Media Statement (2) by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Monday, 17^th August 2009: 

Hishammuddin cannot be more wrong as whether Musa’s service as IGP is renewed or not will illustrate whether the top government leadership has ended denial syndrome and finally woken up to the seriousness of the endemic crime situation

Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein is right and to be commended for publicly acknowledging that DAPSY Chief and MP for Rasah Anthony Loke was the victim of a baseless attack that he had insulted Islam and the royalty as he had made a police report that he had nothing to do with the blog that was implicated.

He is however wrong when he implied that whether Tan Sri Musa Hussein’s contract as Inspector-General of Police is renewed, which has yet to be decided, was not as important as ensuring that the public accepted the police force –that this is not just dependent on the position of one man.

This is because whether public confidence in the efficiency, incorruptibility, professionalism of the Malaysian police to be of a world-class standard capable of performing its three core functions to keep crime low, eradicate corruption and protect human rights will hinge on whether there is going to be a new Inspector-General Police to start the police on a new page together with a new Home Minister.

In fact, on the question of whether there is going to be a new Inspector General of Police will hinge on public perception whether Hishammuddin as the new Home Minister is going to be part of the solution or part of the problem of endemic crime in Malaysia.

Hishammuddin cannot therefore be more wrong as whether Musa’s service as IGP is renewed or not will illustrate whether the top government leadership has ended denial syndrome and finally woken up to the seriousness of the endemic crime situation.

This question has been further underlined by the article today in Malaysian Insider by the Barisan Nasional MP for Pulai, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed entitled “The Royal Malaysian Police farce” who stated his loss of confidence in the police after his wife was mugged in broad daylight in her car at the front gate of their house at Damansara Heights in Kuala Lumpur by two men on a motor-cycle.

Nur Jazlan writes of public scepticism and distrust of police statistics and claims that reported crime in the country is down, and the feedback he gets from the public in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru that crime is on the rise in their neighbourhood.

What is surprising is that Barisan Nasional leaders have yet to fully wake up to the endemic crime in the country until they become, personally or through members of their family, victims of galloping crime – which is becoming more and more frequent.

I am glad that Nur Jazlan has finally come around to the view that the time has come for a new IGP, as Musa has failed after being given three years to transform the police force and restore people’s confidence.

I am also glad that he is of the view that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should emulate his father, third Prime Minister Tun Razak “in catapulting a junior officer like Tun Haniff Omar to the top position of IGP to shake up the police force”. Haniff was 35 years old when he was appointed the nation’s top cop.

But the strongest and latest reason why there should be a new IGP is Musa’s total silence on the Home Ministry’s website poll last month with the following findings:

• 97% or 9,729 out of 10,060 respondents felt unsafe because of the high crime rate, with only 1% or 89 respondents felt safe and 2% or 242 respondents in the “uncertain” category.

• 95% or 8,883 out of 9,319 respondents felt that the safety of the people was not guaranteed as compared to 3% or 248 respondents who felt it was still guaranteed, with 2% or 188 respondents in the “uncertain” category.

• 94% or 8,743 out of 9,261 respondents felt that government had not done its best to ensure that the safety of the people was at the best level with 2% or 185 respondents felt that the government had done its best, and 4% or 333 persons “uncertain”?

The greatest national service Musa can perform is to take himself out of the consideration for renewal of his contract to allow for a new start to be made by a new IGP to revamp the entire police force to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police force capable of fulfilling the three core police functions to keep crime low, eradicate corruption and protect human rights.

Will Musa respond to the call to national service to withdraw his name from any consideration for renewal of his contract as IGP when his term expires on 13th September?

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor