Because of concerns for crime, residents all over Klang Valley are beginning to look to gated & guarded schemes for a solution. At a recent townhall session in Ampang conducted by the State Government, I had reiterated that any discussion on gated & guarded must involve the police and the Home Ministry for two simple reasons : (1) security is under the purview of the Home Ministry and (2) security companies must be registered with the Home Ministry. It would be futile to engage in any discussion without them because they are the governing body for this matter.
Some people claim that Pakatan Rakyat has caused the emergence of gated & guarded. Such claims are puzzling and these claimants are plainly ignorant. Some gated & guarded schemes have started in USJ for about 10 years now. When residents initiate gated & guarded schemes, they usually invite me to their briefing session (even though I am not a Member of Parliament – security and Home Ministry are at the federal level while I handle matters at the State level) and as a responsible elected representative, it is my duty to meet the residents and listen to their concerns. When I show up to meet the residents, some people will then claim that I am endorsing wrongdoing because barricading road without the consent of the authority is illegal.
Very recently I attended a consultation session with MPSJ councillors, representatives from every section in USJ and USJ Residents’ Association. We had an extensive dialogue going through the current guidelines prepared by Lembaga Perumahan dan Hartanah Selangor and the challenges faced by these groups. We concluded the discussion with the decision for every group to submit the details and plans of their gated & guarded schemes to the Infrastructure and OSC committees in MPSJ for their consideration and careful study.
After the dialogue, I was surprised to find this malicious article entitled Politicising ‘fear-in-your-own-home’ published in Malaysiakini. Even though I was not specifically named in this article, it was clear that I was the person referred to by the writer. The writer was more interested in criticising me than to discuss on the real issue at hand which is security. Some remarks in the article are untrue and some were taken completely out of context, inserting some of my remarks and purposefully and conveniently excluding the rest. I contacted Malaysiakini and asked for the details of the writer for me to reply to but there was no response. For now, I will not reply to an anonymous writer. I understand full well that public figures will be subject to criticisms but the criticisms should be constructive and true, not misleading and fictitious.
Residents all over DUN Subang Jaya who have worked with me for the last 19 months know full well that I am not a person who likes to politicise matters. I have endeavoured at all times to cooperate with Federal agencies to work for the best interests of residents.
There is a serious need to regulate on the many security companies providing such services. Look at these conditions : Syarat-Syarat Pengambilan Pengawal Keselamatan dan Syarikat Kawalan Keselamatan di bawah Kementerian Dalam Negeri:
(a) pengawal keselamatan
– Lulus tapisan keselamatan dari Polis
– Tidak berumur melebihi 60 tahun
– Bekas polis atau tentera
– Tidak dibenarkan secara kontrak
– Bagi warga asing – hanya bekas tentera warganegara Nepal dibenarkan
(b) Syarikat kawalan keselamatan
– Dilesenkan di bawah Seksyen 2 (a)
– Hendaklah Syarikat Sdn Bhd
– Modal berbayar RM300,000-00
– Pegangan saham syarikat – Bumiputera sebanyak 70%
I have discussed the issue of gated & guarded with my fellow assemblymen from other constituencies all over Selangor and we’re working on improving the current guidelines. In the current State Assembly sitting, I have suggested to the State Government to have an emergency meeting with the Home Minister as soon as possible. I make my stand very clear here again : gated & guarded schemes must not be a permanent solution for crime. It is only a temporary measure (maybe 5 years) for the police force to improve and increase resources for urban areas.
I have also been waiting for a long time to hear what the Home Ministry and Federal Government have to say about gated & guarded. Lo and behold, they finally spoke up and brace yourself to hear their responses at Parliament:
…..Pertamanya gated community ini adalah untuk exclusivity. Keduanya, Yang Berhormat Ipoh Timur saya minta perhatikan ini kadang-kadang mereka ini mahukan exclusivity, kerana ada salesman yang datang bawa lori, hantar tong gas, jual tilam. Ini adalah sebahagian daripada sebab kenapa gated community ini wujud….. Read the longer text here.
and
…..Ini “gated, gated, gated”. Berapa ramai sekarang ini yang bukan sahaja “gated,” rumah pakai electric gate. This is a trend, dengan izin, it is not because of the security problem kadang-kadang lembu pun pakai gate. Fahamlah sikit….. Read the longer text here.
I do not know how to make these UMNO MPs and the Home Minister understand the residents’ concerns. They do not even understand the basic reason why residents are turning to gated & guarded schemes, let alone expect them to beef up the police force and restore a sense of security for Malaysians. My hope for a safer Malaysia remains a hope.