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Tan Sri Musa Hassan Must Explain Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Serious Allegations That Malaysia Is A Police State When It Is Police Not UMNO Leaders Call Up UMNO Branches Not To Invite Mahathir As A Speaker.


Media Statement

by Lim Guan Eng



(Petaling JayaMonday): Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan must explain Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s serious.allegations that Malaysia is a police state when it is police not UMNO leaders call up UMNO leaders not to invite Mahathir as a speaker. Mahathir  claimed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has turned Malaysia into a police state, saying he is being prevented from publicly airing his grievances toward the government. Mahathir said, "The habit of asking police to frighten people should be stopped. At least 10 invitations from UMNO branches were withdrawn following calls from police ordering them not to invite Mahathir to speak."

 

Allegations of Malaysia being a police state from a former Prime Minister are contrary to Abdullah’s intentions of curbing abuses of power and corruption within the police force. DAP regrets that Mahathir is only complaining about Malaysia being a police state after he has left office. These draconian laws and abuse of powers by the police are very much Mahathir’s creation when he was Prime Minister and it is ironical how the circle has turned with the tormentor becoming the victim.

 

To make the police more professional, new IGP Tan Sri Musa had  made a commitment to the public to fight crime especially the 3 priority areas of snatch thefts, armed robberies and drug trafficking. In his inaugural keynote address to all police chiefs and OCPDs on 13/9/2006, he spoke of the need to wipe out corruption to regain the good image of the force with clean, honest and trustworthy policemen.

 

Mahathir had shown that such objectives by the police to check rising crime remain a dream and empty promise when the powers of the police are abused for political intimidation. Tan Sri Musa should get the police to stop doing UMNO and BN’s dirty political work and concentrate on its duties in fighting crime. So long as the police fail to be professional, Malaysia will continue to be a lawless place with the crime index increasing and residents afraid to walk the streets or even feel safe in their own homes.

 

DAP suggests the Special Branch involved in doing the dirty political work be downsized and at least half of its 7,000 personnel transferred to fight crime. If Musa wants to save the police force from being a corrupt body unable to fight against snatch thefts, armed robberies and drug trafficking, then he has to support the 125 recommendations of the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), including increasing police salaries and setting up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission(IPCMC).

(23/10/2006)


* Lim Guan Eng,  Secretary-General of DAP

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