by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Saturday, 1st June 1991:
Has the Police been partly privatised where Golden Star Sdn.Bhd. has been allowed to have a private armed police force of its own?
The Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Megat Junid Megat Ayub, said a few days ago that Police would investigate into the shooting and killing of a video centre owner by an enforcement unit of the Golden star Sdn.Bhd. in Bukit Mertajam before deciding whether to withdraw firearms issued to the Golden star Sdn.Bhd.
This statement is unsatisfactory. The Ministry of Home Affairs should explain why Golden Star Sdn.Bhd. has been allowed to have a private armed police force of its own, whose enforcement officers go out fully armed to raid video centres although they are accompanied by Ministry of Demostic Trade officers.
Has the Police been partly privatised where Golden Star Sdn.Bhd. has been allowed to have a private armed police force of its own? Can other companies be allowed to have their private armed police force?
This is a question which is no more contingent on police investigations into the Bukit Mertajam shooting-but a matter of grave public interest involving government policy.
In this connection, I wan the Home Ministry to clarify as to how many firearms licenses were issued to Golden Star. Is it thru that Golden Star was issued with ten automatic pistols to arm the personnel of its enforcement Department as a result of very close and important political and political connections?
Furthermore, is it true that the Enforcement unit of Golden Star has a complement of 20 personnel under the charge of one civilian who has no experience whatsoever in handling weapons, and that the enforcement personnel are not trained in handling weapon expect that they had one or two shooting practices per year at the Subang range in Selangor?
Regardless of the outcome of police investigations into the Bukit Mertajam shooting incident, the Home Ministry should immediately withdraw the firearms licenses issued to Golden Star and disarm the enforcement unit of Golden Star.
The Minister of Home Affairs should also issue a policy statement as to whether the Government proposes to privatise the Police force.