(Petaling Jaya, Sunday): DAP challenges Information Minister Zam to a public debate on police performance in resolving the crime menace and police inability to ensure the four basic rights of security to live, work, study and play in a safe environment as well as who is responsible for racialising issues in Malaysia. Zam’s statement hitting out at DAP for racialising issues is hypocritical when UMNO is a racial party exclusively only for Malays whereas DAP is inclusive and open to all Malaysians regardless of origin, belief or background.

DAP rejects Zam’s claim as baseless and without any merit that DAP deliberately aroused racial sentiments by criticizing poor police performance on crime as the majority of members are Malays. Does that mean that all criticisms directed against police are racially-motivated and anti-Malay, even when the criticisms against police comes from Malays or ex-policemen themselves.

DAP have never racialised the crime situation nor taken a swipe at the Malays by connecting police with the Malay community. It would be politically stupid to racialise crime when all Malaysians are victims of crime. The latest heinous sex crime against young children such as Nurul Jazlin Jazimin is colour-blind and has been condemned by all Malaysians. Even though the police have indicated their intention to investigate and prosecute their parents for negligence, DAP have not condemned the police’s intentions despite strongly disagreeing with this proposal.

Police can not avoid their responsibility for failing to arrest the culprit who committed such repulsive acts by distracting attention to parents. Parents should never be made criminally liable for their children’s actions. Parental negligence which can be punished criminally is sensitive subject that must be thoroughly studied before being pursued as the evidence must be clear and beyond dispute.

Like crime, corruption knows no racial or religious barrier. Corruption is wrong under any moral or religious precepts. For Zam to equate DAP’s criticism of police corruption as racial is a desperate tactic to avoid acknowledging the government’s failure to wipe out corruption in the police force and amongst government leaders and civil servants. Zam’s perverse logic would mean that former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Haniff Omar is racial by stating that 40% of top police personnel would be guilty of corruption because they lived a lifestyle not commensurate with their pay? Or is the Auditor-General racial when he criticizes PDRM, the Defence Ministry or other government departments for betraying public trust by misusing and abusing public funds amounting to billions of ringgit in his 2006 Annual Report?

DAP have made many proposals to the police to clean up their act by urging for the establishment for the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission or IPCMC. The investigations against top police personnel with assets of RM 6 million or RM 27 million can not instill public confidence in the credibility and integrity of the police. DAP rejects such wild and irresponsible allegations by Zam against the DAP and challenge Zam to see whether he has the courage to face-off in a public debate to see which party has taken a national Malaysian perspective towards nation-building instead of a narrow racial one.

I am willing to face-off Zam in a public debate in any venue of his choosing anytime, anyplace, anywhere, including UMNO offices.

(23/9/2007)