A veteran activist moves on to a new chapter in life after spending three decades on crime prevention.

WHEN talk of crime prevention crops up in this country, the first name that comes to most minds is Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

The 76-year-old social activist sits down with Sunday Star to share his experience of 30 years with the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) as it established itself as a conduit between the Royal Malaysia Police and society at large.

While he is still an honorary life member, the foundation’s former senior-vice chairman is finally leaving it behind, satisfied with the knowledge that he has given his all to spread the message of crime awareness and prevention among the masses.

The early years

The MCPF was established in 1993 by then Inspector-General of Police (now Tun) Haniff Omar, who invited Lee to join it. “I began my political career in 1969 and retired from the political arena in 1990. He [Haniff] knew I could contribute towards the foundation given my experience in dealing with communities and social issues,” says Lee at an interview last month.

The MCPF was Haniff’s brainchild, aimed at providing a platform where every segment of society, from NGOs and the private sector to residents’ associations and government agencies, could be roped in to
promote awareness of crime and its prevention, Lee explains. And since 1993, Lee has been fully focused on developing that aim.

According to the foundation’s Constitution, the prime minister is its patron while its chairman must
be a Cabinet member appointed by the prime minister. The chairman will then appoint three vice-chairmen from among the 17 executive council (exco) members.

“I was appointed as one of the vice-chairmen in 1995 and I felt that I had to play a leadership role and
to improve it further,” says Lee. Democratic elections for the 17 exco member posts only began in
2010 during the foundation’s annual general meeting, Lee said.

“For five elections, I always received the highest votes. I see it as a recognition and as a sign of the members’ confidence in me,” he says. After being a vice-chairman from 1995 to 2009, Lee was appointed a senior vice-chairman, a position he held for more than 10 years under various chairmen.

Developing the MCPF

Lee says the focus of MCPF is to promote crime prevention nationwide as well as engage with law enforcement agencies, especially the police — he saw the latter aim as a must. “My work with the MCPF took me all over the country and I always made a point to engage with the state police chiefs. We developed a tremendous working relationship with the police as we organised crime prevention initiatives based on issues of the day,” he says.

Seeing the foundation as a conduit between the police and local communities, Lee says various talks and dialogue sessions were held so that issues plaguing the people could be tackled.

“Our programmes involved criminologists, the police and of course members of the community.

“We worked hard so that the message of crime prevention would be etched into the minds of those attending the programmes,” he says. The foundation also organised conferences and seminars on
crime prevention to educate its members and keep them abreast of developments in the field over the
years, Lee explains.

“Members must be knowledgeable as they are on the front lines. So during such events, academicians such as criminologists from universities, were invited to present papers relating to crime prevention.”

Concern for the cops

When he was attending the foundation’s programmes around the country, Lee says he would often take the opportunity to visit police quarters and barracks.

“When I had the chance to go to the ground, I would often arrange with the police to view the condition of their quarters.“ Mostly I was shocked to see the dilapidated conditions of some of the quarters. Since early on, fighting for the welfare of police personnel, especially when it came to their quarters, has been a passion of mine,” he said.

It is important to focus on issues faced by the rank and file, says Lee. “Police personnel are on duty
daily and face many challenges, some of them deadly. On top of that, they have to take care of their
physical and mental health.“ So when they come home, we have to ensure that they have one less issue to worry about, which is the condition of their quarters,” he says.

It is difficult for police personnel to focus on their duties if their family’s comfort is not ensured, Lee points out. “Throughout my years, the police always welcomed the attention given by the foundation’s leadership to their accommodations.

“I worked hard on the issue through many letters written to the Home Ministry for more allocations for better quarters and maintenance,” he says. His stand on the matter has been consistent throughout his 30 years of service, and can be seen in public comments he has made, especially prior to the annual tabling of the government’s budget in Parliament.

“It is an issue close to my heart and I will make sure that it is addressed every year even now.

“I do hope that more funds will be allocated for the welfare of police personnel. If that is taken care of, the level of service given by the police will only be increased,” he says.

Keeping the MCPF going

One of the challenges faced by the foundation right over the years has been acquiring funding, Lee says.

“We have to raise our own funds through various events such as fund raising dinners. It has been an uphill battle as our programmes need sufficient funds.”

Moving forward, Lee hopes that the government will consider providing an annual grant for the foundation. “The foundation really need funds to organise crime prevention programmes. I hope the government can consider allocating an annual grant,” he says.

The landscape of crime has changed over the years, from a time when cases of thefts and rapes dominated to cyber crimes taking over as a leading crime nowadays, says Lee.

“Leaders within MCPF need more knowledge about scams so that they can share with the public how to prevent falling victim to them.” Lee says it is vital for the MCPF to be more visible in speaking on behalf of communities on all crime-related issues. “Crime prevention is an honourable issue that should be fought
for. “I hope the MCPF will reach more successes in the future in spreading awareness about crime prevention,” he says.

Finally, farewell

Lee decided it was time to leave the MCPF after three decades with the organisation. “At the recent AGM chaired by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, I decided not to run in the elections [for an exco member post].

“I told him [Saifuddin Nasution] that I wanted to step down and give others a chance. It was the right time to retire from the foundation,” Lee says, adding that the MCPF is in a good position now as an NGO to continue serving the public.

“I did not want to overstay my welcome. We must retire when we are at our peak and at a time when we are doing excellent work! “It has been an absolute honour to serve the MCPF for three decades,” Lee says.

The septuagenarian believes he has given a very important part of his life to the foundation. “I started my career [at the MCPF] when I was in my 40s, at a time when I was very energetic. Now I’m 76. I know that I did my best to serve this NGO for a good cause,” he says, sounding quite nostalgic. “I think I did my level best … I could not have done more. One of my most important achievements is to be able to enjoy
the confidence of the foundation’s chairmen and members for 30 years. I am grateful to have been given such an opportunity,” he says.

Life after MCPF

Lee says it was not hard to transition from politics to social activism back in the 1990s when Haniff extended that invitation.

“I’ve always believed I’m more of someone that is very interested in humanitarianism rather than in
politics. Social and welfare work have always been my passion.”

While his initial plan was to fully retire after leaving the MCPF, Lee says his friends convinced him that he still has much to contribute. “Now I am the chairman of the NGO Alliance for a Safe Community, which deals with safety within a community”, he says.

He is also a patron of the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). And he still writes letters to the editor regularly about issues related to these two NGOs, and is still the go to person for reporters who want an opinion on such issues. After 30 years, serving the public has become a habit for Lee.

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This article first appeared on The Star.