RELA third line of defence for country

Captain Baser Same addressing the RELA members

TUARAN: The People’s Volunteer Corps (RELA) is the third line of defence for the country and catalyst for community activities besides serving as ‘eyes and ears’ of the government.

Tuaran Member of Parliament, Datuk Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing said RELA was formed to enable the public to become members of the volunteer force in helping to preserve the nation’s peace and security.

“Many people would just shake their heads when told to join RELA as the financial reward is small and on top of that RELA members also have to sacrifice their time in ensuring the nation’s peace is secured,” he said.

Bumburing said this when officiating a gotong-royong programme for RELA members in the Tenghilan area near here recently.

Nevertheless, he said for those with strong feeling of patriotism and eagerness to help protect the nation’s peace and security, RELA was obviously their choice.

“RELA members should be commended for their role in ensuring public safety wherever they have been assigned to,” he added.

“The most important thing to note is that under Section 2 of the (Essential Powers) Emergency Act 1964, the Yang Di Pertuan Agong has given the consent to approve the Essential Rules (Amendment) 2005) (Ikatan Relawan Rakyat) with effect from Feb 1, 2005. This rule has given certain powers to RELA officers in tackling Illegal Immigrants,” Bumburing said.

Earlier, Captain Baser Same said apart from being the ‘eyes and ears’ of the government, RELA is also the forerunner and driving force behind the socio-economic development of the local community.

This is because RELA members are made up of the various races in the local community, he said.

Baser represented the Tuaran District Assistant RELA officer, Major Amrin Mat at the ceremony.

“In other words, RELA members play a catalytic role in uniting the various races so that peace and harmony will continue to prevail in the country,” he said.

“The role and functions of RELA have also expanded in line with the country’s development, he said adding that RELA members had also been equipped with the basic knowledge and defence skills to deal with any threat.

Meanwhile, Baser invited members of the public to join RELA.

“RELA members enjoy free insurance coverage, uniforms, treatment at government hospitals and the opportunity to attend courses conducted at RELA training centres apart from serving the community and the nation,” he said.

A total of 130 RELA members participated in the gotong-royong programme.