Dap trying to spin the public safety issue -Karim

August 14, 2013

“The statement by Chong is both irresponsible and malicious. DAP is trying to spin the issue and place the blame on the government and the police.” -Tuan Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah 

Sarawak DAP chief’s statement on rise in violent crimes in the country condemned and ridiculed

KUCHING: The statement by state DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen that Barisan Nasional (BN) government is deliberately allowing crimes in the country to rise to justify reintroducing preventive laws has been condemned by BN representatives and the state police chief Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani Acryl (pic) described Chong ’s statement made at a press conference on Monday as ‘absurd’, adding that no right thinking government would harm the people to achieve its objective.

“This kind of statement should not come from a man of Chong’s stature and standing,” Acryl told The Borneo Post yesterday.

“The public must do away with the thinking that preventive laws benefi t the police. They are for the safety of the public, not for the ease of our job. Though we are the police, we are also part of the society at large. It is also our wish to have a safe society,” he added.

He pointed out that those who committed serious crimes recently were mainly former Emergency Ordinance (EO) detainees.

“The NGOs and the opposition had been calling for the law to be abolished. With the abolishment of EO, all those detained under EO were released as there is no more law to hold them anymore.

“And now, the opposition is blaming the government for the rising crimes. This does not make sense.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar described Chong’s statement as ‘very irresponsible and pure nonsense’ adding that the statement was only meant to seek cheap publicity.

“Chong should speak and behave like a parliamentarian rather than as a publicity seeker,” Wan Junaidi, who is Santubong MP said in his text message to The Borneo Post.

Assistant Minister of Youth Development Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, in concurring wi th Wan Junaidi s a id no responsible government would ever orchestrate violence against its people.

“The statement by Chong is both irresponsible and malicious. DAP is trying to spin the issue and place the blame on the government and the police,” he said.

Abdul Karim, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member and Asajaya as semblyman, pointed out that when the Internal Security Act (ISA) and Emergency Ordinance (EO) were abolished, almost 3, 000 hardcore criminals were released from detention.

“After ISA and EO were abolished, the spate of shooting and serious crimes increased … it’s too much of a coincidence,” Karim pointed out.

Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing said Chong was trying to score political points with his statement.

Masing, who is Land Development Minister, said no rational leader would sacrifice the welfare of the people to prove a point.

“You cannot expect to have a peaceful society when you release hundreds of registered bad characters into our streets in the name of liberalism.

“The police alone can’t tackle this menace if we, the politicians, fail to understand that security of the majority takes precedence over the rights of the recalcitrant few.

“I expect YB Chong would know better than make such accusations,” said Masing.

State BN backbencher chairman Abdullah Saidol viewed Chong’s claim as a manifestation of the opposition’s political culture which promoted hatred and prejudice for political gain and popularity.

“Coming from the opposition, probably we should not be surprised because PKR had used similar tone when talking about the invasion in Lahad Datu,”

“Both the increase in violent crimes and Lahad Datu invasion involved loss of lives.

“Using these issues to gain political mileage shows how insensitive the opposition can be,” the Semop assemblyman told The Borneo Post yesterday.

“I am truly amazed that the honourable Bandar Kuching MP as well as Kota Sentosa assemblyman, who is also a lawyer representing modern city folk could come up with such a shallow and ridiculous statement.”