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By Meera Vijayan, The Star

The Government has no plans to disband Rela but will continue to improve the organisation, provide training and exposure to its members.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said although there were instances of abuse by Rela members, there was no need to disband the volunteer organisation, adding that it had performed well.

“There are no plans whatsoever to disband Rela.

“The Bar Council surely have better things to do than to call for Rela to be disbanded,” he said in an interview yesterday.

The council made the call recently, citing numerous reports alleging that Rela members had abused their powers during enforcement raids.

Syed Hamid said that if there were problems within Rela, efforts should be made to tackle them.

“Rela has served the country well and has a useful purpose. Yes, there are instances of abuse, but we take quick action,” he said, adding that Rela members were also better disciplined now.

He added that at present, training was provided on a continuous basis and Rela members worked more closely with the police to increase their exposure.

“These are volunteers and we want to encourage the spirit of volunteerism,” he said but noted that the Government would not compromise on standards.

Syed Hamid said that the complaints against Rela were not big despite Rela having about 200,000 active members.

“Rela does not lead any of the operations, but mostly complements the police and other enforcement agencies. We continue to look at ways to improve Rela,” he said.

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