Time to eliminate the Lima Sen image — Lim Mun Fah
According to official statistics, the national internal security situation has improved. Yet, many people dispute the figures, and choose not to believe them. This has really upset the police authorities.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar has, hence, asked the public to answer two questions: (1) Do you feel safer today compared to yesterday? And (2) When you are alone at home or driving alone, do you have a sense of security?
The two questions sound very familiar to people living in Johor Baru.
Two years ago, there were many major robberies in Johor Baru and everyone became jittery. The image of Johor Baru was tarnished by the high crime rate in the city. Today, although the situation has improved, outsiders like Singaporeans are still worried that they might be the next victim when they are in Johor Baru.
Has law and order in Johor Baru improved? Is Johor Baru safe now? These are questions usually asked by them.
Figures speak and as a Johor Baru resident, I have patiently told my friends that the situation is not as bad as they have imagined. Also, I always quote data provided by the police to prove that security in Johor Baru has improved. The problem is, even many local residents are sceptical about the situation, let alone those who are not living in Johor Baru.
I have to admit that the public do not really believe the police. Even worse, many have deep-rooted stereotypes that “police are not trustworthy” and “all policemen are corrupted”. As Rome was not built in a day, the stereotypes were formed over years.
Let us look at a real example: There was a policeman in a Chinese new village near my hometown in the 1960s and his nickname was “Lima Sen (five sen)”.
How did a civil servant get such a “funny” nickname?
It was because he was notorious as a corrupt policeman. At that time, there was no major crime in the simple small village and perhaps because he was so free, he always hid behind a tree and caught villagers who committed minor violations, such as someone who had forgotten to display a road tax on his bicycle (road tax was required for bicycles at that time) or switch on the headlights of his bicycle at night. He would never let them go and said he wanted to take them back to the police station unless they paid him “coffee money”. Even worse, he did not even let go of children, who usually afford to pay him only five sen. That was how he was nicknamed “Lima Sen”.
The reason of retelling the decades-old story is because although we no longer have “Lima Sen” policeman today, we can hear from time to time about “Lima Puluh Ringgit” policemen.
The image of the police needs to be redeemed given the poor perception among the poeple. Hence, the Inspector-General of Police must start disciplining the police force. — mysinchew.com
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar has, hence, asked the public to answer two questions: (1) Do you feel safer today compared to yesterday? And (2) When you are alone at home or driving alone, do you have a sense of security?
The two questions sound very familiar to people living in Johor Baru.
Two years ago, there were many major robberies in Johor Baru and everyone became jittery. The image of Johor Baru was tarnished by the high crime rate in the city. Today, although the situation has improved, outsiders like Singaporeans are still worried that they might be the next victim when they are in Johor Baru.
Has law and order in Johor Baru improved? Is Johor Baru safe now? These are questions usually asked by them.
Figures speak and as a Johor Baru resident, I have patiently told my friends that the situation is not as bad as they have imagined. Also, I always quote data provided by the police to prove that security in Johor Baru has improved. The problem is, even many local residents are sceptical about the situation, let alone those who are not living in Johor Baru.
I have to admit that the public do not really believe the police. Even worse, many have deep-rooted stereotypes that “police are not trustworthy” and “all policemen are corrupted”. As Rome was not built in a day, the stereotypes were formed over years.
Let us look at a real example: There was a policeman in a Chinese new village near my hometown in the 1960s and his nickname was “Lima Sen (five sen)”.
How did a civil servant get such a “funny” nickname?
It was because he was notorious as a corrupt policeman. At that time, there was no major crime in the simple small village and perhaps because he was so free, he always hid behind a tree and caught villagers who committed minor violations, such as someone who had forgotten to display a road tax on his bicycle (road tax was required for bicycles at that time) or switch on the headlights of his bicycle at night. He would never let them go and said he wanted to take them back to the police station unless they paid him “coffee money”. Even worse, he did not even let go of children, who usually afford to pay him only five sen. That was how he was nicknamed “Lima Sen”.
The reason of retelling the decades-old story is because although we no longer have “Lima Sen” policeman today, we can hear from time to time about “Lima Puluh Ringgit” policemen.
The image of the police needs to be redeemed given the poor perception among the poeple. Hence, the Inspector-General of Police must start disciplining the police force. — mysinchew.com
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