The People’s Volunteer Corps’ (Rela) ‘sign-ups without consent’ fiasco has opened a Pandora’s box where a government registration system could have been misused by members of the uniformed body to climb up the ranks.
Speaking to Twentytwo13, a ranking Rela officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a member who wanted to climb the ranks was required to recruit at least 33 members.
“It is one of the criteria set for an ordinary officer to earn ‘one star’, or to be promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Superintendent,” said the Rela officer.
“The other criteria is to be in service for two years. One must also undergo a course before he or she is promoted.”
The source, based in Kuala Lumpur, said that while new members could fill out membership forms manually, it can also be done online.
“When a new member fills out the form manually, he or she needs to submit a copy of their identity card, and their Rela membership card will be ready within one month. But when it is done online, no identity card is required,” he said.
“I have never recruited people this way. But I have come across people who wanted to join, but when I wanted to sign them up, I learnt that they were already members without them even knowing it,” said the source, who has been a Rela member for six years.
Asked why one would be keen to climb up the ranks, the source said it was about “getting jobs”.
“Once you are a ‘one-star’ officer and you have officers under you, it’s easier to get jobs, including being stationed at government departments.”
He added Rela personnel stationed at government offices, including hospitals, are paid RM8 an hour and work 12 hours a day.
Others can earn up to RM2,000 a month if they are deployed to weddings or funerals, he added.
“As a ‘head’ you can also make some money, especially at private functions. For a six-hour job, one can demand up to RM80 per Rela personnel. The personnel will be paid RM70, while the balance of RM10 will be pocketed by the head.”
He said Rela personnel do not have a fixed income. They only get allowances when they secure jobs.
Asked if the authorisation cards of these “members” can be abused as a result of this fiasco, the source said it was possible given what he had experienced before.
“I was stationed at one of the sporting venues during the 2017 Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur and was rostered to be on duty from 8am to 8pm.
“At noon, my superior said I could go home and did not need to clock in the full 12 hours to receive a full day’s wages. However, after receiving a full-day’s allowance, I was told to return the money for the eight hours that I did not work, as my superior claimed he had instructed someone else to do my job. I do not know who this other person was,” he said.
“I suppose anything is possible. Some simply know how to manipulate the system. Anyone can be a part of the system.”
The source added that he was somewhat ashamed of the entire debacle as his intentions of joining Rela were genuine.
“I have a full-time job. I am only with Rela on a part-time basis as I wanted to serve the community. But it looks like it has turned into something else right now,” he said.
On Monday, another source who held a senior position in Rela told Twenytwo13 that the uniformed body knew about involuntary sign-ups as far back as 10 years ago but did nothing. He warned that the authorisation cards could be misused during the lockdown.
On Tuesday, Rela said allegations regarding the use of an individual’s personal data for their automatic registration as a member without their consent are “not true” and that “such actions violated Section 6(1) of the Personal Data Protection Act.”
Rela said it was conducting a “membership rationalisation” programme, and that memberships of those who had been inactive for the past five years, would be terminated. The uniformed body also said it was conducting an internal probe.
A spokesperson told Twentytwo13 that Rela “is looking at all angles.”
