Rela members protest

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KOTA KINABALU: People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) members yesterday held a peaceful protest outside Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal’s house in Semporna and lodged a police report against him after he allegedly belittled their work.

They held banners urging Shafie to withdraw and apologise over his alleged remarks belittling Rela’s role and contribution to society.

Shafie had questioned the Federal Government’s move to deploy Rela members in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSzone) as part of strengthening security in the east coast when delivering his political speeches across the state.

He had said  that Rela was used only for helping control traffic at government or private functions and were not suitable as security personnel against extremist groups.

The Rela members also posted its unhappiness on the Sabah Rela Facebook page, urging Shafie to retract his statement, which had belittled their contribution.

In September last year, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the government agreed to mobilise 6,148 Rela officers and personnel to assist in the surveillance of security forces in 10 districts located in ESSzone.

Rela members in Tawau and Kalabakan also called on Shafie to publicly apologize and retract a statement attributed to him about Rela that was posted in a social media recently.

Rela Kalabakan officer Saad bin Razak together with 83 Rela personnel, lodged a police report at the Tawau police station yesterday over the statement on Rela reportedly made by Shafie.

According to Saad, he received a video clip through WhatsApp that was reportedly to have shown Shafie saying: “Rela bukan pandai pakai senapang, tidak tahu menembak, tidak belajar bagaimana pakai bom, yang dia tahu kalau ada kenduri dia jaga trafik? (Rela is not adept at using guns, do not know to shoot, have not learnt how to use a bomb, and during a feast they only handle the traffic) and “Anggota Rela yang terlibat dengan membantu ESSZone akan mengundi secara pos” (Rela members involved in assisting ESSZone will be voting by post).

In fact, Saad said Rela members had undergone basic training in handling/using weapons at a centre in Kota Kinabalu. He also confirmed that those Rela personnel assisting in ESSZone are locals of those areas and will be voting in person.

The source of video clip purported to contain the disparaging remarks on Rela could not be verified nor its sender.

Sabah Rela director Pauzi Jhumat said he and other members of the volunteer corps were saddened by Shafie’s statement.

He said there were some 1,050 Rela personnel serving in the ESSzone, of which about 380 members had worked together with police during the Lahad Datu intrusion in 2013.

“Rela was also involved in the search operations during the 2015 Mount Kinabalu earthquake,” he said, adding that they were involved in helping flood and fire victims over the years.

He said volunteers serving in the ESSzone from next year would receive special training and have specific roles in supporting the security services.