Abdullah: Punish errant developers
NST 07/04/2001 By Ramlan Said; Lee Shi-Ian

KUALA LUMPUR, Fri. - Developers who fail to complete their projects should be penalised as the failure will cause unnecessary hardship to others, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today.

For instance, he said, house buyers would be in the lurch if developers delayed or failed to complete projects. The situation would be worse if the projects were abandoned.

"I feel it is justified for some action to be taken against such developers."

Speaking at the opening of Desa Aman, a housing project for senior police officers in Pantai Dalam, Abdullah said the Government would like to see projects completed on time and according to specifications.

Work on the Desa Aman project, comprising 360 units, started in 1995 but the developer failed to complete it as planned. It was taken over by the Amona Group which completed it last year. Among those present were Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai, his deputy Datuk Jamil Johari, Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Aseh Che Mat and Amona chairman Datuk Mohd Noor Yusof.

Abdullah, who is Home Minister, said providing adequate housing for police personnel was given top priority by the Government as one way to help boost the morale and professionalism of the force.

With proper housing for their families, he said policemen would be able to concentrate on their task without having to worry about other things. Abdullah praised the police for their ability in solving crime cases, achieving a success rate of 32 per cent.

"This is higher than the benchmark level of 20 per cent set by Interpol. I hope our police will be able to increase the rate to 35 per cent and more." To realise this, he said the police needed public cooperation, especially in providing information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of offenders.

"The police and society are dependent on each other. Each have their own role to play. That's why the police have adopted a people-friendly approach ... after all, they are part of society."

At a Press conference later, Abdullah said the Government strove to create job satisfaction among police personnel. On the report of the Kampung Medan clashes, Abdullah said it would help the police identify their shortcomings and weaknesses in handling the incident.

"It will also enable us to examine and understand how rumours on the clashes managed to spread so fast, its effects and how we control them," Abdullah said.

The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that the incident would serve as a lesson for the police, especially since the last racial riot occurred a long time ago in 1969. "The tragic events of May 13, 1969, may have faded and most of the police personnel then have retired. What happened in Kampung Medan will be a good reminder to us not to take things for granted," said Abdullah.

On reports that the Indonesian fishermen's association had threatened to storm the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta over an incident where an Indonesian fisherman was shot dead by the Malaysian navy, Abdullah said the Indonesian Government was responsible for providing security for the embassy and its staff.

Abdullah was also asked about the experience of a woman who was orderedout of the Immigration Department for wearing a sleeveless blouse. He agreed that the officer involved might have been too strict in implementing the dress code but felt one should be decently dressed when visiting government offices.

On giant and public listed companies competing for projects with bumiputera companies, he said this could not be prevented especially when there were limited projects around.

But he advised those in charge of selecting the successful bidders to also consider awarding contracts to small companies. Meanwhile, Norian told reporters that the alleged case of police brutality in Kepong was under investigation. "Allegations such as this crop up from time to time and we will carry out the necessary investigations."

A three-man police team has been formed to conduct investigations into the incident where three policemen were alleged to have assaulted 67-year- old printing company managing director Tan Kam Hing. Tan had gone to the Kepong police station to report his missing car, but ended up with an injured eye instead.