After a year of premiership, national and international confidence in the key national institutions and the system of governance in Malaysia have deepened instead of being improved.
Although there is a lot of talk about achievements in the NKRA for combating crime, in particular street crime, the fact is that as far as the man-in-the-street is concerned, they are still hounded by the endemic crime and the fear of crime.
The fact that there are more gated-and-guarded communities in the country in the past year is the best proof that all the talk about NKRA achievements in combating crime is no real meaning to the ordinary people.
A meaningful NKRA for combating crime is when the people feel safe and secure enough to dismantle the guarded and gated communities instead of the reverse – with more people feeling unsafe as having to build new guarded and gated communities.
The Prime Minister and the Home Minister must accept the reality that an essential element to have a new start in restoring public confidence in the efficiency, independence and professionalism of the police is to have a new Inspector-General of Police.
This is why Hishammuddin should not be breathing down the necks of China Press for its report that Tan Sri Musa Hassan was resigning as Inspector-General of Police to allow the Police to start on a new page on Police Day on 25th March, there would be joy and jubilation not only among loyal and patriotic Malaysians who have always put national interests above self, but also among top police officers as well as the rank-and-file.
This is why –
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On 28th July, 2009 I spearheaded a parliamentary roundtable reaching an unanimous conclusion that Malaysia needs a new IGP to create a safe Malaysia and break away from colonial past by introducing democratic policing to protect the people and not the regime in power;
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On 1st August, 2009 I said in my speech in Kuantan that Musa was wreaking personal vengeance against me and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders for the parliamentary roundtable calling for a new IGP to create a safe Malaysia;
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On August 7, 2009 I issued a media statement that “Take a secret poll among the 2,000 top police officers from ASP upwards and an overwhelming majority will definitely vote for a new IGP”; and
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On August 8, 2009 I said in my media statement that “Police, Home Minister and Prime Minister will not be able to hold their heads high in international community if Musa is renewed as IGP when under his three-year leadership, only 1% of the people feel safe”.
[Speech (8) by DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Ipoh Timor Lim Kit Siang in Dewan Rakyat on the Royal Address on Thursday, 18th March 2010]