As part of the flurry of publicity in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Police, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan launched an intensive media campaign to present the police in the best possible light, including announcement of the creation of a new mission and vision in line with the recommendations made by the Royal Police Commission, culminating in a call for a new and better scheme of service for the police which is 20% more in basic salary than any government servant.
In the media blitz, Musa told Bernama on Saturday that about 90 per cent of the recommendations of the Police Royal Commission “have been put into action while another four are in the process of being enforced”.
This is at variance with the answer given by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Internal Security Minister, to my question in Parliament on Thursday on the status of the implementation of the 125 recommendations of the Royal Police Commission.
Abdullah said that out of the 125 recommendations of the Royal Police Commission, 102 or 82 per cent have been implemented while 23 or 18 per cent are still under detailed consideration.
There is a big difference between the 82 per cent of 125 recommendations cited by the Prime Minister in Parliament and the 90 per cent claimed by the Inspector-General of Police, which works out to a difference of 10 recommendations out of 125 recommendations.
Have these 10 recommendations of Royal Police Commission like the IPCMC proposal disappeared into a “black hole” without accountability whatsoever?
Is this another example of the right hand in government not knowing what the left hand is doing — what former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had lambasted as the disease of a “half-past six Cabinet”?
This does not speak well of the new mission and vision of the Royal Malaysian Police in accordance with the recommendations of the Royal Police Commission, aimed at creating an efficient, accountable, trustworthy, incorruptible, professional and world-class police force.
If the IGP is serious about the re-branding of the Royal Malaysian Police not just in name and for publicity purpose but in real substance and in terms of a new police ethos, then Musa must take the first step of being fully accountable and transparent about the implementation of the 125 recommendations of the Royal Police Commission, in particular the key recommendation on the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
It is nearly two years since the submission of the Royal Police Commission Report and the IGP should issue a full statement on the status of the implementation of the 102 recommendations, why 23 recommendations are still under study and in particular what are the 10 recommendations which seemed to have disappeared into a “blackhole” as the Prime Minister does not know what has happened to them.
I fully support a salary raise for the police service in line with the recommendations of the Royal Police Commission to create an efficient, trustworthy, incorruptible, professional world-class police service to reduce crime and respect human rights but the IGP would have made a better case to the Malaysian public for a better deal for the police if he had been able to give enthusiastic support to the key Royal Police Commission proposal to establish the IPCMC.
Is the IGP prepared to provide active and enthusiastic support for the immediate establishment of the IPCMC, with necessary modifications from the original proposal of the Royal Police Commission, for if he is not prepared to do so, then all his talk of a new police mission and vision in line with the recommendations of the Royal Police Commission must be taken with a large pinch of salt.
The Police had arm-twisted Barisan Nasional MPs into opposing the IPCMC proposal although the majority believes that such an external monitoring mechanism into police abuses of power would be good for both the police force and the country. Is the Police prepared to withdraw its pressures on the Barisan Nasional MPs to allow them the freedom to support the IPCMC proposal?
#1 by smeagroo on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 9:55 am
BOth of them failed their maths terribly in school. They cant even make out what is 75%, 85% or 90% means. No wonder our economy is in dire straits. More and more issues being put into cold storage. No wonder we needed the biggest this and that. PLease get the cabinet to approve a new store room (biggest in the world) and the longest RED carpet to hide those issues.
#2 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 10:12 am
I say give the police their increase in Salary but we should demand that should the police performance do not improve SIGNIFICANTLY, the police top officer TOGETHER WITH THE ENTIRE CABINET SHOULD RESIGN.
#3 by k1980 on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 10:40 am
Another of Bolehsia’s stupidest mistakes– building universities in the middle of deserts. http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Wednesday/National/20070328082125/Article/local1_html
#4 by Loh on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 11:28 am
The 125 recommendations should be taken as a package. The goverment either implement all or none of the recommendations. It is not right for them to jelly pick what they like.
#5 by tsn on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 12:31 pm
Hi guys! Please do not be too demanding, 82% or 90% lebih kurang saja. Jangan marah cepat tua.
To increase the salary of policeman either 20% or more is not a problem if we can afford. What we should concern more here is “can we afford if other government sectors such as health, education, JPJ etc also demand an increase of salary, citing theirs low standard of work, corruption, inefficiency, low morale…. are due to theirs low pay”. Ambulance drivers just don’t bother to put petrol in theirs ambulance, gaji sikit, no mood.
Grandma story again, we should have efficient government.
We can never never use our public sector to solve the unemployment problem, especially the unemployment of graduates. If we use public sector to reduce the unemployment, then our public sector will be bloated, big number of servants with gaji tak cukup makan, kena cari makan sendiri di luar.
When AAB bloated our cabinet in 2004, then for sure our corruption illness won’t be cure, perhaps it becomes worse.
High salary not necessarily without/less corruption
Low salary surely with/rampant corruption.
#6 by HJ Angus on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 1:40 pm
Paying more is only one part of the solution.
I am sure the public will accept that the police deserve more and we also deserve more in terms of delivery; especially the IPCMC that the government seems to have forgotten.
Maybe we should be asking what are those items that the AG is working on?
It is akin to a very sick patient being admitted to hospital and the doctors don’t want to treat his heart, kidneys, liver and brain but they tell you they have treated 80% of the other symptoms like a face-lift and ingrown toenails and braces!
http://malaysiawatch2.blogspot.com/2007/03/paying-more-to-ensure-integrity.html
#7 by smeagroo on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 2:31 pm
20% payrise is a remedy to deter police to take bribes. But that will only solve those who take rm50 each time. HOw do you “help” those who are earning tmore than rm50 each month the illegal way? Pay must rise accordingly la Pak Lah. Else from a low rm690 + 20% is still chicken feed. But u dont have to hurry to give them a payrise. Just wait till near GE and then voila! YOu have for yourself a group of secured votes!
#8 by shortie kiasu on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 2:56 pm
When we listen to Mr Abdullah talking on the TV he is always murmuring as if in slumber, may be he is not sure of what he is talking and murmuring camouflages his ignorance and lack of knowledge and skill; and befits the shouting by the English fans against the English coach Mr Steve Maclaren, “you do not know what you are doing!” when the football supremo, England, lost to a football minnow, Israel, recently.
That is why, similarly, Mr Abdullah has got his figures all mashed-up like “rojak” and mash potatoes; and lost all his credibility in the eyes of the public.
There is no way, no way at all, for 2 sets of vastly differing figures to exist and to be communicated to the public, as announced, by 2 top-most personnel in the country; one, the PM; the other, the IGP; this not childplay, man!
#9 by kurakura on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 7:16 pm
20 percent pay rise will be neutralised by the almost hyperinflation happening in Malaysia.
There is no system in this country to adjust wages to economic weather. But yet again….not many countries have. I know Singapore has. Even their public trasnportation fares will fluctuate
in accordance to the economy. Maybe Scadivanian countries have this kind of system too as a tool to protect the integrity of the system.
#10 by undergrad2 on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 8:01 pm
There is no automatic short run adjustment of wages to costs if that is what you mean.
In times of a cost push inflation, wages will have a hard time keeping up. The speed at which they do depends on the effectiveness of labor unions.
Economists talk about forces of supply and demand, that price changes with demand and supply. This is not always true. The price of petrol once it goes up almost never ever comes down. What goes up does not always come down – which makes economics a pseudo science. Wages go up but never come down when costs do.
#11 by pwcheng on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 8:16 pm
The motto of the govt is “BAD BOYS WILL ALWAYS BE REWARDED”
There are many classic cases of this happening in the government and now come to the police. Just let me know, for all the misfeasance the police had committed what positive action had been taken. All of us know what type of police force we are having, and that is why we came out with the IPCMC; but instead of giving them the cane, they soon will be rewarded with some delicious ice creams. These half past six practice of the government has spoilt the government servants and that is why we will never see any improvements as far as govt servants are concerned. People who practices good management will know how to draw a clear line of punishments and rewards. Anyway it is difficult to fathom why such silly approaches are being consistently adopted when common sense will tell that is not going to be the solution. It will only aggravate the problem as they will ask for more to balance with their increase of salary. We must look at the root of the problem first. I think there are also many govt servants who are drawing parallel salaries with them or maybe less and they are just as important, eg the manual workers and even the army. So what is so special about the police. Just because they have messed up so many things we must reward them. Ironical and illogical.
Honestly speaking nobody will grudge them of a salary hike if they are doing a good job. In fact they deserves more than 20% but they must prove themselves first after all the complaints. Give them a year to prove themselves, then we talk about pay increases. We must be very firm on this as it is the rakyat’s money.
The same applies to the whole government sector as we all know that the pay rise in any one govt sector will trigger a massive repercussion in the whole govt machinery, and finally will filter down to politicians, ministers and all ministerial personnel.
I think every rakyat will only be too happy to see that all governments servants gets good pay comparable to our neighbor down south PROVIDED their work ethics are also like them. Why should we grudge them when they are efficient and honest which in turn will move the country’s economies to everybody’s benefit.
Unfortunately right now they are far away from there!!!!
#12 by kurakura on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 8:22 pm
There is such a system. It is a fact although most of us here will not understand the complexity of it.
Wages do not go down? The recession of 1997 was the time when some wages go down to zero (got retrenced) and most got slashed.
Japan is a good example of deflation.
It is a collective supply and demand that matters. Not individuals.
#13 by DiaperHead on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 9:44 pm
Once again Kurakurap, is talking through his a$$!
The poster was referring to the general level of wages – not the wage level of a particular industry or wages of a company or companies.
Since you are the only one capable of understanding issues of such complexity to use your own words, kindly explain to us the ill informed and uneducated what you mean.
#14 by DiaperHead on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 9:49 pm
Kurakurap
Undergrad2 said “Wages go up but never come down when costs do.” How does this tie up with yours: “The recession of 1997 was the time when some wages go down to zero (got retrenced) and most got slashed.”
Stop talking through your a$$!
#15 by Godamn Singh on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 11:25 pm
You are goddamned right, Diaper!
#16 by Godamn Singh on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 - 11:25 pm
sorry goddamn right
#17 by japankiller on Thursday, 29 March 2007 - 1:05 am
when paying more out for their salary indirectly to attrack those with higher education background candidates to apply, so no more those with SRP 5Ds, this could help to improve their quality.
#18 by lupus on Thursday, 29 March 2007 - 4:09 am
Bad boys bad boys – what are you going to do when we come for you :)
#19 by Godamn Singh on Thursday, 29 March 2007 - 5:25 am
Don’t know about ya but I’m not stayin’
#20 by tsn on Thursday, 29 March 2007 - 3:06 pm
Godamn Singh: What do you mean by “I’m not stayin”? Are you away or going away from this Wanderfulfunland? Instead of sleeping with sweet dreams at 5.25am, you took the trouble to give your piece of concern about the future of the Wanderfulfunland, but you are/ to be away, where got meaning, mana boleh!
#21 by opposefromnowon on Thursday, 29 March 2007 - 6:06 pm
Anyone read about the recent case in Klang where the police sent this girl to lock up for refusing to give her ID when the police themselves do not show their authority ID. And in todays paper it was reported the police are now harassing her father. This is utter rubbish, instead of spending time checking on criminal they abuse their authority and public’s money on arresting non-harmful citizens. This is a fine example of POLIS BULI!
#22 by undergrad2 on Thursday, 29 March 2007 - 7:15 pm
Whenever you are stopped anywhere in the world, in any country anywhere in the world, by a police officer or anybody in charge of enforcement ( who could be the guy manning the reception desk in an office building somewhere etc) who asks you for your ID the onus is always on you to prove your identity – and not the other way round. The police does not have to show you anything when in uniform.
Now, proving your identity can be done in more ways than one – usually a show of your driving license (DL) or an identity document for those too young to drive (ID) issued by a local authority, usually the local motor vehicle agency.
In Malaysia, you are required by law to carry an identity document popularly referred to as the IC or short for identity card. No other proof is acceptable. Failure to show your IC gives the enforcement authority, if he is a police officer, to detain you until you do. The authority to detain is discretionary depending on why he is asking you to show proof of your identity. If the circumstances under which he is asking you to show your IC is suspicious he has the right to have you detained.
So this girl in Klang who was detained in the police lockup for her refusal to show her IC seems to be a victim of her own doing. If she did not carry her IC which is required by law, she still could call for somebody to bring her IC to her while under temporary detention.
The United States recently could be said to be following countries like Malaysia whose law requires you to have proof of your identity when asked, and has introduced laws like the REAL ID Act after 9/11. It has introduced laws similar to Malaysia’s ISA.
The U.S. wants to learn from us.
On the other hand, Malaysia could learn a thing or two from the U.S. For example, traffic offenders or anybody acting to obstruct the course of justice which could mean merely refusing to comply with instructions, who refuses to cooperate should be handcuffed and brought to the police station. What is the big deal with that?
#23 by DarkHorse on Saturday, 31 March 2007 - 9:42 am
Why must it always be ‘black’??