Najib should emulate his father Tun Razak and appoint a new IGP still with four or five years of service brimming with ideas to plan out and implement police reforms


The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should start the new practice of appointing a new Inspector-General of Police still with four or five years of service brimming with ideas to plan out and implement police reforms instead of the current practice of appointing senior police officers left with one or two years’ service more interested about post-retirement arrangements.

This issue becomes very pertinent at a time when the Prime Minister must appoint a new IGP or give Tan Sri Musa Hassan a second extension as IGP.

Musa’s Hassan further extension as IGP is highly objectionable for two reasons:

Firstly, it makes nonsense of Najib’s pledge of “People First. Performance Now” and his commitment that his administration gives top priority to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), when Musa’s KPIs as IGP in the past three years are one of dismal failure.

If proof is needed, just look at the crime situation today as compared to the scenario and targets worked out by the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry in 2005.

In fact, under Musa, Malaysians are even more unsafe from street crimes now than when he became IGP in September5 2006. Can Musa or the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein prove me wrong.

I am prepared to have a public debate with Musa or Hishammuddin to substantiate my statement that Musa had failed as IGP as he flopped badly in all the three core functions highlighted by the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry as most important – to keep crime low, to eradicate corruption and to protect human rights.

Secondly, the re-appointment of Musa for another term of IGP cast an adverse aspersion on all the senior police officers, as if there is not a single one out of the eight top police officers occupying key police positions below the post of IGP who are qualified or competent enough to become the new IGP to provide a new police leadership and culture to roll back the tide of crime in the past five years.

According to the police website, these eight top police officers are:

  • Tan Sri Ismail bin Hj. Omar (Deputy Inspektor General, Timbalan Ketua Polis Negara)
  • CP Dato’ Zul Hasnan Najib bin Baharudin (Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Narkotik)
  • CP Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri bin Zinin (Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah)
  • CP Dato’ Abdul Razak bin Bokhari (Pengarah Jabatan Pengurusan)
  • CP Datuk Seri Ramli bin Shaari (Pengarah Cawangan Khas)
  • CP Dato’ Hussin bin Hj. Ismail (Pengarah Jabatan KDN/KA)
  • CP Dato’ Koh Hong Sun (Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersil)
  • CP Dato’ Mashuri bin Zainal (Pengarah Jabatan Logistik)
  • CP Dato’ Mohamad Fuzi bin Harun [Pengarah Pasukan Petugas Khas (Operasi/Counter Terrorism)]

Najib should be bold to do what is right for the country. Just emulate his father, second Prime Minister Tun Razak and do he would have done in the circumstances.

Tun Razak would never have entertained the notion of extending the services of IGPs for Tengku Razaleigh is right when he criticised the deplorable practice of “extensions becoming routine”.

In his blog, Razaleigh wrote:

Of late there has been a tendency for the Government to routinely extend and re-extend the service of top civil servants scheduled for retirement.

Extension of service is meant be an extraordinary measure. It is in danger of becoming the norm. This is bad practice.

Among the reasons which Razaleigh had rightly argued against such extensions are:

  1. It politicizes the leadership of a service that has its own processes and criteria for promotion. Those extended become, in effect, political appointees with rather cosy relations with the political bosses who determine these extensions.

  2. Public servants owe their allegiance to King and country, not to politicians. It is by an accumulation of bad practices like this that the once independent ethos of the civil service has been eroded.

  3. It is highly disruptive in a system that promotes by seniority. Promotions are log-jammed all the way down the line. People are not developed on schedule, and their pay and prospects are retarded. Those near retirement lose out on seniority and the pension that they would otherwise have retired with. An extension for one favoured official means a promotion freeze, with all the career frustration this entails, for hundreds of others down the line.

  4. It contradicts our talk of developing talent. It cannot be that no replacement good enough could be found from among the swollen ranks awaiting promotion.

  5. We are on our way to creating cults of personality in a service that used to pride itself on impersonal professionalism. Feudal expectations of indefinite incumbency, justified by manufactured media approval, are being imported from the Executive into the civil service. There is a reason why bureaucrats are rotated regularly. Since Ancient China people have understood that officials too long incumbent are tempted to carve out empires for themselves.

In fact, Tun Razak was the one who appointed the youngest and the most famous IGP in the nation’s history, Tun Hanif Omar who was appointed IGP at the age of 35 in June 1974 and went on to serve with distinction for two decades until his retirement in January 1994. May be 20 years is too long for anyone to become an IGP, but one year or two years as IGP are downright ridiculous!

Up to now, Hishammuddin who is Chairman of the Police Force Commission in his capacity as Home Minister is unable to explain why he and the Police Force Commission supports Musa for another term as IGP when his term expires in September.

Can Hishammuddin answer:

  • When did the Police Force Commission meet and endorsed Musa’s extension as IGP.
  • What were the reasons for the Police Force Commission’s decision to back Musa’s extension as IGP, are they in line with the “People First. Performance Now” motto of the Prime Minister, could these reasons be made public and can they withstand public scrutiny?
  • How can the Police Force Commission recommend the extension of Musa’s service as IGP when Musa is himself a member of the Commission?

  1. #1 by DAP man on Saturday, 18 July 2009 - 12:56 pm

    “Can Hishammuddin answer:..” kit

    Yes, he can.
    Because Musa is a faithful UMNO supporter and will use the might of the Police to defend UMNO and its leaders.
    Other factors, – capability, integrity, morality, efficiency, responsibility- are irrelevant.

  2. #2 by sean on Saturday, 18 July 2009 - 1:10 pm

    MACC is just an extension of Pdrm..but unfortunately was given wide powers.Macc can do what Pdrm can’t do.So…..it was just a scam by umno to introduce Macc afterall and parliament was fooled from the very first day.

  3. #3 by k1980 on Saturday, 18 July 2009 - 2:50 pm

    Another healthy 31-year-old experienced the thrill of “sudden death” after being taken to police HQ

    KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) July 17 – A suspected drug addict collapsed while having his finger prints recorded at the Narcotics Division of the Sentul Police District Headquarters here today, and died when being rushed to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

    Sentul police chief ACP Zakaria Pagan said said R. Gunasegaran, 31, collapsed between 6.45pm and 7pm, and was pronounced dead at 7.40pm at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

  4. #4 by AhPek on Saturday, 18 July 2009 - 5:28 pm

    Krishammuddin does not have tosatisfactorily
    explain why Musa’s service has to extended again.He only needs to know that he is looking after his cousin’s interest well.

  5. #5 by k1980 on Saturday, 18 July 2009 - 7:11 pm

    Will TBH’s suspicious “sudden” demise cause the downfall of the MCA?

    Chua Jui Meng said that the sudden death of DAP political aide, Teoh Beng Hock, became the tipping point in his decision to join PKR, saying the incident, among others, prompted him to join in PR’s fight in reforming the country.

    MCA, he said, was no longer able to make the changes desired by the people as long as it bows down to what he calls the bullish leadership of BN’s masters Umno.

  6. #6 by Onlooker Politics on Saturday, 18 July 2009 - 7:27 pm

    ‘Will TBH’s suspicious “sudden” demise cause the downfall of the MCA?’ (k1980)

    Although I see that Chua Jui Meng’s quiting MCA and joining PKR as a positive development for Pakatan Rakyat’s political advent, I have to conservatively hold the opinion that TBH’s mysterious death will not likely cause the downfall of MCA in the near future.

    When I asked someone who claimed that he is a close friend of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on the reason why Ahmad Zahid refused to follow Anwar Ibrahim now when Ahmad Zahid was the hardcore supporter of Anwar Ibrahim before September 1998, I got this reply from him, “What do you think Anwar Ibrahim is trying to do with whole bunch of Indian nuts and Chinese nuts working around him now? Is he going to become the Prime Minister only with the help of some Indians and Chinese?”

    Anwar Ibrahim may have to revise his strategy if PKR is to win the next General Election. The Malay voters want Anwar Ibrahim to get much closer to the Malays in order to provide a much better sense of security among the Malay Malaysians!

  7. #7 by yhsiew on Saturday, 18 July 2009 - 9:44 pm

    I believe Najib is torn between the two – whether to let go IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan or to retain him.

    Tan Sri Musa Hassan is such an obedient servant of Najib that the latter will find it a big loss if the former leaves becauseTan Sri Musa Hassan has been the key person to crackdown on PR demonstrations and protests.

    On the other hand Najib is aware that if Tan Sri Musa Hassan is not replaced, it will affect UMNO poll performance in the 13th general elections as the rakyat are getting fed up with the increasing crime rate.

  8. #8 by anna brella on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 2:25 am

    Hypothetical expectation gaps in GAAPPs* from a potentially pig-eyed/minded view:

    1. To keep crime low.
    Why, isn’t that going against the natural logic of the self-preservation society principle? If not, then how can one cari enough makan to fatten oneself up according to one’s self-serving and greedy preservational nature?

    2. To eradicate corruption.
    Isn’t that a non locus standi sort of an erroneous expectation? One which is also clearly NIMBY and so is SEP, like that MACC’s possibly.

    3. To protect human rights.
    Like 2 above, isn’t that again another erroneous expectation to have and so again is NIMBY and also SEP, perhaps Suhakam’s maybe. However, given that democracy is about rights and corresponding obligations, one will responsibly choose to lessen the burden on others by taking on the personal obligation to protect one’s (and maybe also one’s own type’s) own special rights before that of others.

    *
    C GAAP = generally assumed and accepted police protocols expected by citizen: 100
    P GAAP = generally assumed and accepted pig practises expected by the pig: 20
    Expectation Gap = P – C = (+20) – (+100) = -80

    “Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.

  9. #9 by anna brella on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 2:32 am

    Sorry, need to correct two misleading typos in my posting above:
    *
    C GAAPP = generally assumed and accepted police protocols expected by citizen: 100
    P GAAPP = generally assumed and accepted pig practises expected by the pig: 20
    Expectation Gap = P – C = (+20) – (+100) = -80

  10. #10 by ekompute on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 6:01 am

    “I am prepared to have a public debate with Musa or Hishammuddin to substantiate my statement that Musa had failed as IGP as he flopped badly in all the three core functions highlighted by the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry as most important – to keep crime low, to eradicate corruption and to protect human rights.”

    I don’t think both of them dare to debate… more so Hishammuddin. The age-old saying, “It is better to keep quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and confirm it” suits him hand to glove. Has Hishammuddin ever said anything that remotely sound intelligent before?

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