By S Arutchelvan
INSPECTOR-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador has clearly stated, “The matter (transfer of senior police officers) should be carried out by me as the IGP in which the law states that the command and control, regulating the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is my responsibility.”
The latest revelation that the Home Minister is interfering in the running of the police force is serious and gives an impression that there is some kind of power struggle within the police force; and the Home Minister and the IGP is at odds against each other.
Last month the IGP accused that there is cartel out to destroy the police force and trying to overthrow him. He also said that he wants to clean the police force from these policemen who seems to be involved in crime and who do not want to repent themselves.
For any government, when the IGP himself declares there is a cartel to destroy the force, it would have called for an inquiry or a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) urgently on the matter because it involves one of the most powerful Institution in the country.
Here it seems that the Government of the day is quite cool about this and believes this issue can be resolved internally. If it could have been resolved internally, then why is the IGP going to the media to raise his grievances.
Now we have an even more serious situation where transfer order from the IGP is halted by the Home Minister?
The transfer is most likely linked to the cartel and some parties may feel threatened by it. This action by the Home Minister seems to suggest that the IGP’s action is not going on well with the Government.
With the absence of an independent bill (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission [IPCMC]), PSM (Parti Sosialis Malaysia) calls for the Prime Minister to set up a RCI to save the police force and to get to the bottom of this whole mess.
Time is running out for the IGP and our nation. – April 11, 2021
S Arutchelvan is the deputy chairperson of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
