KUALA LUMPUR – The Home Ministry (KDN) has identified individuals who were registered as members of the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) without their knowledge after the issue went viral on social media recently.
Its minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said KDN is in the process of contacting those affected to obtain information on the matter.
“We have determined the overall total and are contacting them one by one. Earlier, the Rela membership registration was carried out manually before entry into the system, and as a result, we told Rela to contact the individuals involved to find out who they are.
“So far, two or three of them contacted have said they were approached by one person to sign something, but we do not know whether the signature was for Rela membership or not,” he told reporters after carrying out movement control order monitoring at a shopping centre in Puchong here today.
He also reminded people who wish to join Rela to follow the correct channel and not to put down their signature for dubious groups.
On June 15, KDN ordered Rela to investigate the possibility of data abuse following complaints that many people were registered as members of the corps without their knowledge.
Rela in a statement earlier denied that it automatically registers all Malaysians without their consent or knowledge and is taking the appropriate measures to conduct an in-depth investigation into the procedure of membership registration, which was implemented before the Malaysian Volunteer Corps Act 2012 came into force.
Earlier, Hamzah inspected two factories in Salak Tinggi and Dengkil, and checked a supermarket in Puchong.
Also present during the operation were Bukit Aman internal security and public order deputy director (special operations force) Datuk Mastor Mohd Ariff and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry enforcement director Azman Adam.
Meanwhile, commenting on the name of the candidate for the top cop’s number two, Hamzah said the proposed name has been sent to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for his consent. – Bernama, June 19, 2021
