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Five prerequisites for Najib to demonstrate he has the political will to break the back of the problem of endemic crime which has given Malaysia an international notoriety of a nation where citizens, tourists and investors are not safe from crime

Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said yesterday that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib will announce on Monday details of the measures to fight crime under one of the six National Key Result Areas to be implemented in September.

Hishammuddin said the details to be announced by Najib would include the hot areas and crime statistics. Najib would also announce the co-operation to be effected with the non-police sector, such as the Attorney-General’s Chambers, courts and prisons.

In his “Hundred Days as PM” address on 11th July 2009, Najib announced a slew of goodies and pledged delivery of promises in six key areas, viz:

  • The prevention of crime;
  • The fight against corruption;
  • Access to quality education;
  • The improvement of the living standards for the lower income group;
  • Improvement of rural infrastructure;
  • Improvement of public transportation.

In less than a week, Najib’s KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Areas) in one of these six sectors, the fight against corruption, is in tatters and utterly discredited.

This is why the director of the Centre for Policy Initiatives Dr. Lim Teck Ghee has issued an Open Letter to the 41 members of the five Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) advisory board, committee and panels to resign collectively following the mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock at MACC headquarters last Thursday as Malaysians have lost faith in the MACC and the five watchdog or advisory committees.

As Lim said:

“I myself have lost faith with the MACC and I must also declare here, with the advisory bodies which you are members of.

“I know some of you personally – a few for many years now. Because you are honourable people and had good intentions when you agreed to serve, I strongly feel that the only way for you to redeem that lost honour and integrity when Teoh Beng Hock died under the custody of the MACC, is for you all to resign en bloc.

“I know that it may prove difficult for you to resign all alone by yourself given the long and vindictive reach of our political authorities in dealing with individual dissent.

“But as a group, that decision to resign should be a lot easier.

“Not only will you redeem that lost honour and integrity when you resign but your decision will – in my view – impact positively on the political consciousness of the nation at large.

“With your decision, we can console ourselves that during this period of finger pointing and blame deflecting, there is a group of leaders that is willing to shoulder responsibility personally when things they are entrusted with go horribly wrong.”

These are very strong words but all the 41 members of these five MACC committees, the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board, Special Committee on Corruption, Complaints Committee, Operations Review Panel and the Corruption Consultation and Prevention Panel must wrest with their individual conscience whether they are prepared to continue as “fig leaves attempting to cover up or justify the political agenda of an untrustworthy and disreputable agency”.

The dismal failure of one of Najib’s six key KPI/KRA areas is also the reason why veteran Umno/Barisan Nasional political leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has openly lambasted the MACC for becoming a “rogue” organisation, with a witness called up for queries ending up in a coffin as well as blasting the MACC for investigating minor cases while ignoring major examples of graft.

Actually, the rot of corruption and decadence has reached the highest levels of the seats of power in the country, as admitted by the MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat in a wide-ranging interview with Sin Chew Jit Poh last Thursday and in his Sunday speech, where he said high-level corruption and abuses of power have reached all the way to the Cabinet, and lamented that corruption has now emerged from the “darkness” into the open under the Najib premiership to do their evil work.

But both the MACC and Cabinet have closed their eyes and ears to pretend Ong had never made such serious allegations of worsening corruption in the country, reaching all the way to the Cabinet?

Four of the five scrutinising bodies of MACC held an emergency meeting yesterday and collectively called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh’s death.
But is this adequate? No, unless there is public confidence in the composition and terms of reference of the Royal Commission of Inquiry!

This is why in my Open Letter to the Prime Minister and all Cabinet Ministers last evening, I had stressed that the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh’s death must be the result of consultation with Pakatan Rakyat leaders with regard to its terms of reference and composition.

Furthermore, the Royal Commission of Inquiry should not be confined to investigating Teoh’s death but must be a wide-ranging remit to authorise a total review of MACC’s investigation procedures and its independence, professionalism and integrity particularly from political interferences and directions of the government-of-the-day.

Will Najib’s pledge to combat crime go the sorry way in the fight against corruption?
There are at least five prerequisites for Najib to demonstrate he has the political will to break the back of the problem of endemic crime which has given Malaysia an international notoriety of a nation where citizens, tourists and investors are not safe from crime, viz:

  • Appoint a new Inspector-General of Police to provide new police leadership to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional police service to carry out the three core police functions identified by the Dzaiddin Police Royal Police Commission, viz to keep crime low, to eradicate corruption and to protect human rights.

  • Name the capitals of crime in Malaysia, which will include Johor Baru, Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, and the time-line to get rid of endemic crime in these capitals;

  • Ensure that the Home Minister is personally answerable to Parliament for the war against crime, with a progress report at every parliamentary meeting followed by a debate;

  • Revive and establish the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as proposed by the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission, after suitable amendments; and

  • Establish an all-party Parliamentary Select Committee on Police and Crime to issue half-yearly reports on the police and crime situation in the country.

21 Replies to “Five prerequisites for Najib to demonstrate he has the political will to break the back of the problem of endemic crime which has given Malaysia an international notoriety of a nation where citizens, tourists and investors are not safe from crime”

  1. They all live in gated communities or have armed guards. Do they really relate to the problem? I think the PM is way too busy playing with PR to gain tons of public approval that he has failed to see that the core problems need to be tackled.

  3. If he does then its a very sad day for the judiciary but remember, DSAI is not everything. If a cause fails because of one man’s absence then the cause is not worth following. It would be too self centered.

  4. Points to ponder on Najib’s “baddies”, not goodies–
    * The prevention of crime;– Teoh BH’s death is not a result of crime?
    * The fight against corruption– BN is free from corruption because macc only goes after PR
    * Access to quality education– Drop PPSMI and so education has quality?
    * The improvement of the living standards for the lower income group– Electricity tariffs to go up, so living standards are going to be improved?”
    * Improvement of rural infrastructure– Where is the Manik Urai bridge as promised by umno?
    * Improvement of public transportation– raise fares by 30%, in addition to the 30% surcharge imposed since 2008

  6. Former PM Tun AAB has called for the abolishment of the draconian and out-of-time ISA. What is he talking about now? He had all the power, time and means in the world to repeal the much-denounced ISA when he was in office as PM!

    A golden opportunity was lost and buried then!

    ‘When comes such another?’

  7. All For The Road … ISA will be abolished so what? They got other laws la or it will be replaced with something less draconian but still can take you for holiday for 15 days remand and then maybe whatever else? These buggers are not so simple …

  8. They may replace the isa with a new Witness “Interview” Law– take you in vertically for an “interview” and then carry you out horizontally to the morgue, like the poor witness Teoh BH. No need for 2 years or 15 days, because it’s all over in 10 hours.

  9. SpeakUp………….What I mean is that if the ISA is ever repealed and replaced by other such related laws, there should be trials under detention whatever the crime is.There should be justice.

    A person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, if the court is really independent and not subservient to any political master!

  11. Malaysia is a member of the United Nations and should practise The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (10 December 1948).
    http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

    Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
    Article 12: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

  13. Read the 2004 County Report on Human Rights Practices in Malaysia (released in February 2005)
    http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41649.htm

    “The Royal Malaysian Police have primary responsibility for internal security matters. The police report to and are under the control of the Ministry of Internal Security, which was created in April out of the Home Affairs Ministry. Members of the police committed occasional human rights abuses.”

    “The Government generally respected the human rights of its citizens; however, there were problems in some areas. The Government acknowledged that it restricted certain political and civil rights to maintain social harmony and political stability. Police killed a number of persons in the course of apprehending them, and there were deaths in custody as well. Other problems included police abuse of detainees, use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) and other statutes to arrest and detain persons without charge or trial, persistent questions about the impartiality and independence of the judiciary, and restrictions on freedoms of press, association, and assembly.”

  15. A big “Curse-You” to all those who voted BN in March 2008:
    Malaysians will get to really enjoy a4.9 per cent hike in electricity tariffs in addition to 30% hike in public transport fares

  18. ” ….a nation where citizens, tourists and investors are not safe from crime ..” LimKS

    If that’s the case the U.S. would have issued a travel warning like it does from time to time.

  20. “In less than a week, Najib’s KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Areas) in one of these six sectors, the fight against corruption, is in tatters and utterly discredited.”

    I must say that Najib did not intend all these. He sincerely wants to make it work but then, he is surrounded by too many idiots. Let’s give Najib some time and moral support. This is all I can say for someone who sincerely wants to do something. As for 1Malaysia, I still do not believe in it. Najib may personally be committed to it… I don’t know, but then again, he is surrounded by too many racists that he may not be able to make it work, even if he truly wants to.

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