal function). Even the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Attorney General (AG) are not free of corruption. They abuse their power for personal reasons.

I have heard of a case involving government security cards where embezzlement occurred. The person who reported it was detained under ISA! There was no investigation of the embezzlement at all.

We need to remove the ISA immediately, as it is a tool used by the corrupt to hide their deceptions. Four years is too long to wait to seize control of the Federal Government, who knows how many more cover-ups will occur in that period?

Let us pray that tomorrow’s debate on the motion is supported by BN MPs, whom I am certain are controlled by certain parties.

Let us hope that tomorrow will be a historical day.

Saifuddin Nasution (11.17 pm)

We are seeing a reuse of a script from 1998. Tomorrow Anwar has to give a statement to the police. Why? Because a report was lodged against him. Yet why are there no efforts by the police to get statements from Najib and Rosmah? Why do we have two sets of rules in our country?

They pressure Anwar because he has incriminating evidence against the IGP, the AG and others. We hope that now a report has been lodged against the IGP, that officers below him will come forward.

We have seen a lot happening in UMNO lately, due to their major loss in the elections, poor performance by their President and interference by his son-in-law, the MP from Rembau.

Tomorrow at 4.30 pm we hope to debate motion for a vote of no confidence, provided the Speaker allows it. For the motion to be allowed it has to fulfil three criteria:

1. Does it involve the people and is in the interest of public importance?
2. Does it require immediate attention?
3. Is it specific?

To these three criteria I say yes. It is specific because it involves the Prime Minister. It requires immediate attention because the longer he is in power, the longer the people will suffer. It is of public importance because it involves the leadership of the nation.

In Parliament we were informed that the average household income of 60% of the population is RM3,000/month. That is not enough to sustain a good life. Our nation is suffering under BN’s leadership!

After the debate on the motion we have two weeks to file for a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. That is why they picked tomorrow to get a statement from Anwar – in the case we win the debate then they can arrest our leader!

Tomorrow Parliament has suddenly become off limits. It is a public place, where the public has the right of access! What has happened to our country?

We are merely following the rules of Parliament. Why are the police needed to restrict our movement? If Pakatan Rakyat can follow the rules, why can’t they? Instead they resort to these actions, and reuse a script from 1998!

Saiful failed at university, where the passing grade is a 2.0 GPA. He got a 1.5 GPA, yet he can go the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and ask for a scholarship? If that’s possible then ask your friends and relatives to forget about sources like MARA, just go see Najib!

Najib first said he didn’t know Saiful, but when shown the photo of his aide and Saiful at his office, he ‘remembered’ that Saiful came to see him for a scholarship.

Then days later he stated that Saiful came to him to seek advice on the sodomy that allegedly happened to him.

When did it become the Deputy PM’s job to listen to sodomy cases? Forget about reporting to the police for rape or sodomy, just go to Najib’s house!

When Anwar was arrested in 1998 they broken into the house, snatched him, blindfolded him and took him to a lockup in Bukit Aman. The IGP of that time, Rahim Noor, beat him while handcuffed. The police hid this crime. If the police hide crime, how can people trust them?

After much pressure by us, an investigative commission was formed. After MUCH investigation, they confirmed that Anwar was beaten, but they did not know who beat him!

They don’t know who beat him? He was arrested by police, rode in police vehicles, taken to police lockup, interviewed by police – who else could have done it? Apparently police can’t identify other policemen!

In 1998 they took DNA samples from Anwar. Don’t be surprised if they fake evidence to support Saiful’s case today. That is why Anwar lodged a report in the Syariah Court, where there is no room for DNA evidence.

Putera Umno is suddenly talking about taking an oath on the Quran, when all they have done is step on all it stands for!

Anwar will continue his tour of the nation, to bring his message to the people. This is just the beginning.

Nurul Izzah (11.44 pm)

(Greetings to those present)

Despite the police roadblocks, I am glad you all made it. We are gathered here to oppose cruelty and falsehood. For me what is important is that when we face lies, we oppose it!

Now we are experiencing a repeat of what happened 10 years ago. They are using government machinery to pressure us, to intimidate us. I feel sad that despite the results of the election, the BN government remains arrogant. The people have shown their support for the Opposition, yet they still resort to dirty tactics!

Before the elections the Deputy PM said the petrol price won’t change. What happened after the elections? The petrol price was increased without a care for the needs of the people!

Now you read in the news about ‘taking oaths on the Quran’ – it is merely a distraction. Let us not lose focus of the main issue which is the ruination of our economy by the PM and his Cabinet!

I congratulate those of you who attended the PROTES rally at the stadium. It is clear that our people are suffering and need an advocate to fight for them.

Today while I was visiting the victims of a fire in my constituency, my sister called me. Fifteen police officers had come to my house. I thought for a moment, did they come to arrest me? With these ceramahs being held, you wouldn’t know right?

I was shocked to hear that they had not come for me, but to deliver a Court Order to my father, stating that he and his supporters are not allowed within 5 kilometres of Parliament House tomorrow! So to those of you who are going tomorrow – if asked, say you are from DAP or PAS.

We are facing many problems in our nation, and we need all the support you can get. I am glad that SAPP has come out in support of us.

Now is the real test for us, so please spread the message to everyone that we are here to fight for your rights!

I thank you.

(Talk ended and crowd dispersed at 12 am)

Nurul Izzah @ Bukit Gasing

A talk was given by the Opposition near Jalan Gasing on Friday, 11th July 2008. The speakers were:

• Chegubard
• Ronnie Liu
• Raja Petra Kamaruddin
• Nurul Izzah
• S. Musliadi

The talk was originally to be given in Kampung Kerinchi, but due to police presence I had to do some adventuring to find the new venue – a tale best told in a separate post.

I arrived at 9.40pm to find Ronnie Liu already there, and Chegubard giving a speech on stage. I decided to loiter around outside the hall and chat up fellow PKR people and reporters while waiting for the other speakers to arrive. Police presence was minimal, only one police car nearby though I did see guys on motorbikes openly wielding sheathed parang. I assume they are PKR-affiliated security, but who knows right?

Raja Petra and his wife arrived at 10 pm. Ronnie Liu started speaking to the crowd that had gathered in the hall at 10.20 pm. Nurul Izzah came at 10.30 pm.

All the speeches for the night were in Bahasa Malaysia, in which I’m not very fluent so my apologies in advance for missing details in summaries or any mistranslation.

Ronnie Liu

Ronnie Liu (10.20 pm)

If we had better management of our economy our nation would be stronger and better developed. We need better leaders, clean leaders – not like Pak Altantuya!

Sabah and Sarawak support the idea of joining Pakatan Rakyat, and our promise to them is to give 20% royalty on oil instead of the current 5%. The royalty can be used to further develop the state. The BN politicians in these states know that by joining us, they will become heroes to the people overnight.

We need control of the Federal Government. Despite winning in five states, our hands are still tied – we can’t build hospitals, police stations or post offices without Federal approval!

For the good of the nation, BN MPs should join us. (Closing speech given in Mandarin)

Raja Petra

Raja Petra (10.40 pm)

I am what people call kay-poh-chee, menyibuk (busy-body). I was on my way earlier to Lembah Pantai to see a battlefield, only to learn that it had been relocated here. I have been asked to speak, so I’ll find something to say.

Why do Muslims go for Friday prayers? It is part of our Fardhu, a requirement for us to pray together in a jemaah (group) at least once a week. Ideally we would pray together five times a day. Praying in a jemaah is important in Islam, because Islam places focus on community. Others are more important than self. That is what Islam is, not what you find in Islam Hadhari!

(Raja Petra then spoke on about Nabi Muhammad’s struggle to spread Islam and how he overcame adversity. Thanks to his efforts Islam has spread worldwide.)

Islam places emphasis on the right to speak out. Only Islam’s enemies try to suppress that right, try to suppress the truth. Those Muslims who behave in this manner are not real Muslims, they are pretenders!

Nurul Izzah

Nurul Izzah (10.50 pm)

I would like to congratulate those of you who were brave enough to come here tonight. I apologise to those who went to Lembah Pantai thinking the talk would be held there, it was not our intention to suddenly shift it here.

I was surprised at the numbers of police that were there to stop us. BN tries so hard to suppress our voice. Even with our victory all we officially get is a debate with their minister on a delayed telecast – presumably delayed to gauge their minister’s performance!

There is a case going on there I do not wish to even mention. Ten years ago they levied the same accusations against my father. We listened to the police, the Attorney General, and what happened? He spent years in jail, without any credible evidence against him!

Now we must fight these accusations. Let us not talk about ‘taking oaths’ when we should be talking about the real issue.

Anwar’s former aides, Nik Nazmi and Sim Tze Tsin are now YBs themselves. They volunteered themselves for the good of the party. Unfortunately this opened the door for opportunists to come in.

This coming Monday, we will resolve a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister and his Cabinet.

When Anwar claims that he will lower the price of petrol BN says that is populism politics. What system is BN using then, politik penipuan (deceiving politics)? When we talk about 20-30 MPs crossing over, they resort to dirty tactics same as in 1998.

Despite promising that the price of petrol will not increase as it is not in their manifesto, BN did increase the price! Then they ask the people to sacrifice, offering a small rebate applicable only to owners of vehicles. What about those among us who don’t own a vehicle? We suffer too!

SMEs have started to shutdown as a result of this price increase. Where are these workers going to find new jobs in the meantime?

We have a clear message, a plan that Malaysia will be saved. We all must increase our efforts to spread this message to others!

S.Musliadi (11.08 pm)

(Chegubard introduced this man as the former UMNO Deputy Chief of Taman Widuri Indah Branch, Parliament Rembau)

I had my roots in UMNO Wangsa Maju. Back in 1998 I felt that without UMNO there would be nobody to defend the rights of Malays. In 2008 I felt that I could no longer defend UMNO.

I see nothing wrong with mixing with PKR or PAS members in order to serve the people. Isn’t that we are here to do, to help others? Yet I was criticised for my behaviour.

I am not someone that is looking for money, but a person of character interested in speaking the truth and in helping others. That is why I left UMNO to join PKR.

Closing (11.15 pm)

After the last speaker concluded, Nurul Izzah worked her way thru the crowd greeting residents and left promptly. I stayed awhile to chat up some other people before leaving myself. While there was no surprising information mentioned tonight, I think it was good that there was no police intimidation at the new venue and the turnout was quite alright.

The audience (click to zoom in)

Ronnie Liu giving his speech

Far left: Chegubard, Far right: S.Musliadi

BU Walk The Talk Event Report

A Crime Prevention Awareness Walk was held on May 17th 2008 in Bandar Utama, organised by the BU6 Area Commitee. In attendance were:

• Sivarasa Rasiah (Subang MP)
• Elizabeth Wong (Bukit Lanjan ADUN)
• Muhammat Sarip bin Siran (Police Chief, Damansara Police Station)
• Jipa A/K Langob (Deputy Police Chief, Damansara Police Station)
• Bandar Utama Residents Association (BURA) Committee Members
• St. Johns Ambulance representatives
• Bertam Security guards
• Metro Security guards
• 290+ Residents of Bandar Utama
• A police helicopter

People started gathering at the BU3 Community Hall before 4 pm. Before the walk started, various VIPs gave speeches, summaries follow:

Sivarasa Rasiah

Sivarasa Rasiah (4.15 pm)
The police are in charge of safety, and nationwide we have 100,000 policemen. The best ratio of police to citizens is 1:250, and in our country we have 1:260 so it is not too far off. The real problem is deployment. I had asked in Parliament how many policemen are in the Special Branch, and was informed that the numbers cannot be divulged as they are under the Official Secrets Act.

One-third of the police are in administration, while another 20% are in ‘Public Order & Security’, the duties of which are not known to us. Roughly 7000 – 8000 officers are in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) which only amounts to 8% of the force in total. Eight percent in charge of investigating crime.

Turning our communities into walled enclaves with guards is not the answer to crime. We want our police force to be deployed strategically to fight crime, not for political reasons.

Elizabeth Wong

Elizabeth Wong (4.20 pm)
I had met Tony Pua recently and spoken to him about the ongoing crime issue. He informed me that for the PJ area the ratio is 1:1800. I asked him how recruitment of new officers is coming along, and he replied that it was slow. 36% of the police force are in administration.

Someone I know personally in Damansara Jaya had a break-in at his home recently, so it is obvious that the robbers have merely shifted their targets away from Bandar Utama to nearby areas. We will continue to push for the IPCMC suggestions to be implemented.

I have spoken to the Mayor about the directive to remove the boom gates in Bandar Utama. He has assured me that MBPJ will not remove them for one month, in the meanwhile we will have a meeting to discuss further on the crime issues.

Muhammat Sarip bin Siran (4.30 pm)

Muhammat Sarip bin Siran

There are only 84 police officers to cover half a million citizens for the Damansara Police Station. Many neighbours don’t know each other and this makes it easier for burglars to break in. Many people also do not know the phone number for the police station, which is 03-77222222.

Dato Manpal

Dato’ Manpal, BURA Chairman (4.35 pm)
The purpose of this event is to foster collaboration between the police and the residents. We need to reduce the opportunity for criminals to break-in by implementing crime prevention measures. We have been too reliant on the police for protection, and recent events such as MBPJ’s directive to remove the boom gates have not helped matters.

The ratio of 1:4000 ~ 1:5000 for the area covered by the Damansara police is clearly inadequate. We need greater numbers of police to increase patrols in Bandar Utama and the surrounding areas.

The Walk (4.45 pm)

After the speeches were made, Jimmy Tan (BURA) instructed the crowd on how to perform warm-up exercises.

Jimmy Tan

Then the security guards, St John’s Ambulance, police, VIPs and residents assembled and marched into the BU6 Area, some carrying banners with ‘Walk the Talk in Crime Prevention’ printed on them. It was hard to gauge the distance travelled but everyone was back at the hall in just under an hour. The VIPs, press and interested citizens then headed upstairs for a press conference.

The Press Conference (5.45 pm)

Dato’ Manpal pointed out that The Star, NST, Sinar Harian, Nanyang, China Press and Sin Chew Jit Poh were present for today’s event. He then went on to say that at least 289 people attended the Walk today which was quite a good turnout. Summaries of the other VIP’s press briefing follows:

Sivarasa Rasiah (5.52 pm)

The effectiveness of the police force has become a big issue, particularly in Klang Valley and Selangor where the crime rate is very high. Residents have been forced to hire guards and build walls, resulting in paying a double tax (regular tax to Government plus fees to the security companies).

The Prime Minister has said that the ideal ratio of police to citizens is 1:250. The ratio we have here of between 1:4000 and 1:5000 is quite disparate. We will continue to bring up this issue in Parliament, and the need for implementing the IPCMC suggestions.

It is clear that PDRM itself should have better facilities, pay and housing to make it more attractive for new officers to sign up. Their allocation for these things is not enough.

Elizabeth Wong (6 pm)

We need to look at the cause of the high crime rate – the high level of unemployment coupled with the migration of people from rural to urban areas has resulted in an increase of population beyond what was planned. This is a failure of town planning, and we need to look at allocation of land for the police. Local councils play an important role in helping to alleviate the situation we have now (Dato’ Manpal mentioned at this point that a police beat station is scheduled to be built in Bandar Utama).

Muhammat Sarip bin Siran (6.08 pm)

I have been here for 10 years, at a time when there was much less crime. There are far more residential areas today compared to that time, such as Bandar Utama, Damansara Utama, Damansara Jaya and so on. Given that the police force stationed here is small, we hope there will be more cooperation from the residents in helping to be our eyes and ears to watch for suspicious activities.

Question & Answer Session

Q: What specific changes to the police are needed?

Sivarasa: The police force is imbalanced e.g. 33% are in Jabatan Keselamatan Awam. They should redeploy members from Special Branch into CID.

Last Sunday I was at a HINDRAF gathering at KLCC, and there were over 100 police and Special Branch officers. Why do they need such numbers to monitor us, when they could be out investigating crime?

Police are becoming documenters of crime, not investigators – this has led to citizens being reluctant to report crime. Their pay rate is also another issue; they should be compensated according to the risk they take.

Q: What about the relation between migrant workers and crime?

Sivarasa: This is a common misconception by the public – the fact is that only 1-1.5% of crimes are done by foreigners, as related to me by the Home Minister.

Q: I feel that responsibility for security lies with citizens, police and town councils. We should re-examine current laws because town councils are seen as impedance e.g. the boom-gate dismantling issue here in BU. Maybe we can use the Rukun Tetangga law? A lot of pressure should be applied by legislators to solve the police issue – why is that traffic roadblocks get ten officers, but crime investigation only two? We need to reduce this ratio.

Elizabeth: We are aware of what you have mentioned, in fact we have had a meeting between the ADUNs and Chief of Police on this and will continue to have discussions with them.

Sivarasa: We will push with the Inspector General of Police for reforms – look at Kayu Ara, where the crime rate is getting worse every day. The urgency for change is clear.

Q: Can we tap into FRU or Military Police for help in policing residential areas?

(No answer)

Q: I noticed more police stations being set up – are they going to dilute the police force in Damansara police station, or allocate more cops to this area to accommodate the new stations?

(No answer)

Read more for additional photos.

Bandar Utama Meets The OCPD

The rising crime rate in Bandar Utama these past few weeks has the residents worried. Thanks to the efforts of Bandar Utama Residents Association (BURA) members, Lim See Meng and Dr. Tok, a meeting was quickly arranged with OCPD Arjunaidi (Police Chief of Petaling Jaya) and CID Chief Mazlan Mansor.

It was hoped that during this meeting the police would be able to provide some reassurance to the residents that steps were being taken to improve their safety, as well as advise us on ways to improve our safety.

The meeting took place between 10pm – 12.30 am at Starbucks Centrepoint on 2nd May 2008. In attendance were:

1. OCPD Asst. Comm. Arjunaidi
2. CID Chief Mazlan Mansor
3. Elizabeth Wong (ADUN – Bkt Lanjan)
4. Dato’ Manpal Singh (BURA Chairman)
5. Lim See Meng (BURA Deputy Chairman)
6. Various BURA Committee Members
7. Various BURA Area Committee Members
8. Bandar Utama residents, including victims of recent break-ins

After a brief introduction by Dato’ Manpal, Arjunaidi stated that the police are aware of the snatch thefts and break-ins and are trying to have more patrols in the area. He suggested keeping the police station number close at hand to call immediately if residents see anything suspicious.

Questions, Observations by Residents & Arjunaidi’s Answers

Q1: During the time the robberies occurred people are inside the home, and not aware of what is going on outside. Either that or they are not at home. They are therefore unable to observe suspicious goings-on.

A1: Residents should get to know their neighbours to differentiate non-locals.

Q2: What are the police doing to identify and catch these gangs? (A five-man Chinese gang has already been identified as the major criminal group in the area)

A2: It is difficult to identify all the criminals involved.

Q2 (follow up): You should enforce harsher punishments, not jail them for six months and release them. Is there an information network that you are tapping into?

A2: Yes, but obviously we cannot inform you further on that. How we solve crimes is for us to know.

Q3: You should have road blocks, working together with the security guards as a deterrent. It shows the police presence in the area. (Elizabeth Wong also commented at this point that robbers have the perception that the police are weak)

A3: We will consider the road blocks, and study where best to put them. However working together with your security guards presents legal issues as they are not empowered to stop vehicles on the road.

Q4: What about a barricaded community with card access? This will prevent the robbers’ scouts from coming in.

A4: It is illegal to do so, because Bandar Utama is not a gated community. (Dato’ Manpal interjected at this point to say that 100% approval by the residents is needed to get gated community status, this is due to MPPJ law. Any attempts to barricade without approval will result in MPPJ demolishing them)

Q5: Johor has faced worse crime problems than us. Maybe the police and MPPJ can get advice from them on what measures proved effective?

A5: We will look into that.

Mazlan’s Comments
CID Chief Mazlan explained that the role of the system is to catch robbers, but we can only hold them so long after which they go back to the street. Moreover the time allowed to investigate individual crimes is too short. He then added that it was not right for the police to be questioned on how they work, and they had come to this meeting to discuss crime prevention.

Having said that he got up to leave, whereupon the meeting quickly dissolved.

Personal thoughts
Overall I felt this meeting did not turn out as well as it could, due to a number of factors:

1. Arjunaidi being the most soft-spoken man in the world
I refuse to believe that he got where he was speaking in such a manner, it was only after the meeting did I realise that he spoke that way on purpose. By limiting the range at which his voice could be heard, only the ADUN and a few BURA Committee members could hear him, thereby protecting him from any backlash from residents (and making this reporter’s life very difficult ;)) .

Arjunaidi is a very smart man.

2. The choice of Starbucks as the venue
Starbucks did not seem like the right choice for a meeting with a crowd of 20-odd people. It was noisy and the armchairs further distanced us from each other. Other than the aforementioned people next to the OCPD, the rest of us were left in the dark as to what was going on. It was almost like the majority of the crowd was eavesdropping on a private conversation between the ADUN, OCPD, CID Chief and four BURA members.

I must give kudos to the BURA Chairman for announcing what was mentioned by the OCPD at periodic intervals, so we were not completely lost. Thank you, sir.

3. No timeline or commitment by the police
Answers such as ‘we will look into it’, and so on are fine if a follow-up date is established. Without that the meeting resulted in a lot of ideas and no decisions. If I was a victim I would have wanted the police to make strong assurances such as ‘we will increase patrols within the week’.

A Long Absence

Time sure flies doesn’t it? I can’t believe I haven’t made time to update this site in almost two months. So many news stories not followed 😦 My Malaysiakini account expired and I can no longer afford to top up – back to NST and Star being my sole news sources.

I have plenty of reports written down, just need time to compile them nicely and put up here. Expect more updates in the next few days.