Laudable move
A more diverse police force will reflect the make-up of Malaysian society
THE police recently announced a special recruitment drive to encourage more non-Bumiputeras to join the force as constables. This may be the lowest rank, but it is the real driving force behind the roughly 100,000strong organisation. They are the “grunts” — to borrow a term used by the United States Marine Corps — who are out there every day, patrolling the nation and keeping us safe. Getting more non-Bumiputeras to join the force is commendable and most welcomed. Right now, nearly 80 per cent of the force is Bumiputera, with Indians at 2.9 per cent, Chinese (1.66 per cent) and others (16.06 per cent). Clearly, this does not reflect the make-up of society. Such a drive, therefore, is most pertinent.
If one joins the force without being a degree holder, he starts at the bottom. From there, it is up to him whether he wants to excel and move up the ranks. Problem is, not many nonBumiputeras seem interested, especially over the past decade. One major and obvious reason is the academic prerequisites for joining the force as a constable. Federal police Management Department director Datuk Seri Ramli Din says that an applicant needs to have at least two credits in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), including Bahasa Melayu. It is this that seems to be a problem for non-Bumiputera applicants. The special recruitment will see this criterion reduced to just one credit — the credit for BM being deferred. These recruits, should they pass cadet training, will later be given six years to re-sit their SPM Bahasa Melayu paper to get that all-important credit. But is academic requirements the big reason for non-Bumiputeras not joining the force? There is another — perception. Many say being a policeman does not get you much, salary-wise. One senior officer this newspaper interviewed in the past was prone to say that people can make more money selling kway teow than working as a policeman.
The force needs to market itself. It needs to correct the misperceptions. A new constable gets paid a basic salary of RM1,441, but he or she will get nearly RM1,000 more in allowances. Add to that a few hundred ringgit more in special allowances if a person is posted to a specific department, and that pay now rises close to RM3,000. Not too shabby for a policeman of the lowest rank with only an SPM certificate. But, not many know that. They see the basic salary only. Empirical research has revealed several factors that influence one’s decision to join the police force. Among them are job security, a steady salary, service and status. Another is the intrinsic qualities of the job — one must love being a policeman, serving the public honestly, fairly and keeping the nation safe above all. He must be motivated to do all these. So, perhaps, relaxing the academic requirements is just one way to encourage more nonBumiputeras to sign up. Providing motivation should be another — like having incentives to motivate recruits to encourage others to join the force. We need to have more nonBumiputeras as policemen. In a multi-ethnic society such as ours, having a diverse force is crucial to harmony and the ability to serve.
In a multiethnic society such as ours, having a diverse force is crucial to harmony and the ability to serve.