KUALA LUMPUR: The welfare of police personnel should continue to be prioritised, in line with the concerns of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is the Prime Minister's wife and also the Member of Parliament for Bandar Tun Razak, said the services of the security forces should be appreciated because they often face risks and work pressure, and have to sacrifice time with their families in order to uphold the trust of maintaining public order.
"The police are very important in our country. Don't take the police for granted. Therefore, we must look after the welfare of the police, as the Prime Minister wants to care for the members who safeguard the peace of our country," she said when speaking at the Yayasan Seri Negara and Zakat Wakalah PBLT Sdn Bhd Donation Ceremony here on Saturday (Feb 21).
Also present were Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail and Yayasan Seri Negara patron Tan Sri Dr Mazlan Lazim.
Dr Wan Azizah said the assistance channelled through the zakat wakalah mechanism to police personnel helped ease the financial burden of recipients, including daily expenses, children's education and basic family needs, especially in the face of rising living costs.
Touching on the importance of zakat, she said the practice is not only an act of worship, but also contributes to social balance by ensuring that the needy are not marginalised, especially during the month of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, Mohd Khalid said a total of 200 recipients among police asnaf received aid at the ceremony, involving 100 recipients from Bukit Aman, while the rest were from the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters and the Cheras district police headquarters.
He said each recipient received cash assistance and a food basket, while three recipients also received wheelchairs.
Mohd Khalid also expressed his appreciation to Yayasan Seri Negara and PBLT Sdn Bhd for their continued commitment to caring for the welfare of police personnel, especially through zakat and social development programmes over the past three years.
"This collaboration proves that the strategic partnership model between non-governmental organisations, the private sector and law enforcement agencies can benefit society, including the police asnaf group," he said. – Bernama
