When PDRM threatened to vote opposition

If the IPCMC is formed, he (then Association of Gazetted Senior Police's head ACP Jamaludin Khalid) warned that the police will vote for the opposition in the next general election due 2009 and turn to the opposition to ask them to "fight for police rights in Parliament".

– Malaysiakini report 

This of course was in 2006 when the PDRM took the unprecedented step in waging a very public relations war on the proposal to set up an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). 

The fact that the police force's big cheeses threatened to vote “opposition” because the BN government was seriously considering these proposals should tell us something about the politics in this country.

It sounds ridiculous, right, that the PDRM would vote for the opposition which (at that time) was clamouring for reform and would no doubt support the IPCMC proposal. But this is Malaysia where anything is possible and who knows what may have happened if the BN government actually went ahead with these proposals.

In that special edition bulletin (which readers will discover was contentious only because various proxies were either trying to disavow or claim ownership), one of the points against the setting up of the IPCMC was this:

"Let the politicians be aware that they will eventually lose powers, control and influence over a neutral, professional and people-centred police (as suggested by the Royal Police Commission)."

Of course, this is a strange point to make if one was really interested in the proposition that the state security apparatus should be neutral. If neutrality was indeed the goal, independent commissions not beholden to political interests would be desired as opposed to political operatives whose motives would always be questioned.

However, it is an interesting point, because the top brass of the PDRM then and now seem to think political interference is beneficial to public order. 

Two days ago, Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin claimed that there was absolutely no evidence there was a cartel operating within the PDRM. He proclaimed that investigations carried out by the PDRM told him so. 

Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin

Hamzah also said that to ensure transparency, an investigation would also be carried out by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), which the PDRM supports by the way. This just goes to show you that the point made by the PDRM about political operatives losing power if there was an IPCMC was, well, on point.

Hamzah by the way is not only the politician in the “our boy” recording but was also accused by former inspector-general Abdul Hamid Bador of using the special branch for his political purposes.

Hamid said: "I was informed the MDN (Menteri Dalam Negeri) forced the Special Branch to conduct a number of operations for his own political purpose. I cannot reveal the operations as every Special Branch operation is secret but suffice to say that the objective of the operation does not suit the Special Branch's national security mandate." 

So here is a former Special Branch head, who former IGP Abdul Rahim Noor (a man with the baggage of his own) said - "is an intelligence officer through and through. It is in his blood. As a boss, I never had any doubts about him. The interest and security of the country were always uppermost for him. He was dedicated to the Special Branch. He would do everything to safeguard its inte­grity, image and dignity” - when Hamid was sidelined during the height of the 1MDB fiasco, making the claim that the Home Ministry was installing his man to the Special Branch after he was rebuffed by the current bosses. 

You have a top cop of the country and former Special Branch head making extremely severe allegations against not only the PDRM but also a sitting minister and the government of the day chooses to do nothing. 

Allegations continuously brushed aside

Furthermore, these allegations like the host of other allegations against the state security apparatus, are continuously brushed aside as nothing more than hearsay and speculation. 

This is exactly what former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad (twice) said about the Suhakam report on the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat, where they blamed the state security apparatus for the disappearances.

Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat

Of course, people like Hamzah do not care how this looks. The current government, indeed even the previous Pakatan Harapan government, which tabled the bill but pulled it, care more about maintaining their power over the state security apparatus than reforming the institution. 

Of course, when anomalies like Hamid happen, he is either vilified as partisan or merely dismissed but nobody wants to investigate his claims, because everyone knows where it will lead.

It will lead to the dismantling and reconstituting of the state security apparatus, which is riddled with corruption, human rights violations and political malfeasances. 

Nobody, certainly not the political class which has benefited from it, wants to change this state of play. Besides, as they did in 2006 threatening to vote for the “opposition” means that there will be a coalition which would “listen” to the grievances of the PDRM.

Keep in mind that the default position of the state security apparatus and the political class is that (1) all reports of malfeasances are fabrications, and (2) show us proof. 

The reality is that as exposed by the detailed Special Branch report on the corruption of our border security personnel that “… the Special Branch has passed information on corrupt border enforcers to the relevant agencies, but no action has been taken.”

In the Copgate example, do you really think that political operatives in the establishment were in the dark? Keep in mind that the then home minister Hishammuddin Hussein said: "Prove it, prove it. If they prove it, we can take action." Unfortunately for him, there was proof under his nose, as detailed here.

So again, what are we dealing with here? We are dealing with the collusion between the political class and the state security apparatus. 

This is why there is really nothing to be said about any efforts by any coalitions to reform the state security apparatus. 

As long as there is no independent oversight, the state security apparatus and the political class will continue colluding and merely change positions depending on whose "boy" is put in positions of power.

The good news is that I doubt the PDRM will ever threaten to vote opposition again because these days, you never really know who is in the opposition. - Mkini

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.