Voon Lee Shan
KUCHING (March 26): Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan today questioned why a Sarawakian was not appointed as state police commissioner in a recent promotions exercise.
“As I can recall, since Malaysia was formed in 1963, only two Sarawakians — Tan Sri Hamdan Sirat and Datu Awang Ehsan Joini — held the top (post) in the police force in Sarawak as Sarawak Police Commisioner,” he said, adding no Sarawakian has ever held the post of Inspector-General of Police.
He said he had noticed growing unhappiness among members of the public, as well as the police force, concerning the recent promotions and appointments of police officers in holding key posts in Sarawak.
“This looks like an ‘insult’ to the people of Sarawak, and Sarawakian police officers — as if to say that Sarawakians are not suitable, or cannot be efficient, to hold the post of Sarawak Police Commissioner,” Voon said in a statement on Saturday.
He also said that as a former police officer, before entering politics and legal practice, the post of Sarawak Police Commissioner is “not a difficult one”.
“Even a senior police inspector can perform this job well for Sarawak, because Sarawak has always been peaceful, has a low crime rate, no racial and religious disharmony and no cases of terrorism and subversion,” he said.
Voon also suggested Sarawak restore its Sarawak Constabulary, and make the Sarawak police force for Sarawakians only.
During the recent promotions exercise, Dato Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri is slotted to take over from the outgoing Dato Aidi Ismail as state Police Commissioner while ACP Wong Ing Fung from Perak will assume the post of Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department head.