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HOME Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has admitted that it was his voice in the audio recording that discussed the selection of police directors and state police chiefs. Although the home minister said there was nothing wrong with it, any right-thinking person could tell his conduct was ethically and administratively wrong.
Some of the comments he made in the audio recording were highly obnoxious and he must be censured.
He is heard to have said that the inspector-general of police (IGP) only needs to present a list of senior officers for the top posts, and unlike previously, the final decision is “we will decide”, which presumably means decided by the minister.
Although Article 140 of the federal constitution gives the chairman of the Police Force Commission to the home minister, it does not mean he has absolute power to make decisions on promotions and appointments.
By convention, the IGP has much say because he knows his men well and his views should be respected. What does the minister know about discipline and police personnel management? A minister comes and goes. Politicians may be prone to cronyism and nepotism. Whereas those in uniform are known for their integrity and they readily sacrifice and risk their lives in the line of duty.
We are reminded of the 2013 Lahad Datu incident, a black mark in the history of our security forces that brought shame. Any veterans or even current serving officers of reasonably high-rank will agree. The then defence and home ministers had blundered. They behaved like generals calling the shots instead of allowing the generals on the ground to do their jobs.
In the audio recording Hamzah makes clear his intention of promoting “orang kita” and “budak kita” for senior positions in the police force. This is utter abandonment of the principles of good governance where promotions should be on merit and not based on cronyism or from one’s own state or to please the royalty. Referring to senior police officers as “budak” is also an insult to all those in uniform. The ranks of senior police officers are given by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Most are still well respected long after their retirement. A minister is a nobody the moment he leaves office.
There is hierarchy in rank in the security forces. The lower-rankers respect and take orders from those above. For the military, in war, if a commander orders his subordinates to sacrifice their lives in a do-or-die mission, the officers and men will follow his orders. They fight for their commander and for the king. Calling their commanders ‘budak” is an unpardonable insult. This insult is equally felt by the men and women in the entire police force.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin must fire Hamzah for his insult, insolence and disregard for statutory functions of the police force. Retaining him gives the impression that ministers in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government are free to act above the law with total disregard to principles and conventions of good governance. It also means that the PN government is not serious about rooting out corruption.
With regards to the board of the Police Force Commission, Patriot is of the view that its membership needs reviewing. The federal constitution provides for up to six members to be appointed by the king. Instead of appointing retired police officers, the police directors should be appointed. – The Vibes, May 1, 2021
Brig Gen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji is president of the National Patriots’ Association (Patriot)