Last nite, my friend and I attended a seminar organised by the DAP with the theme of "The Lessons from CannyOng Case: Reduce Crime & the Fear of Crime.

Speakers includes, Lim Kit Siang DAP National Chairman, Ramdas Tikamdas Hakam President, Maria Chin Abdullah Women Development Collective Exe. Director, Chong Eng Member of Parliament, Tan Sri Norian Mai Inspector General of Police who was a no show.

The no show by the IGP of Malaysia is the biggest let down of the night, though not surprising it is indeed disheartening.

It goes on to show that despite suffering from the lowest level of no confidence by the public at large, the PDRM is not doing anything actively in redressing the issue of increasing crime and increasing brutality in crimes to assuage the public fear and the to restore public confidence in the PDRM.

As a matter of fact, should the PDRM have viewed the forum as a constructive and objective forum they would have seized this opportunity and redress at least some of the issues currently besieging them, which is the lack of public confidence in the PDRM in figthing crime and corruption, second, the lack of empathy and care of the PDRM personnel towards victims of crime, thirdly, that the PDRM is neutral in their stand on political issues thus if the forum is for the good of the public they would have shown their support by attending regardless of the forum being held by the opposition or by any BN component party. This is damage control 101 to their reputation which I strongly believe they just dont give a damn....

Even if the IGP feels that a forum organised by the opposition is beyond his position in the public to attend, he should have at least send in his lieutenant to take some questions from the floor and this would have reflected positively towards their reputation, unless of course if the PDRM have no confident in replying to any of the questions being fielded.

This further shows that they have no confidence in their current policy and the best way to avoid further criticism to their organisation is to shun any public forum not organised and choreographed by their own people.

When will the PDRM adopt an objective and professional outlook in their duties remains to be seen. What I can deduce right now is that they are still living in the dark age when the general public is still ignorant of their rights as citizen and when the police have the final say in most matter affecting the public.

My only hope as a concerned citizen is for them to wake up and face the reality that the more they live in their cocoon high up there the more they will erode public confidence and eventually all lingering respect for the PDRM as a policing force that maintain law and order in the country will dissappear.