Very recently, the USJ Residents Association organised a Crime & Security round table dialogue. Community leaders from all around USJ were invited to participate in the dialogue, with me as the moderator. The issues discussed were on ways to combat crime, success stories on gated and guarded schemes, neighbourhood watch and etc. Dato’ Fuad of the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation who has vast experience in crime prevention having served as Senior Officer with the Royal Malaysian Police also joined us and provided his thoughts. Each community leader shared his/her story of the security initiatives in their respective USJ neighbourhoods and exchanged ideas on how the community can move forward with these initiatives.
Round table dialogue on Crime & Security
The USJ Residents Association also organised an appreciation hi-tea event for the police and the fire & rescue teams that are serving in the community. Policemen and firemen from stations in SS17 Subang Jaya, USJ 8, Taipan, Bandar Sunway and even Putra Heights came together for this purpose. You may have read this in The Star yesterday.
I got to know the Subang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar a little better. We had a good chat on how the community and the police can function better together while the policemen and firemen took part in a small karaoke competition. But just before I left, me and OCPD Zainal were coerced into singing a duet! I am not good at singing and what was even more difficult and challenging was the fact that the OCPD chose a P. Ramlee song! It’s bad enough that I can’t sing, now we’re about to sing a song that I do not know. But I gave it my best shot and thankfully the song had a catchy melody which I could pick up midway through the song.
Subang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar and I doing our duet togetherBut that day wasn’t just about singing some songs with the police. I believe it’s very important that I do all that I can within my capacity as an elected representative to ensure that the people and the authorities are engaged in a healthy and productive relationship. Despite some recent events whereby some of my comrades from Pakatan Rakyat and citizens alike were subjected to arrests and persecution by the police, I will not hold any grudges against any of the police officers. I do believe that in our midst, there are competent and able policemen. The misgivings that the majority of Malaysians have with our police force are not to be directed at these policemen but at the powers that are directing these men. And I see it as my duty at this present time to work alongside good men who are serving in the force in my constituency, while we await for greater change in the federal government that will usher in real reforms to the Ministry of Home Affairs.