For my son, when he grows up, this site will be my legacy for him. The decisions his mother and I made for him, to understand them, to learn from them and to lead a life without prejudice and to succeed in it on his own merit.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Bandaging an Enforcer

Dark clouds over the IGP: Will Agong step in?
by Kim Quek*

How should one read Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s decision to renew Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan’s service contract despite his horrible record – exploding crime rates, brutal suppression of civil liberties and swirling talk of his alleged links with the underworld?

Some would say that the IGP is retained because, as a ruthless suppressor of human rights, he is exactly the kind of police head needed to prop up the wobbling UMNO-led regime that is fast losing popular support.

Musa’s credentials for this role were well demonstrated in the infamous power grab in Perak. Brushing the constitution and law aside, police brute force was repeatedly employed to physically bar and rough up Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen from exercising their constitutional rights to regain their legitimacy to rule from the illegitimately established BN state government.

Others would say that Najib is in no position to get rid of Musa as the latter has the upper hand, being holder of the darkest secrets pertaining to major scandals that have been heavily weighing down on Najib, such as the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder and the Scorpene submarine purchase.

Some would even suggest that Musa’s hitherto pivotal role in the on-going Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial II makes him indispensable to the continuing potency of this case as a potential lethal weapon against the seemingly unstoppable advances of the Pakatan.

For those who have been paying attention to the local political scene, it is not difficult to see that all the above three views are valid.

In other words, it is the combination of expediency for political survival and the personal vulnerability of the prime minister that has contributed to another extension to the already extended term of two years for the hugely unpopular police head.

Musa’s extension of service also signifies that there will be no light at the end of tunnel of promised reforms as hyped in Najib’s 1Malaysia euphoria.

Between an inclusive democratic Malaysia and a race-supremacist authoritarian Malaysia, the Najib led-UMNO has obviously chosen the latter.

Frightening plunge in security

Politics aside, what concerns the man-in-the-street is the frightening deterioration of law and order in the country.

A recent opinion poll conducted in the Home Ministry website reveals that 97 percent of respondents expressing worry over the state of public safety.

Ninety-four percent were of the opinion that the authorities had not done their best and a shocking two-thirds said they or their immediate family members had been victims of crimes.

These alarming results of the poll are in tandem with the fact that crimes have escalated exponentially during Musa’s tenure as the IGP.

Why has the crime rate continued to spiral uncontrollably despite the billions of ringgit poured into the police to upgrade facilities and expand manpower following the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry to upgrade the police force in 2005?

Why has rampant corruption and persistent abuse of power and violation of human rights continue to bug our police force with increasing tenacity?

Why have the police continued to resist the implementation of the crown jewel of the royal commission’s 125 recommendations – the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission, which by consensus, would have been the most potent medicine to whip our decadent police force into shape?

In all these failures, we see the shadow of IGP Musa Hassan . It is therefore with the utmost indignation that we must deplore the Najib leadership for refusing to react to the alarm bells sounded in Malaysia Today website in the past week, where explicit details of Musa’s alleged links to the underworld were exposed.

Explosive revelations

In a series of postings, Malaysia Today’s Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) displayed photocopies of statutory declaration and correspondence among key players to substantiate the allegations of Musa’s involvement.

These allegations included: the IGP allowing an underworld kingpin to manipulate postings of officers while siding another to secure his release.

In an August 28 posting, RPK revealed a statutory declaration made by a former aide de camp (ADC) of Musa, where he accused the IGP of misconduct that “undermined the integrity and credibility of PDRM, constituting a betrayal of his oath of office”.

Certain names and details were blacked out in the documents for “obvious reasons”, but RPK promised that the ‘un-blacked’ out version would be revealed if its authenticity was challenged by the government or when Musa’s service was extended so as to embarrass the government.

Specifically, the ADC alleged that

* As ADC, he compiled and coordinated posting orders as based on a draft and proposal made by one BK Tan. A list of the postings as implemented was attached to the affidavit;

* Some transfers were made as “entrapment others with short notices were made as punishment to convey the impression of eradicating corruption and abuses, though “it was furthest from the truth”;

* He verified that the statutory declarations of certain police officers (name given) alleging manipulation of “promotions, ranks and postings in the hierarchy of PDRM” by BK Tan were true. (These statutory declarations appeared earlier in Malaysia Today);

* Six police officers who exposed Musa’s alleged underworld links were charged for various offenses and,

* A former CID Director (name given) informed him that it was Musa who gave the order to set up a covert blog to make allegation of corruption against former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Johari Baharom. (On August 28, 2007, Johari, a known adversary of Musa, was accused in an anonymous blog of accepting a RM 5.5 million bribe to free three underworld bigwigs, but he was subsequently cleared of this allegation).

In another posting on the same day, RPK revealed a letter dated August 29, 2007 from Johari to his former boss, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who was then prime minister cum home minister, where Musa’s link with one Goh Cheng Poh was unveiled.

Goh Cheng Poh had been nabbed in an anti-Ah Long operation and banished to restricted residence (RR) in Jeli, Kelantan, under the direction of a task force headed by Johari.

Goh then applied to a habeas corpus writ at the courts on August 14, 2007 to set aside the RR order on grounds of male fide detention.

In Johari’s letter to Abdullah, he described details of how Musa, in conjunction with the attorney-general (AG), took unprecedented legal steps to help Goh to win his case. (Following this suit, the AG ordered Goh’s release.)

Will the King step in?

In any democracy, these explosive exposures would have rocked the government.

Even in the pseudo-democracy of Malaysia, surely these allegations are serious enough to merit a proper investigation, particularly when these occurred on the eve of the re-appointment of such a controversial figure who commands no public confidence.

But our government has remained silent. And what has Musa got to say to these allegations when contacted? He refused to comment, according to Malaysiakini which reported these revelations on August 29.

However, all is not lost as the Agong is empowered under Article 140(5) of the constitution to refer the Police Force Commission’s recommendation back to the commission for another round of consideration. Until the Agong signs the letter of appointment which should take effect on September 13, he can still ask the commission to deliberate further, pending a proper investigation to clear up the dark clouds hanging over the IGP.

The issue of the calibre and integrity of the next IGP is of vital importance at this critical junction of our history in view of the chaotic state into which the rule of law the nation has descended.

And we trust that the Agong will give this matter due consideration.

*Kim Quek is a political analyst and PKR member.

No comments:

Post a Comment