Move to place Rela under separate department
BernamaPublished: Jul 17, 2013 12:03 PM | Updated: Jul 17, 2013 1:17 PM
The Home Ministry will submit a proposal to the cabinet to place the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) under a separate department to strengthen its role, said its minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Home Ministry will submit a proposal to the cabinet to place the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) under a separate department to strengthen its role, said its minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said the department would be set up without any additional allocation and positions.
“The proposal, which will be tabled in two weeks’ time, will enable Rela to function more effectively as a voluntary organisation in assisting the police and other security agencies in maintaining public order.
“Rela will be given suitable supplies and equipment in line with its duties, while its uniforms will be changed to digital camouflage fatigues,” he told reporters after breaking fast with Rela members in Putrajaya yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid said this would open up opportunities for promotion and encourage greater participation from partially active and inactive Rela members, particularly graduates.
“Rela has been asked to classify its members into three categories, namely active, semi-active and inactive members - to enable additional training to be given to partially active and inactive members,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said the ministry would appoint Barisan Nasional (BN) members of Parliament as honorary Rela members and they were required to disburse RM20,000 of their parliamentary allocation to buy new uniforms for Rela members in their constituency.
He said the cabinet had also decided that Rela ranking designations would be different from the armed forces and they would be announced and gazetted soon.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said he concurred with attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail who rejected detention without trial (preventive detention) in any new law that would replace the Emergency Ordinance (EO).
He said serious and organised crimes such as shooting cases were on the rise due to tuft war between gangs made up of ex-EO detainees since their release after the ordinance was abolished in 2011.
“The proposed law will be similar to the repealed EO which carries heavy but with provisions for trial,” he added.
- Bernama
He said the department would be set up without any additional allocation and positions.
“The proposal, which will be tabled in two weeks’ time, will enable Rela to function more effectively as a voluntary organisation in assisting the police and other security agencies in maintaining public order.
“Rela will be given suitable supplies and equipment in line with its duties, while its uniforms will be changed to digital camouflage fatigues,” he told reporters after breaking fast with Rela members in Putrajaya yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid said this would open up opportunities for promotion and encourage greater participation from partially active and inactive Rela members, particularly graduates.
“Rela has been asked to classify its members into three categories, namely active, semi-active and inactive members - to enable additional training to be given to partially active and inactive members,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said the ministry would appoint Barisan Nasional (BN) members of Parliament as honorary Rela members and they were required to disburse RM20,000 of their parliamentary allocation to buy new uniforms for Rela members in their constituency.
He said the cabinet had also decided that Rela ranking designations would be different from the armed forces and they would be announced and gazetted soon.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said he concurred with attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail who rejected detention without trial (preventive detention) in any new law that would replace the Emergency Ordinance (EO).
He said serious and organised crimes such as shooting cases were on the rise due to tuft war between gangs made up of ex-EO detainees since their release after the ordinance was abolished in 2011.
“The proposed law will be similar to the repealed EO which carries heavy but with provisions for trial,” he added.
- Bernama
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