'Jangan kurang ajar', where is Guan Eng's picture: Police must be more professional

JUST who should the police be subservient or loyal to? Are they above the law? Who pays their salaries?

If your answer is Barisan Nasional (BN) or Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, you are wrong on all counts. And you, like the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and his men, should all go back to primary school and study the basics to understand the laws of the country and to respect them.

What am I talking about?

Well, I took my father to lodge an accident report at the traffic police department in Penang’s Datuk Keramat police station on Jan 26.

I could not help notice at the reception counter, hung on the wall, appropriately, are the photographs of our Yang di-Pertuan Agong and his consort. Next to the King is the photograph of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. All fine and good to show our respect to our King, Queen and prime minister.

However, there was no photograph of the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. The space occupied by the photograph of Dr Koh Tsu Koon, before the 2008 general election, is bare.

Deliberate?

Is this a deliberate show of disrespect for the duly elected Chief Minister or a blatant disregard for the laws of the country and the people’s democratic rights.

I say point blank to the police and the IGP: Behave appropriately and jangan kurang ajar sama rakyat dan undang-undang (don’t be rude to the people and the laws of the country).

Police, like all civil servants of the country, are paid by law-abiding taxpayers (the rakyat) to serve the rakyat. Not BN, Pakatan Rakyat, political parties or politicians.

Civil servants, rightly, are expected to be apolitical, loyal to the people whom they serve. They should respect the democratic rights and wishes of the people. They must serve and respect the government of the day!

The federal government of the day is Barisan Nasional. The prime minister is Umno's Najib Razak.

The government of the day in Penang is Pakatan Rakyat. The chief minister is DAP's Lim Guan Eng.

Be professional

Civil servants, especially the police, please don’t lose your head to the mindless propaganda and brainwashing by the BN. Worst still, behave like running dogs and showing blind support that they do not deserve.

You are expected to help the elected government of the day to govern and the government of the day is elected by the rakyat via the ballot boxes once every five years or earlier.

Malaysia will head for disaster - politically, socially and economically - if the people cannot understand such a simple or basic law of the country.

Please remember that the government of the day in Malaysia – whether state or federal – is only valid for a maximum five years. Upon expiry of the elected term of office, they are just like any individual rakyat. That is the law. Respect it.

Failing to show respect for the law is to turn this country into a lawlessness battleground of misery and sufferings.

For now, I certainly hope it is just an oversight – since 2008 -on the part of the Datuk Keramat police station administration that it has displayed disrespect for the rakyat’s choice of Penang Chief Minister.

The Penang police chief and IGP must take the blame, act immediately and accord the protocol that is due to the leaders elected by the rakyat.

This is the only way to restore the confidence of the rakyat on the police force that is expected to serve the rakyat’s interest – not the interest of politicians or political parties.

Jackson Ng is a Retired Journalist