Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here
Roadblocks in 2000s
(4 lanes cut into 1. Image source: Wengsan’ Blog)
Certainly the evolution of police roadblocks started to take the ridiculous path in recent times and it started with the last year’s BERSIH & HINDRAF rallies.
When there call for public demonstrations, the police is swift to put roadblocks around Klang Valley in the mornings, making the traffic grinding almost to a stop. Often the road blocks goes up a day before the event, intensified during the actual day of the event and sometimes maintained the day after event have taken place.
Haven’t the police learned anything about KL traffic jams all these years? One broken lorry in KL is all that is needed to create notorious traffic jams, what more of a coordinated police road blocks around Klang Valley. The doomsday was falling on Klang Valley.
I experienced such road blocks once where 4 lanes of cars was pushed to only lane where one lonely policeman stand watching the chaos whilst the rest of the policemen was relaxing on the side of the road.
(No roadblocks stopped them – citizens at last year’s Hindraf’s rally. Photo source: http://lianghin.files.wordpress.com)
Despite such tight roadblocks, it did not stop thousands of people from joining the BERSIH & HINDRAF rallies, making both highly successful events of 2007, just before the last general election. It is clear that roadblocks failed to do what the police or rather the government intended to do – it on the other hand created massive traffic jams, leaving many drivers fuming mad.
BERSIH & HINDRAF rallies were held on the weekends and the impact on the morning rush was somehow minimised (roadblocks on Fridays however still left many late for work and appointments). Despite this, it still created unnecessary problems for many innocent road users.
During the HINDRAF rally for instance, the police was busy turning away or holding up any buses which was full of Indians, irregardless of the purpose and destination of their journey. There was a report of a bus full of Indians who were heading for a marriage (and not for rallies) was held up and brought to the police station for further questioning.
The mystery of recent roadblocks is further compounded when road blocks is being setup for political reasons rather than for real national security and crime management. The proof of Hindraf’s linkages with Tamil Elam terrorist cells remains elusive till this day and the Hindraf 5 remains in castration under the reasons of threatening the national security.
(Roadblocks and how many criminals were caught? Image source: Whatalulu)
Want another roadblock? Just spread the rumours of public rallies (never mind if it for a worthy cause), the government gets spooked and you get the roadblocks (15 or more around Klang Valley) – at least, that is what the recent acts of roadblocks seem to be telling us.
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Roadblocks have become somewhat of an irritant lately. Too much paranoia if you asked me 😛
Cheers!!! 😀
I am apolitical ,my main concerns is only on what is right or wrong.Putting up Road blocks is equals to obstructions to economic activities and daily lives of innocent citizens.Putting up road blocks in busy roads is an outdated and useless charade that affected innocent and genuine business activities in addition causing massive jams that also may endanger the lives of medical emergency cases.The end result will hampered the business communities and the country economy as a whole.
Surely there must be a more intelligent methods to tackle and solve crimes.Such colonial methods during the emergency period is only good in tackling terrorists.This will have a bad effects and impressions that the country is not safe and will frighten off investors away.
It is time that crime busters adopt a more intelligent methods to bust crime.
We opined that it is time to phase it out and adopt a more target approach rather than random sweeping approach to sieve out criminals.