KOTA KINABALU: The police have recorded the statement from Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal on his recent statement with regards to the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela).
Shafie spent about two hours with the police. He had said his recent remarks on Rela have been misinterpreted by certain quarters.
"The police have contacted me and they have come to see me at the party's headquarters.
"I did not belittle Rela. It was never my intention. I was expressing my concern over the role of Rela members who will be placed at the Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (Esszone).
"As a responsible member of parliament, I need to voice out this matter because it concerns the safety and welfare of Rela personnel," he told reporters in a press conference Monday.
Shafie had recently questioned the Federal government's move to deploy Rela members in the Esszone as a move to strengthen security in Sabah east coast.
In his speech that was recorded, of which the video went viral, the Semporna member of parliament had said that Rela members were only used to help control traffic at government or private functions.
This was followed by laughter from the crowd. Following that, Shafie came under fire for his alleged remarks belittling Rela's work.
Rela members had also held a peaceful protest outside Shafie's house in Semporna, urging him to withdraw his statement and apologise.
"Security is something that is very close to my heart, especially in Semporna. I have relatives, who are Rela members and they told me they have been tasked to help look after security in islands.
"They are only armed with a wooden baton. Why the need to place Rela members in the front line?
"If Abu Sayyaf militants come with M16 firearms, can you imagine what will happen?" he stressed.
Shafie said the video did not present his complete speech, where he had also suggested the possibility of moving the army's Camp Lok Kawi here and Camp Paradise in Kota Belud to areas that needed the most.
"Will Abu Sayyaf come to Kota Belud? What about Kota Kinabalu? Semporna has a security threat and there are many tourists there," he stressed.
He noted the Malaysian Volunteer Force Act 2012 clearly states the role of Rela members under Section 5, adding they are not trained to use firearms.
"I appreciate the willingness of these people to sacrifice their life for the country but as the government, why don't we facilitate them?
"They should be given proper training and the government should assist them," he said.
Shafie also said there was no need for him to apologise over his remarks as he did not do or say anything wrong.
Last Sunday, Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman said the government appreciates the contributions made by Rela and will never look down on them.
Musa also announced the state government would allocate RM6 million to the state's Rela and help build a second training centre in Sandakan.
The idea of having Rela personnel was a brainchild of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Musa had said the deployment of Rela to Esszone was an advantage because members know the community and are familiar with the surrounding areas.