IT was recently reported that Police Management Department director Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun had announced that an order would be sent out soon to obese personnel, especially those in the front line service, that they would face a change of duties or be sent for physical training to reduce their weight.
It is of concern that on average, some 32 police officers die a month due to health-related issues, including heart attacks.
Fuzi said maintaining themselves physically would help officers carry out their duties effectively and give a good image of the force, while being obese may lead to poor performance and productivity.
This is an important directive, as it demonstrates leadership in tackling an issue of serious concern, not just among officers, but the entire nation — we are on record as being the “fattest” nation in Asean.
This directive follows a similar call made a couple of months earlier by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim on hiring
front line officials in public service who should not only be dynamic
and proactive, but also healthy
and maintain an “ideal” weight — he suggested 80kg as the
limit.
A few years ago, the Thai police introduced compulsory programmes to achieve and maintain body mass index and waistline measurement limits for officers. They even made it a requirement for the assignment of rank and promotion.
Many leaders, including United States President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, place significant emphasis on the importance of combating obesity among children, youth and the public. Obama and Putin are well-known for their sports and physical fitness regimen.
US First Lady Michelle Obama plays an important role in creating greater awareness on the obesity “epidemic” through the Let’s Move! organisation, in which she works with public, and non-profit and private sectors to support measures for children, families and communities to curb obesity.
Similar efforts to deal with increasing lifestyle-related obesity are in place in China and Singapore, where the leadership places considerable importance on dealing with this major health hazard, which has far-reaching social and economic consequences.
Good health not only benefits our physical agility, but helps our mental alertness and emotional stability.
Undoubtedly, when the leadership sets an example and calls for action to bring to the forefront a major issue of public concern, there is a greater chance of success.
Rueben Dudley, Petaling Jaya, Selangor