- Writer Dato Mohd Arshad Raji is an Aqurius, a retired army officer who believes in justice for all and hates liars and apple polisher.Believes that all members of AF must be free of corrupt practises. So he is a supporter of ABU. Do read the comments.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
RELA – PM NAJIB’S FINAL LINE OF DEFENCE?
PM Najib says that there are 2.8 million RELA (Paramilitary People’s Volunteer Corps) in the country (Malaysia Chronicles, Saturday 28 Jan). That is a much bloated figure that far outmatched the collective strength of the Armed Forces and the Police put together. From my reading, there are only 500,000 odd Rela members.
Now, how and where did PM Najib pluck this number from? Does he not know what it takes to maintain such a large force? I think this figure even doubles that of the Indian Army. If indeed there are 2.8 million RELA members, then we don’t really need the Armed Forces and the Police…….. Just disband them and let the RELA take over the defence and security of the country. And with that kind of number, there wouldn’t be any more thieves, murderers and illegals in this country. Everything will be safe and sound, and it may cause some concern to all the neighbouring regional states.
And what really scares me was when PM Najib said that “when the chips are down, RELA will be with this government to defend the country”. What ‘chips’ is he referring to, and what is the threat that the government is trying to defend……external or internal security threat or a political threat from the opposition.
Please PM Najib, be weary with the kind of words and language used. What you have said can be interpreted to mean many things, and to people like me that had served 34 years in the military, I take it to mean that RELA would be your ‘final line of defence’; I suppose to be deployed to defend the country when both the Armed Forces and the police have lost their battle. And do you seriously think that when the Armed Forces and the police have been defeated, RELA can take over the defence and security of the country? I have serious doubts.
Now, there is already a move by the Home Minister Hishamuddin to arm the RELA. Yes, arming them may frighten Abu, Ah Kow and Muthu, but this will not frightened an enemy’s military force. It has taken years to build an Armed Forces and the Police with some credibility, and there is no way that RELA can be credible by just arming them to be trained once a week in basic weapon handling.
Defence and security training is not just about weapon training. PM Najib knows this very well for he was a long serving Defence Minister. And if someone were to ask me whether our Armed Forces and the Police today are well equipped and trained to defend this country against an external threat, my answer is one of skepticism. And if my answer is to be believed, then it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the Armed Forces and the Police attains an appropriate level of ‘force credibility’ as a matter of urgency.
I think there is now a lot of confusion about the roles of RELA, made worse by the statement of PM Najib. I think RELA started as an unarmed paramilitary civil volunteer corps that predates to the time when the government was saddled with the influx of illegal immigrants. It was never meant to be a force involved in defence and security because they are not organized and structured as such. Rather they are to work alongside all other security enforcement agencies, to assist them in dealing with security and social issues arising from the mass influx of illegal immigrants.
My stand on this issue is that the roles and tasks of the RELA should not replicate that of the Armed Forces and the Police. They should remain subservient force to assist, rather than being involved with defence and security per se.
In restructuring the RELA and boosting them the extra allowances, I hope the government does not have a hidden political agenda, especially one that is connected to the upcoming elections. Let me be honest and straight with the aforesaid statement. I will agree that RELA should be given an increase in their allowances that has been meager in the past, but I will certainly have my reservations if their roles and tasks are to be changed.
CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION
Now, how and where did PM Najib pluck this number from? Does he not know what it takes to maintain such a large force? I think this figure even doubles that of the Indian Army. If indeed there are 2.8 million RELA members, then we don’t really need the Armed Forces and the Police…….. Just disband them and let the RELA take over the defence and security of the country. And with that kind of number, there wouldn’t be any more thieves, murderers and illegals in this country. Everything will be safe and sound, and it may cause some concern to all the neighbouring regional states.
And what really scares me was when PM Najib said that “when the chips are down, RELA will be with this government to defend the country”. What ‘chips’ is he referring to, and what is the threat that the government is trying to defend……external or internal security threat or a political threat from the opposition.
Please PM Najib, be weary with the kind of words and language used. What you have said can be interpreted to mean many things, and to people like me that had served 34 years in the military, I take it to mean that RELA would be your ‘final line of defence’; I suppose to be deployed to defend the country when both the Armed Forces and the police have lost their battle. And do you seriously think that when the Armed Forces and the police have been defeated, RELA can take over the defence and security of the country? I have serious doubts.
Now, there is already a move by the Home Minister Hishamuddin to arm the RELA. Yes, arming them may frighten Abu, Ah Kow and Muthu, but this will not frightened an enemy’s military force. It has taken years to build an Armed Forces and the Police with some credibility, and there is no way that RELA can be credible by just arming them to be trained once a week in basic weapon handling.
Defence and security training is not just about weapon training. PM Najib knows this very well for he was a long serving Defence Minister. And if someone were to ask me whether our Armed Forces and the Police today are well equipped and trained to defend this country against an external threat, my answer is one of skepticism. And if my answer is to be believed, then it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the Armed Forces and the Police attains an appropriate level of ‘force credibility’ as a matter of urgency.
I think there is now a lot of confusion about the roles of RELA, made worse by the statement of PM Najib. I think RELA started as an unarmed paramilitary civil volunteer corps that predates to the time when the government was saddled with the influx of illegal immigrants. It was never meant to be a force involved in defence and security because they are not organized and structured as such. Rather they are to work alongside all other security enforcement agencies, to assist them in dealing with security and social issues arising from the mass influx of illegal immigrants.
My stand on this issue is that the roles and tasks of the RELA should not replicate that of the Armed Forces and the Police. They should remain subservient force to assist, rather than being involved with defence and security per se.
In restructuring the RELA and boosting them the extra allowances, I hope the government does not have a hidden political agenda, especially one that is connected to the upcoming elections. Let me be honest and straight with the aforesaid statement. I will agree that RELA should be given an increase in their allowances that has been meager in the past, but I will certainly have my reservations if their roles and tasks are to be changed.
CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION
8 comments:
- sang kancil said...
- I dont agree with you. RELA must be disband. Why do we need RELA? We have the Army,Navy, Airforces and the PDRM. DO we need RELA? Please explain to me WHY. Much appreciated. sang kancil.
- January 29, 2012 7:51 PM
- Ping said...
- Najib's very own Schutzstaffel.
- January 29, 2012 9:03 PM
- mycuntree said...
- Dear Dato, If your guesstimate of the numbers of RELA members are closer to the facts than that of Najib, just imagine the amount of phantom allowances that is created.2 ringgit x 2.3 million! Is that 2.8M figure a presage of more riches for someone somewhere?
- January 29, 2012 9:51 PM
- Shila said...
- Please tell me you have dozens more retired AF friends who have your admirable principles! Najib is breeding a lethal and dangerous force that will destroy us all
- January 29, 2012 11:09 PM
- bruno said...
- Dato,a last sign of desperation before the fat lady sings?
- January 29, 2012 11:15 PM
- Wildman said...
- Dato, Conceptually as a realist, I believe the regular force should be the last line of defence. You cannot have the expertise of a regular force in a flicker. Therefore they are more 'expandable' compared to regular forces. As such RELA the third line or last line, is out of the question.
- January 29, 2012 11:29 PM
- Gengis Khan said...
- Dato' I knew that you would surely write on this subject. I raised the alarm the moment I heard and read about the PM talking about ' when the chips are down.....' I suppose this is a veiled threat that if there are indications that the govt is about to fall then these Half baked ill trained clowns will be used to defend Putra Jaya to gather with other uniformed bodies. I am very sure that all of them will soon be armed with shot guns . My big worry is that weapons in the hands of ill trained persons is a very dangerous thing. Can you imagine if there is a dangerous situation God forbid like another May 13 and all these half baked clowns running riot with guns.Also I am told thatonly govt supporters can be accepted as Rela members which answers the question what their role is going to be in case of trouble. Even at this stage the Rela members are misbehaving when dealing with illegal immigrants by stealing their money during raids at the kongsis. This has been highlighted some NGOs. I think the PM is going for broke when he declared that the Relas will defend this government. So much for free and fair elections. Malaysia Boleh !
- January 30, 2012 1:23 AM
- bruno said...
- Dato,with 2.8 million Rela members and 3 milliom Umno members,and just look at the total number of Malay votes BN got in the 2008 GE.We might have to hire a genius and figure it out where the rest of the Malay votes went to. Rela members should be restrained from carrying arms,except maybe a few senior well trained officers.In my personal opinion Rela members should be used to help the religious authorities do what they know best. Catching Muslim couples committing khalwat.Raiding nightclubs and karaoke joints for Muslims working there and Muslim patrons drinking liquor.Then taking pictures of the Muslim and some foreign ladies rounded up in the raids in their undies and some with their undies off,squating and doing nature's business on the roadsides. Rela is another ill discliplined bunch of mat rempits.Just look at how these guys acted when they raided the refugee camps.Giving the country a bad name.If these bunch of animals were to take over the duties of the already suspect useless PDRM,the whole country will be in shambles and chaos. Either way Najib is a goner after this GE.PR wins he loses.Umno/BN win small he loses too,because he will be chased out of his office in Putrajaya.So why not be a good guy and stop talking 'ayam jantan'.
- January 30, 2012 4:03 AM
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