KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 – Pakatan Rakyat leaders said today they were unimpressed with the announcement of a new Inspector-General of Police to replace Tan Sri Musa Hassan, ridiculing it as the government’s obligatory “goodbye present” to Tan Sri Ismail Omar.PR coordinator Datuk Zaid Ibrahim pointed out that at 57, Ismail himself (picture, right) was already in his senior years and would have to retire even before he could perform as an effective IGP.
“What is the point of appointing someone who himself will probably have to retire in what, a year? How long can this Tan Sri go on?” he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted today.
Zaid said the whole purpose of the transition should be to ensure that the new IGP would be able to make a difference in the police force.
“The point is to allow new people to take over so that they can actually work and make a difference... the appointment is not to be given out as a goodbye present,” he said.
Zaid added that the position of an IGP was an important one and whomever given such a post should work hard to leave a marked improvement in the service.
“This is why I believe that when a civil servant reaches retirement, he should not be given too many extensions simply to ensure that he survives.
“What should be done is that he should be given a sufficient number of years to take on the post... not to extend his tenure, unless in exceptional situations,” he said.
He added that with the public’s low perception of the police force, the government badly needed to appoint a person of good calibre to take on the post, not someone who would “do favours for them”.
“We need new blood at the helm of the service... we need someone who can make an impact. Look at (former IGP) Tun Hanif Omar. He made an impact because he was given enough time to prove himself as the IGP,” he said.
Zaid quipped however that although Ismail was already due for retirement himself, it would not be a difficult task for him to be better than his predecessor.
“It is not too difficult to be better than Musa Hassan (picture, left),” he said, laughing.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein announced yesterday that Musa’s contract would not be renewed this year after it expires on September 12 and would be replaced by his current deputy Ismail.
Musa, who had his contract extended twice, leaves under a cloud as he had come into office with a Mr Clean reputation but now leaves amid allegations of wrongdoing.
The police force under Musa is also seen now as ineffective and demoralised.
PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad claimed that as Ismail was already close to retirement, he would be “beholden to the powers that be”, in order to secure himself an extension when his tenure expires.
“He is only two years younger than Musa Hassan and since he is already in his twilight days in the service, he would likely be hard-up for an extension and would be beholden to the powers that be,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Dzulkefly said that the appointment of someone to a post as important as the IGP should be made by giving priority to the integrity of the institution.
“We wsh to believe that the institution is more important than the person but we do not see this in Malaysia. Somehow here, the number one person who is running the institution tends to dictate everything.
“We see this in the judiciary, the police force, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and others. It is extremely unfortunate for us to have a system that is not built on the importance of check and balance,” he said.
Dzulkefly said however that if Ismail was truly a person of “sterling character”, he should use his next two years to turn the force around and build a name for himself.
“Looking at the perception of the people in the police force, Ismail is in the best position right now. Like I said, if he is hard-up for the extension of his term, he will kowtow to the executive but if he truly wants to transform the force, he can do it in the next two years,” he said.
He however noted that this had not been proven by Ismail’s predecessors.
“All of them just end up doing some apple polishing. So all we experience is on how they put the force into disrepute,” he said.
Dzulkefly also called on Ismail to immediately revisit the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission Report in 2005 and review the 125 recommendations it had made to create a more efficient police force.
This was echoed by DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, who urged Ismail to consider the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), which was one of the recommendations.
“There is an opportunity now for the police to start anew to restore confidence in the integrity and professionalism of the force. He should take into account all the recommendations made by the royal commission and focus on the three functions, which is to reduce crime, fight corruption and uphold human rights,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Lim noted that if Ismail failed to revitalise the force, it would bring greater effect to the public’s confidence in the police.
“The DAP and the PR will be willing to work with the new IGP and we hope that he too would be prepared to work with all groups and sectors in order to bring about democratic policing in the country,” he said. - The Malaysian Insider
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