There was little credibility when it was reported in June that an Internet survey listed Kuala Lumpur among the most dangerous cities in the world – the sixth most dangerous city in the world after San Pedro Sula in Honduras, Ciudad Huarez in Mexico, Maceio in Brazil, Acapulco in Mexico and Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt.
But there was even less credibility when the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Home Minister claimed for the past two years that Malaysia is the safest country in South-East Asia.
The tragedy after the 13th General Election on May 5, 2013 is that Malaysia seems set to want to prove that Malaysia is an increasingly dangerous country rather than the safest country in the region, with the police and government authorities continuing to dismiss the feeling and conviction by the majority of Malaysians of rising crime and being unsafe in the country as only a matter of perception not backed up by official crime statistics, Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and National Key Results Area (NKRA) findings and reports.
The shooting and attempted assassination of whistleblower MyWatch Chairman R. Sri Sanjeevan, the shooting and killing of Arab Malaysian Bank founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi and the recent spate of murders and attempted murders by firearms have given Malaysia a bad name internationally as a country which is unsafe for her people, visitors and investors with far-reaching effects for Malaysia’s economic future and tourist prospects.
How did Malaysia descend to such depths of increasing criminality and deterioration of public safety despite all the hullabaloo about Government Transformation Programme and National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) which placed fighting and reducing crime as one of its top six priorities in the past four years?
Malaysia is establishing a world record of a country where its GTPs, NKRAs and PKIs about reducing crime have resulted in worsening crime situation as to reach uncontrollable levels despite beautiful charts, graphs and statistics of official reports and findings pointing to the contrary!
There can be no doubt that the crime situation had worsened after the 13th general election despite having a new Home Minister and a new Inspector-General of Police, and the public launch of a “war against crime” by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the middle of last month.
The official claim of success in reducing the crime index by 26.8% since the first phase of the GTP in 2009 cannot hide the fact of a growing gulf between the police’s claims and the people’s perception and fear of crime not only from their direct and indirect experience with rampant crime but the government’s inability to instill public confidence that the police can protect the safety and security of citizens, tourists and investors.
This gulf has become wider in the past three months after the general elections, with the rise of a new criminal menace after the mass armed gang robberies of customers and owners of open restaurants and eateries – the easy access to firearms and their rampant use for murders and attempted murders.
The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, in response to his predecessor Tan Sri Musa Hassan’s suspicion that the attempt to murder Sanjeevan was linked to his recent expose on police personnel with crime syndicates links, said the police were willing to let an independent body investigate allegations of wrongdoings and corruption in the force as the police had nothing to hide.
I do not believe Malaysia’s crime situation would have deteriorated to the prevent depths as illustrated by the Sanjeevan and Najadi shootings and the recent spate of murders/attempted murders by firearms if the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as proposed by the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry in 2006 had been formed in past seven years to eradicate police corruption and wrongdoings.
Najib said today that he is prepared to consider “anything” the police needs to fight serious crime.
Is the Prime Minister prepared to consider “anything” the people needs to fight serious crime?
Is the Prime Minister prepared to introduce a bill to establish the long-awaited IPCMC in the September meeting of Parliament as an IPCMC will go a long way not only to restore public confidence in the efficiency, independence and professionalism of the police but will make a major contribution in the war against crime, including serious crime, by ensuring greater police commitment and professionalism in the war against crime in the country.
#1 by Godfather on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 4:27 pm
For years, the underground economy grew and grew…aided and abetted by the very agencies entrusted to shut them down. We developed a symbiotic system where the criminals and the enforcers fed from the same trough. Bolehland became the ultimate definition of “win-win”, nothing that world renowned MBA schools could teach.
Today we are the biggest producer of illegal DVDs. No raids anymore. We have the widest menu of sex shops disguised as reflexology centres. Any nationality you want. We have the biggest transhipment point for drugs. Just ask the customs people in Hong Kong and Singapore. We also provide all the illegal workers you want – all nationalities too. No more raids on illegal kongsis.
We have legalised the illegal. Why should murder for hire be such a big deal ?
#2 by Godfather on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 4:34 pm
One stockbroker mentioned that up to 20 pct of IPOs and General Offers are subscribed by “unknowns”, meaning underground sources seeking to launder money. Is it a wonder that the IPOs are so successful ? Is it a wonder that our stockmarket is so robust ? Look at the notices for loans on every corner. Ah Longs rule Bolehland !
#3 by Bigjoe on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 4:40 pm
IPCMC? UMNO’s Cheras division leader STILL ask what the Chinese want AND he is likely to rise in the coming UMNO election. Najib’s answer to repeated failure and ineffectiveness is salivate them with MORE money..
I guess its our fault that RM272.5 million is not enough to change our perception of crime..
#4 by omeqiu on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 5:00 pm
“Najib said today that he is prepared to consider “anything” the police needs to fight serious crime.” Thank you, PM. Define “serious crime”.
#5 by negarawan on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 5:17 pm
In order to effectively fight crime, the ruling party UMNO comprising of criminals has to be purged first. Only when the country has clean and ethical leaders who truly walk the talk can there be hope of any improvement.
#6 by bennylohstocks on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 8:00 pm
BEWARE!!
#7 by bennylohstocks on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 8:05 pm
BEWARE
#8 by tuahpekkong on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 9:30 pm
Wow! Kuala Lumpur is even more dangerous than Detroit, the city with the highest crime rate in the USA. What a shame! The irony is our political leaders still unabashedly claimed that our country was the safest in South East Asia for the past two years. Next time better claim that we are the least corrupt in South East Asia. While our crime rates reach worrying levels, our economy isn’t faring well either. Our Ringgit has depreciated from US$1 to RM 3.00 just about half a year ago to US$1 to RM3.23 today. Our Ringgit is also at its lowest level against the Singapore Dollar in over 12 years. One Singapore Dollar is worth RM2.55 today. 35 years ago our Ringgit was almost on par with the Singapore Dollar.
#9 by Di Shi Jiu on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 10:24 pm
If I was a cynical person, I would say that this spike in criminal activity is due to the gangsters collecting their dues for helping BN win GE13.
The impunity of their actions is really quite mind-boggling – it’s as though they do not expect to be caught or charged or anything!!
#10 by sheriff singh on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 10:40 pm
Simple. When the government is weak, the baddies all come out to play. It is a sure sign that this country has now gone to the dogs, figuratively speaking. Its the law of the jungle out there. We all now live in fear. How much more can the people take? Will the Cabinet discuss this lawlessness at this week’s Cabinet meeting? Will a Minister, any Minister, have the bolas to say what needs to be said?
#11 by riverman on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 11:35 pm
One thing politician can do is to reduce unnecessary political report that will only burden our beloved PDRM.
Let them concentrate on non political policing!
#12 by yhsiew on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 11:36 pm
If the BN government does not respect the rules of law, do you think the gangsters will respect them?
#13 by yhsiew on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 - 11:45 pm
Way back in the 1990s, Lee Kuan Yew said Johor Baru was the most dangerous place in Malaysia. Apparently, Kuala Lumpur is now catching up to “compete” with Johor Baru!!!
#14 by Cinapek on Wednesday, 31 July 2013 - 12:13 am
“..Najib said today that he is prepared to consider “anything” the police needs to fight serious crime…”
I was stumped when I heard Najib said on the news today that he was prepared to give the police anything they want to regain the people’s confidence. What kind of idiotic statement is this? It sounds to me that it is like rewarding people for being failures. The present IGP, his deputy and all the other senior police officers are all partly responsible for the rot in the PDRM as they have been in the force for decades and have contributed to its decline. Now their failures are all too evident and what do the PM do? Offer them more goodies. So the message to not only the PDRM but also all the civil servants is screw up big time if you want to screw up the Govt for more handouts.
Complaints about the deteriorating crime situation has been going on for years and nothing has been done to correct them. And these present top brass were part and parcel of those teams which caused this mess so how can we trust them to fix the problem?
What we need is to reach further down the ranks and start with a clean slate. The Govt has done this before when they appointed Tun Haniff as the IGP, bypassing many more senior officers. We need to do the same now. We need capable new untainted blood to rejuvenate the PDRM. We do not need men who spend time on selective persecution and indulges in political arrests to please their political masters instead of focussing on their real policing job and carrying them out without fear or favour.
#15 by Noble House on Wednesday, 31 July 2013 - 3:27 am
This brings the question of psychological profiling at the outset – recruitment! Does a comprehensive pre-recruitment screening with psychological profiling exists in the PDRM? Even the current IGP himself is full of contradictions.
Could this be the reason for some “loose cannons” within the rank and file of the PDRM that are trigger-happy, cop-turned-criminal, underworld-linked, death-in-custody-perpetrators type? A cursory study at the number of reports of crimes as well as incidences of police brutality in our country will yield very alarming figures. This goes on to show the inefficiency and incompetency of the PDRM over the years. The general sentiment is that the PDRM can no longer be trusted anymore as whatever it acts upon will eventually be manipulated to serves the interest of those who pull their strings. The former IGP, Tan Sri Musa Hassan, himself claimed that the PDRM was constantly subject to interference from politicians. And was not Musa himself implicated with underworld ties?
If the Najib government remains adamant in not wanting to create an IPCMC to stop the rot, one fears that the PDRM will eventually become an institution for lunatics. Meanwhile, the criminals are having a field day in the country.
#16 by undertaker888 on Wednesday, 31 July 2013 - 7:01 am
It is like asking thieves not to be thieves. Or asking criminals to take care of our security
#17 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Wednesday, 31 July 2013 - 8:26 am
Sigh.
SAD.
Sick.
Stupid UMNO.
#18 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Wednesday, 31 July 2013 - 8:35 am
What yhsiew said is correct.
In fact lee kuan yew then said JB was (still is today) like a cowboy town.
And what was umno’s and (yes yes) mca’s reaction? Remember? They were foaming at their mouths and burning singapore flags etc etc in protest.
Poor lee kuan yew had to apologise.
And today lee kuan yew has been proven more than correct. Not only JB is a cowboy town, the whole country has turned into a nation of cowboys.
Guess who is having his last laugh?
he he he he
Hoi cintanegara dengar tak?
#19 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Wednesday, 31 July 2013 - 8:41 am
And one more thing.
My condolence to najadi’s family.
Now that he is dead let me say this. Actually, his incident has done us a great favour. We really do need a high profile murder case to awaken umno (and zahidi) from their slumber.
Teoh beng hock’s case and sanjeevan’s case were supposed to be more than enough to wake them up. Alas, these are opposition ppl. So umno would not bother.
Hopefully, najadi’s shooting could open some eyes.
#20 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 31 July 2013 - 9:03 am
IPCMC will help check black sheep amongst police custodial deaths etc but will it help mitigate rising shootings by contract killings by hired guns willing to do it for less than RM1000/- C4 of Altantuya or the rising sex (rape incest etc), property crimes, robberies, and snatch thieves? We look for fire fighting measures (whether IPMC or having tougher laws to empower police) cos we know we can’t solve the root causes of the rising crime at source.
Another thing about recent spate of hired gun killings: more and more people are resolving their grievances against another by hiring guns to do the job. Guns are available to these criminals. They are willing to do it for a paltry sum! In time to come it is not just resolving using such means to resolve business grievances but political differences as well!
#21 by Loh on Wednesday, 31 July 2013 - 3:23 pm
Some politicians deserve to die a thousand times. I just wonder why nobody take on them.
#22 by Jim55 on Thursday, 1 August 2013 - 4:26 pm
Dear Y.B. LKS
Long ago, I read some where about the set-up (organizational structure) of our PDRM. It was noted that many police force are very much on administrative duties/jobs.
Many police personnel would like to be traffic police especially those that being assigned to set-up speed traps! For obvious reasons.
Police contingent that handles crime and being in the field patrolling are not many.
I think besides the IPCMC implementation, the organizational structure of our PDRM may have to be studied carefully to deliver the desirable objectives.