#kerajaangagal16 – Musa Hassan should know that just because a wrong was committed in the past, it should not be allowed to continue and the simple truism that two wrongs do not make a right

I do not know what the former Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hasan is trying to do or say.

He said there was nothing new in politicians interfering with police affairs as it has happened even during his tenure as Inspector-General of Police which disrupted police operations.

He told Utusan Malaysia: “During my time, there were politicians who asked the police to release their gang members and there were also those who gave instructions to state police chiefs without my knowledge.

“These political interferences in investigations have occurred to the point it disrupted investigations.”

Musa Hassan had failed as Inspector-General of Police in not stopping such political interference with police functions, which explained why the Royal Malaysian Police failed to become an independent, professional and world-class police force under him as IGP from 2006 to 2010 and before 2006 when he was Deputy IGP.

If Musa had acted against such abuses and malpractices when he was Deputy IGP and IGP or at least spoken up like Hamid Bador had done, it would not have taken such a long time for the Malaysian Police to become an efficient, ethical, independent, professional and world-class police force.

Let Musa declare whether he agrees that it is a gross abuse of power and even unconstitutional for the Chairman of the Police Force Commission, who is the Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin, to usurp the powers and duties of the IGP to decide on the appointment of senior police officers.

Musa Hassan should know that just because a wrong was committed in the past, it should not be allowed to continue and the simple truism that two wrongs do not make a right.

One reason why Malaysia cannot fulfil the Malaysian Dream of Malaysia as a world-class great nation and was in decline and regression in the last half a century, with one country after another overtaking us, was because top office-holders were oblivious to such simple truths.

Was Musa Hassan’s appointment as IGP had anything to do with such abuses of power and political interference?

I may be wrong, but Musa’s greatest achievement in his whole life was the unforgettable image he gave to Malaysians of a semen-stained mattress being carried in and out of court every day during Anwar Ibrahim’s first trumped-up trial for sodomy in 1998.

It is a special irony that during his time as IGP and Deputy IGP, we had a Prime Minister who started his premiership with flying colours, setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry on Police Reforms, chaired by former Chief Justice, Tun Dzaiddin and with the former IGP, Tun Hanif Omar as deputy chairmen.

It was this Royal Commission which proposed in 2014 which recommended the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

If the IPCMC had been set up, A. Ganapathy would not have died in police custody, as the IPCMC was proposed to end deaths in police custody.

Now, Ganapathy’’s family lawyer K Ganesh said a reward RM10,000 for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Ganapathy’s death, whether directly or indirectly.

The reward was being put up by an anonymous contributor who was allegedly once a victim of police brutality too.

Looking back, Musa cannot deny his major role in leading the police to oppose the IPCMC proposal, until it is still not implemented after 17 years.

The Pakatan Harapan Government was on the verge of setting up the IPCMC when it was toppled from power by the Sheraton Move conspiracy which ushered in an incompetent, backdoor, undemocratic, kakistocratic and illegitimate government.

Does Musa regret leading the police opposition to the IPCMC when he was Deputy IGP and later IGP for four years, as it would be a major step in transforming the Royal Malaysian Police into an independent, professional and world-class police force?

Does Musa agree that the entire Muhyiddin Cabinet should now read or re-read the Royal Commission Report on Police Reforms and its 125 recommendations which was presented to the Yang di Pertuan Agong on April 29, 2005?

Let us all be reminded of the following two findings of the Police Royal Commission:

• “Compliance with prescribed laws and human rights standards. Malaysian law generally complies with the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Federal Constitution and police procedures laid down in the Inspector-General Standing Orders (IPSO) also generally conform to human rights requirements. However, the Commission’s findings are that there is extensive and consistent abuse of human rights in the implementation of these laws and standing orders by PDRM personnel. This has added to the erosion of integrity in the police service and further undermined the trust of the public in this important institution.” (p. 4)
• “The culture of impunity: Of growing concern around the world is the ‘culture of impunity’ within police forces and PDRM is not exempted. The combination of individual and systemic acts of corruption and a lack of transparency and oversight leads to a police culture held accountable by neither internal nor external checks.
• “A culture of impunity feeds on itself. When officers act in contravention of laws and regulations without fear or investigation or reprimand, the culture of impunity begins to develop. Each wrongdoing that is not investigated or punished or is supported by higher ranks within the police leadership, leads to the perception that such misconduct is permissible. (p. 122)”

Does Musa now support IGP Hamid Bador’s success in achieving a consensus among the police consenting to the formation of an IPCMC after a meeting of some 20 top police officers with the Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC) director-general Ab Kassim Mohamaed in May 2019?

Malaysia’s 13th IGP, Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, will start his duties tomorrow. What is his stand on IPCMC?