KAJANG (Aug 11, 2011): The Home Ministry and the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) are monitoring the London riots to study the tactics and strategies employed by the British Bobbies (police) in handling the chaos and the looting.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told a press conference that it was paramount for Malaysia to be able to have the knowledge in deploying PDRM officers to counter such situations should it ever surface in the country, especially where racial and religious sensitivity come into play.
“Through our agreements and friendship with the British government and police force we are sharing information with one another and we are thankful about it.
“What we are studying are the root causes of the incident and how it spread so fast and so quickly and what sort of deployment and to what extend we can do so,” said Hishammuddin when he attended the breaking of fast with prison officers at the Kajang Prison Complex today.
When asked whether or not the government and the police’ actions during the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 was justified, in light of the recent London riots, Hishammuddin said tha should be left to public's perception.
He also added that he did not wish to speak further on the issue as he feels it might be “politicised” by certain parties.
“Whether our police force handled Bersih better than the British police handled the situation in London is up for the public to decide. The public can see if the Bersih rally could have escalated into what has happened in London, I would like the public decide because it can be politicised.
“Based on our multiracial and multi-religious nature in Malaysia, we must handle such situations with wisdom and delicacy or it could escalate to something even worse. Especially if such riots went overboard and begin endangering public lives and property,” he said.
Touching on the 6P programme Hishammuddin said he was happy and would like to congratulate with those involved in the programme because more than 1.7 million legal and illegal workers have been registered in one month’s time.
“This is not a small number and it is not easy for the Immigration officers to handle especially since it is the month of Ramadan. Even though there are reports that some areas are a little slow, it is not a matter of speed at the moment because this condition has been around for quite some time already.
“This is to help curb transnational cross border crimes. And this is just the first step in a long process meant for our future generations,” said Hishammuddin.
He also announced that the Home Ministry will issue a show-cause letter to The Star newspaper for publishing a pork advertisement in the month of Ramadan, reminding all newspapers to be more sensitive and responsible.
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