I wrote a letter to Malaysiakini titled IPCMC: Pak Lah must strike now yesterday because I was surprised to note that no other Malaysiakini reader or even opposition personalities had raised the unbelievably shocking position taken by the Royal Malaysian Police.
The DAP did in some ways, but missed the disgraceful admittance of the police that it had been supporting and still wants to, the Barisan Nasional (BN), provided the BN rejects the IPCMC. The DAP's argument has been more about the police opposition to the IPCMC per se.
Well, the IGP has been hopping mad that when he found out his and other senior police officers' hardline and arrogant positions vis-a-vis the IPCMC in a report he had approved for internal circulation had been posted on the police website. Or so as it had been claimed (that he was red-faced about the posting).
Two things!
One - He might have denied he had given consent for it to be placed on the website, but can anyone believe that such a confrontational feral stand by the police force, unprecedented in our nation or for that matter, any democracy, could be put up on its website without a big OK by the top brass?
Mohd Bakri Omar, the IGP, postured: "I want to know who put it up" and when suggested that he had been the one who gave the consent, said: "What? That is a wild allegation."
Maybe he had read of my instigation to have him immediately sacked ;-) but lo and behold, night before last the posting had quickly been removed from the police website. And to add drama (or credibility) to the disgraceful, disrespectful and disturbing admission cum threat by the police, the police webmaster did not turn up for work day before yesterday, supposedly for fear of being reprimanded. Or is it a sandiwara (theatrics) to convince the PM that he had been the culprit (or nominated scapegoat)?
The police spin now is that the posting had been a blunder, caused by miscommunication between federal police public relations officer Superintendent Mohamad Daud, who is also the chief editor for the publication, and the webmaster.
Mohamad said that the special publication was for internal circulation and not for the public. It has been revealed that the IGP had consented to the publication of the report but the police now claim he only wanted the booklet distributed among police personnel.
Yeah, right!
Two – it doesn’t matter whether the report in the police bulletin had been for internal circulation. It was still a threat cum admission of unprecedented dimension, that of a supposedly impartial public service body admitting to biased action in support of a political party, and threatening the master it serves to discard the IPCMC as a quid pro quo.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng criticised the police threats of its work-to-rule and en bloc resignation consequences if the IPCMC is established:
“By threatening to allow crime to rise is utterly irresponsible and a complete surrender of the moral and legal authority of the police."
“Those who can even entertain allowing crime to rise and put property and public safety at risk as a mark of protest should either resign or be sacked for such selfish and anti-national interests attitude.”
“Abdullah must act quickly to regain the initiative over his agenda of anti-corruption, transparency, accountability and good governance by ending the open police ‘revolt’ so as to regain control of the police force.”
Meanwhile his dad Lim Kit Siang noted PAS’ evasive stand in relation to the IPCMC. He asked PAS: “Is PAS for or against it?”
Lim Senior mentioned the police unprecedented threat to support the opposition in the 2009 general election. He asked of PAS:
“The question is, which opposition would the police throw their votes in support if the IPCMC is set up, if all opposition parties are clear and categorical in their support for the IPCMC?”
“Is this the reason why recently, PAS’ stand on the IPCMC seemed to have become quite wobbly in the hope of benefitting from a police swing against the PM, Barisan Nasional and UMNO over the issue?”
Lim said all opposition parties, PAS in particular, must take a clear and unequivocal stand on the issue and stop the police from becoming a feral force. He said political parties must hold the police beyond accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance principles.
Contacted today, PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa evaded the issue by declining to comment except to promise a response later after referring to party officials. Why can't he, a deputy president of a party that claims to be for justice and godly rule, say something that's quite clear as to good governance, that the IPCMC must be established?
Looks like PAS is not above prostituting its principles in the hope of police support in 2009. What a whore! What a harlot!
As I wrote in my letter to Malaysiakini, the police arrogance may yet turn into a blessing in disguise for an increasingly unpopular PM Abdullah Badawi. It's ironical that he has been presented with a God-sent opportunity to redeem himself.
If he tames the feral Malaysian police force by immediately sacking the IGP and the top layer of police officers, he could well be another Truman or Sadat - dull 'deputies' who took over from flashy flamboyant predecessors, but who by a fate of history became world or outstanding national leaders in their own rights.
Fate indeed has presented Abdullah Badawi with this crucial moment in his career. Will he seize this momentous opportunity gratefully? I fear not!
Oh, do please simmer down and don't waste your emotions over things that you can't change, Mr Ktemoc. As a well-read and street-wise, sophisticated blogger you'd surely know that politicians and pimps share more than just the initial letter "p". That is to say, a highly successful and effective pimp can effortlessly segue over to transition into a highly successful and effective politician, and vice versa of course. The type of qualities and character that is found in a successful pimp is also exactly the kind of qualities required of a politician, namely, the ability to tell a whopping lie while looking deeply into your eyes with utmost sincerity (remember the tale of the WMD and Iraq) and the ability to coolly sell out one's comrades if it is advantageous to do so, and much more!
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