MCA chief says EO can't combat crime

Police cannot “depend on preventive laws like the Emergency Ordinance” (EO) to combat crime, including the recent spate of violent crime, MCA said. 

However, its president Dr Chua Soi Lek said that if these laws are introduced, there must be safeguards to prevent abuse.  

“The power to detain a person without trial should not be vested on one person only. There must be room for a review committee for checks and balances,”  he said in a statement. 

Chua was commenting on the recent spate of shootings, including two high-profile cases which saw crime watchdog NGO chairperson R Sri Sanjeevan and AmBank founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi who were separately gunned down in broad daylight. 

Such cases have ignited debate on preventive detention, including the reintroduction of the Emergency Ordinance. 

Both the Emergency Ordinance and the Internal Security Act, also repealed, had allowed the home minister sole discretion on preventive detention. 

Chua said that instead of focusing on laws, there should instead be a long-term effort to improve police professionalism. 

This includes acting on allegations that police are involved in crime rings, he said.

He also urged provision of better equipment to police and beefing up police presence at crime hotspots. 

“The talk on the implementation of CCTVs to help combat crime in public areas has been going on for a long time, but the implementation has to be done seriously,” he said. 

Otherwise, he said, high crime will not only cripple society with fear but will undermine investment and tourism.