KUCHING, March 26 — Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan today questioned why a Sarawakian was not appointed state police commissioner in a recent promotions exercise.
He said only two Sarawakians, Tan Sri Hamdan Sirat and Datuk Awang Ehsan Joini, have ever held the post and no Sarawakian officer has ever been made inspector-general of police since the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Voon said that if this is “to say that Sarawakians are not suitable or... not efficient to hold the post of the state police commissioner... is an insult to the people of Sarawak and Sarawakian police officers.”
He added, being a former police officer himself before entering politics and legal practice, that a few senior Sarawakian police officers had been made acting state police commissioners in the past, but it is not counted because they were just holding the posts as stand-ins.
“Sarawak should restore its Sarawak Constabulary and make the Sarawak Police force to be for Sarawakians only,” he said, adding that this will ensure that Sarawakians be given opportunities and priorities to serve Sarawak.
Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri has been slated to take over from Datuk Aidi Ismail as Sarawak Police Commissioner while Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Wong Ing Fung will head the Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department.
Both are from peninsular Malaysia.
