RELA: Petty, uneducated, jobless men with batons and guns

RELA or Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia has been getting a lot of flak in the past couple of years. Accusations range from high-handedness and rudeness to outright abuse of power, rape, beatings and violent house invasions.

Lots of folks have put forward arguments and defences about RELA's behavioural issues. Do a search on Google with the search words +RELA +abuse and you'll see how bad things are. NST, Star, The Sun and Malaysiakini also have loads of interesting trinkets about RELA.

But here's why sean-the-man thinks that members of RELA act like angry retards (ie. big bodies, small brains and a bad temper).

2 words. Qualifications and Training.

In order to fully appreciate what RELA lacks in those regards, let us first examine a much more professional voluntary law enforcement body... the Police Voluntary Reserve (PVR) or Sukarelawan Polis (SP-PDRM).

PVR recruitment criteria

Bagi menyertai pasukan ini, seseorang pemohon itu perlulah memenuhi syarat-syarat berikut:- SPDRM-Kontinjen Selangor

1. Warganegara Malaysia

2. Umur: Tidak kurang 18 tahun dan tidak melebihi 40 tahun. Keutamaan diberi kepada mereka yang berumur bawah 35 tahun.

3. Ukuran Badan: Lelaki- Tinggi 162cm (5'4") Lilitan dada 81cm (32"/34"). Berat badan 48kg. Wanita- Tinggi 152cm (5'). Berat badan 43kg

4. Penglihatan dan Pendengaran: Mempunyai penglihatan biasa sekurang-kurangnya vision 6/9 tanpa cermin mata, tidak buta warna dan pendengaran yang baik.

5. Kelulusan Akademik: Sekurang-kurangnya lulus SRP/LCE Pangkat A (sertakan salinan sijil). Golongan profesional akan diberi keutamaan serta fasih bertutur dan menulis di dalam bahasa Melayu

Lain-lain Kelayakan:

6. Mempunyai pekerjaan yang tetap

7. Mendapat kebenaran Ketua Jabatan/Majikan untuk masuk berkhidmat

8. Bersih daripada sebarang rekod jenayah/tapisan keselamatan dan tidak pernah terlibat dengan penyalahgunaan dadah.

Syarat-syarat Perkhidmatan:

9. Pemohon yang berjaya di dalam temuduga pemilihan dikehendaki menjalani pemeriksaan kesihatan, tapisan Jenayah dan keselamatan oleh Cawangan Khas dan pemeriksaan cap jari sebelum diterima masuk berkhidmat.

Note the

- educational requirements (minimum Form 3 SRP grade A and special encouragement for professionals to enlist),

- the requirement that recruits are gainfully employed (I guess it takes a certain minimum calibre of person to hold down a proper job),

- no criminal record and no history of substance abuse, and

- a compulsory background check

PVR training

1. Semua pemohon yang berjaya dikehendaki menjalani latihan asas kepolisan (latihan tempatan) selama 6 bulan sebagai rekrut dan latihan menembak sebelum disahkan berkhidmat di dalam Pasukan SPDRM.

2. Perkhidmatan Sukarelawan Polis adalah tertakluk kepada jadual/ perintah/ peraturan/ kaedah: PVR Regulations 1956, Akta Polis 1967 dan Perintah Tetap Ketua Polis Negara Bah.A502

Training consists of 6 months of police basic training and a code of conduct based on the Police Act and the IGP's Standing Orders.

PVR website: SPDRM Kontinjen Selangor

In stark contrast, here's the stuff that RELA members are made of:

RELA recruitment criteria

Syarat Syarat Am Untuk Menjadi Ahli RELA - Ministry of Home Affairs

1. Warganegara Malaysia.

2. Umur 16 tahun ke atas bagi kaum wanita dan 17 tahun ke atas bagi kaum lelaki.

3. Sihat tubuh badan.

That basically means that ANY 16 year old female or 17 year old male Malaysian who's not physically handicapped (mental handicap is not a problem?) can become a member of RELA.

No educational or employment requirements. No background checks. Nothing at all to ensure the quality and integrity of its recruits.

RELA training

Jangkamasa latihan adalah dari 3 hingga 14 hari dan bergantung kepada jenis kursus. Latihan ini membolehkan seseorang anggota itu dapat memberikan sumbangan yang efektif dalam mencapai objektif pasukan - Ministry of Home Affairs

3 to 14 days?! Damn, that's a pretty long way from the PVR's 6 months, don'tcha think?

I had longer training in the boys scouts and even then, I wasn't allowed to beat people up or break into their houses.

So, now do you see what's wrong? How can you take someone off the street with no educational background nor evidence of good character.., give them a few days of training and then expect them to be able to enforce the law? Some of them might not be able to read the newspaper, much less interpret the law, for god's sake (no educational criteria, remember?).

And some of these people might have no experience being responsible for their own lives (16/17 year olds, no gainful employment criteria nor background checks). How do you expect them to know how to ethically and professionally wield power and authority over other human beings? In fact, can they even be expected to respect the need for ethics and professionalism to go hand in hand with power and authority?

Any organisation is only as good as the standards they hold themselves up to. And as far as I can see, RELA possesses no standards and has no standard whatsover. Therefore, is there any doubt that RELA needs to be disbanded or managed more professionally like the PVR?

RELA website: Ministry of Home Affairs