What's AAB up to, extending Musa Hassan's service?

Musa Hassan gets two-year extension, screamed malaysiakini – wow!

In case you don’t know who Musa Hassan is, it’s our dear Inspector General of Police (IGP), whom the Attorney General had recently cleared of corruption allegations raised by none other than the Deputy Minister of Internal Security. I blogged on this in Corruption allegations - AG more like Defence Attorney?

The online news portal reported: “Just three weeks after he was cleared by the attorney-general over allegations of corruption, Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan was today rewarded with a two-year contract to extend his stint as the country's top cop.”

“Musa faced Anti-Corruption Agency probe since June 18 on claims that he took RM2 million in bribe to free three criminal suspects held under the Emergency Ordinance.”

“However on July 27, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail ordered the ACA to close its investigation into the allegation.”

It must be a mark of the PM concurrently the Minister of Internal Security’s ‘confidence’ in him that the contract was extended, though not entirely unpredictable despite and inspite of the controversies surroounding Musa Hassan - hmmm, maybe ‘understandable’ as the ruling par.. government wants a steady hand at the helm of the law enforcers in the fast approaching general election.

Of course a man, even one in such a position as the IGP, is always innocent until proven innoce.. guilty. And therefore we must not judge the extension of his service on these mere allegations which our superb AG had dismissed.

In fact, as malaysiakini pointed out, the AG ordered the ACA to close its investigation into the allegation. The dear AG issued this instruction even though he had/has diddly squat authority to instruct the ACA – such has been the AG’s confidence in the IGP's innocence that he (the AG) was willing to ignore proper lines of command and control - 11 out of 10 for sheer initiative.

Please also read my earlier post AG - millstone around government's neck in election?, where an unfriendly and difficult Lim Guan Eng, the DAP secretary-general, asked the AG to make public the investigation papers into Musa Hassan, to prove that a thorough probe had been conducted in accordance with the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability.

We heard also from malaysiakini that Transparency International Malaysia, an anti-corruption watchdog, has demanded full public disclosure of the basis for the government’s (meaning the AG, Gani Patail’s) dismissal of corruption allegations against two high ranking officials, one of whom has been the IGP.

Has anyone heard of the AG responding to the requests by Mr Lim’s and Transparency International Malaysia?

NO? Hmmm, ………….

But let’s examine the merit of the extension on other grounds, and never those allegations which the AG has courageously threw out of the window and ORDERED the ACA to cease and desist its investigation, despite his lacking said authority to do so.

Since Musa Hassan assumed the position of IGP, the crime rate hasn’t improved. In fact it has become worse. On performance alone, I wonder why the PM/Internal Security Minsiter has seen fit to extend Musa’s service?

Secondly, it’s known that he can’t get along with Johari Baharum, the Deputy Minister of Internal Security, an unworkable situation in Internal Security, where malaysiakini has reported the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) is now divided, with loyalties of police officers spilt between Johari Baharum and Musa Hassan.

Surely that’s not an acceptable working situation. PM AAB must get rid of one of them to ensure there is unity of command in the RMP. And the PM must also explain why he has not foreseen this impossibly monumental problem.

The IGP is such an important and sensitive position that the candidate must never ever be tainted, even by the dismissed allegations because of their magnitude.

I know, you know, everone knows, even the AG knows, and the PM must know, that Musa Hassan is sweetly innocent, but as mentioned, the IGP is a bit like the position of the ACA Chief, in that he or she must not only be lilywhite clean but must be perceived by the public as being lilywhite clean.

Yes, it’s not fair to dear innocent him but public confidence is of paramount importance, especially more so when Musa Hassan would not be disadvantaged if his service wasn't extended as he was due for retirement anyway - I am sure he understands.

As mentioned, he was due for retirement, so why court unnecessary controversy by extending his service when there are equally capable senior police officers waiting in the wing to take over.

And in the ultimate analysis, surely, if the crime rates have gotten worse under Musa Hassan, let’s bid him selamat bersara (happy retirement) and inject some fresh blood into the police leadership to tackle an issue of grave importance to our people.