“Ayob, who previously led Bukit Aman’s counter-terrorism division, also claimed that some police officers had tried to persuade him to close one eye on wrongdoings just before he took over the post of Johor police chief in 2020.”
– As reported in the press
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay’s recent presser was a real barn burner, not that anyone especially from the political class was paying much attention.
In it, the deputy IGP claimed amongst other things, that forces were attempting to replace him, and that he was told during his tenure in Johor by other police officers to turn a blind eye to wrongdoings.
He also claimed that other top police officers were in the crosshairs of forces wanting to replace them with “their people” and of course, he reminded the big cheeses within the police that “good cultures” among the men in blue begin with them practising integrity.
In any other democratic country, the words of the deputy IGP would invite a torrent of journalistic investigations and political enquiries. However, this seems to have gone unnoticed because nothing goes on within the Royal Malaysian Police that is not sanctioned even if it is a fait accompli by the political class.
I do not make this statement flippantly although anyone who has served in the state security apparatus would understand this.
All we have to do when it comes to the police is refer to a letter published by an anonymous police officer in 2012 discussing how the police massaged crime statistics.
The officer wrote: “The police came up with an ingenious way of achieving the target. The principle behind the plan is, well, if this is what the political masters want, then we shall give it to them.”
You can read a rebuttal of the letter from the police here.
This letter came out in 2012 when we witnessed the power plays between two former high-ranking police officers which no doubt crosses from the bureaucratic to criminal if the allegations and counter-allegations are to be believed.
It also highlights the shadowy nexus between organised crime and law enforcement with added racial overtones, which is naturally par for the course in this country.
In this power play between two high-ranking former police officers, 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 in this news report.
Earlier this year comments by Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department chief Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain of the nexus between the police and organised crime indicates how dysfunctional our state security apparatus is.
When the top brass of any organisation in the state security apparatus feels compelled to speak out publicly, citizens of the country should take notice. Organised crime and the police are unfortunately not mutually exclusive.
Political, bureaucratic dimension
I get that some folks are scratching their heads as to why those officers found to be in collusion with criminal elements would be transferred and denied promotions instead of being charged.
As Shuhaily warned, it is because there is a political and bureaucratic dimension to this issue and in most cases, the only punitive options are the ones presented by the CID chief.
If you think all this is bad, never forget about the mass graves of Wang Kelian. Keep in mind that Special Branch reports highlighted in the press claimed that 80 percent of law enforcement and security officers at Malaysian borders are corrupt.
"The enemy we have to fight is one that operates as an institution. We are dealing with institutionalised corruption so deeply entrenched that expecting internal discipline is like asking the chief crook to rat out on his runners," a Special Branch officer had said.
And what did then home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi do when 12 police personnel were detained for their role in the mass graves of Wang Kelian? Well, Zahid said that there was no evidence and released them.
To understand the political dimensions the state security apparatus operates in, all we have to do is refer to the interview former IGP Abdul Hamid Bador gave Malaysiakini and the “our boy” fiasco instigated by the current opposition chief and former home minister Hamzah Zainudin.
Keep in mind that it was Hamid who made allegations against the then home minister regarding the “our boy” recording and, not to mention the cartel, which he claimed he had under control but in reality brought him down.
Hamid accusing Hamzah of political interference was merely the cherry on the manure cake as far as the former IGP’s accusations that he was being targeted by a cartel whose aim was to take him down.
The fact that he was replaced demonstrates that, unlike IGPs of the past who jealously guarded their position with the aid of political backers, it is obvious that for whatever reasons, Hamid did not have this safety net.
Who knows how the situation will play out now? The irony of course is that everything Ayob Khan said in that presser is everything that has been chronicled in the press for the past decades. Nobody listened then and I doubt anyone is listening now.
Ultimately “our boys” always win. - Mkini
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.
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