Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein should explain why he allowed police officers like the Selangor Police Chief Deputy Comm Khalid Abu Bakar to play politics with an eye to replace Tan Sri Musa Hassan as the next Inspector-General of Police instead of focusing on the core police function of conquering crime in Selangor.
The record and conduct of Khalid as a professional police officer suffered a grave dent when he was more interested in politicking, to the extent of publicly threatening to arrest Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng on completely baseless grounds, instead of ensuring that the Selangor state is safe from criminals.
In Selangor, guarded and gated communities are mushrooming all over the state, the most potent indicator of the failure of the police to perform its core function to ensure that the people are safe and secure in the streets, public places and the privacy of their homes.
One important measure whether the police are making progress in turning the tide of endemic crime is whether the people are dismantling or erecting guarded/gated communities, where the people have to impose on themselves a new levy of “income tax” to protect themselves from crime which should have been the basic duty of the state through the police force.
Nobody will buy Khalid’s denial in today’s press that he had threatened to arrest Guan Eng for allegedly refusing to give his statement to the police over investigations that Guan Eng had made seditious remarks about the death of Teoh Beng Hock at the Pakatan Rakyat convention on Dec. 19.
Khalid cannot deny the undeniable as his threat was reported by the media.
This is the Star report “We’ll not hesitate to arrest you, cops warn Guan Eng” on Thursday, 14th January 2010:
PETALING JAYA: The Selangor police chief has warned Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng that police will not hesitate to arrest him if he fails to give his statement on alleged sedition.
Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said a police team, including the investigating officer from Shah Alam, was sent to Penang on Saturday to record his statement but he had refused to co-operate.
Lim is being investigated for allegedly uttering seditious remarks during a Pakatan Rakyat convention in Shah Alam on Dec 19 last year.
He was alleged to have said that political aide Teoh Beng Hock’s death was murder.
“He demanded for the police report to be given to him first and ultimately no statement was recorded.
“Understanding his position and busy schedule as a chief minister, we made it more convenient for him to have his statement recorded in Penang but he continues to complicate the matter.
“I, too, have to carry out my duty as there is a police report lodged against him, forcing me to issue a notice under Section 111 of the Criminal Procedure Code to compel him to issue a statement,” said DCP Khalid.
The notice was issued yesterday. He did not specify the deadline for the notice.
That Khalid had issued such a threat is undeniable, which is most deplorable when it was completely baseless as Guan Eng had co-operated with the police team and even signed the statement concerned, although the police had failed to give a copy of the police report lodged against him.
What Khalid had done is most dishonest and dishonourable. The least he should do is to publicly apologise to Guan Eng for his unprofessional misconduct.
(Media Conference Statement at Wisma DAP Perak in Ipoh on Saturday, 16th January 2010 at 11.30 am)
In Malaysia, does an alleged have the rights to remain silent until he is required to be testified in court? Can any legal counsel give advice here?
Ai say man, by publicly threatening 2 arrest Penang Chief Minister n DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng on completely baseless grounds, Khalid Abu Bakar had demonstrated 2 HH that he (Khalid) is d most qualified 2 take over fr Musa as d next IGP
A rare talent indeed 2 cook up something fr nothing 2 serve d bosses
‘At your service, sir, with blind n undying loyalty; just command’ – all kaw dim
History is full of this kind of creatures serving d dark sides
the Khalid guy spoke nonsense after Kugan was found murdered. didn’t take responsibility at all instead denied everything.During the BA land slide tragedy last year, he denied there was looting and was so rude with his statement. Khalid has failed in Selangor cos people have to protect themselves. He is more of a politician it seems and now again he denies what he said about LGE.
We don’t want politicians disguised as police to look after public safety. These people cannot do the job well; they are best suited to enter politics full time!
When all else fails, deny. Claim you’ve been misquoted. Better still, follow Mamakthir and cry publicly, and say you’ve been victimised.
In this country the police, Macc, EC, Judiciary, AG, JAKIM, Muftis, Vice Chancellors and Fatwa Council members are all UMNO politicians in disguise.
It is actually quite stupid of Khalid to find faults with important opposition figures at this juncture. Can he not at least sense that the opposition has a good chance of taking over the Federal Government after the next general election. When that happens his boss will be the present opposition he is trying to intimidate. Hasn’t this gone through his brain at all. If I were him I will remain as neutral as possible so that whoever wins the next election I still get to keep my job.
YB Kit,
A friend of mine who attended DAP’s meeting told me that Lim Guan Eng did say, “Teoh Beng Hock had been bothered!” What’s wrong with that statement? Selangor CPO must have some problems to understand the English word “bothered”. Teoh Beng Hock was held up in the MACC office for more than 12 hours. Certainly he had been bothered by the MACC officer before he died!
DCP Khaled is eyeing the post of IGP ?
That explains why he is doing what he is doing !
What can we expect from people like him ?
UmnoUtusans have politicized everything and everybody in the administration.
It is not surprising that DCP Khalid is playing politics.
In fact, it will be surprising if he doesn’t !!!
The more the jokers make fools of themselves making stupid statements, the better for the opposition parties.
Selangor CPO Khalid Abu Bakar should resign from PDRM and join politics since he does not know how to behave when in uniform!
Slowly but surely d nation is going to d dogs
A nation that is endowed with many good things going 2 waste
By right we shld b going fr strength 2 strength, rather than fr strength 2 ruin
Unlike our once separated twin dat is going fr strength 2 strength
Read LKY’s 1965 speech
http://stars.nhb.gov.sg/stars/tmp/lky19650912a.pdf
N realise how M’sia is a paradise lost
Destroyed by self-enriching Umno/BN, esp racist MMK, clueless abt nation building
The present team of police heads have shamed the Police Dept…. for a long time…exposing they are UMNO politicians more than anything else.
They have no morals nor principles in life to perform such a noble career with dignity.
That is the only “comforter” for Najib and UMNO ministers.
Take that out…UMNO is finished too.
And these so call “cops” need to protect UMNO for their own benefits and are racists.
Touch Lim Guan Eng…for no reasons…he will go to court and loose his job…lawfully.
Yes….threaten…then withdrew the threat….on going for months..in so many incidents.
UMNO is completely lost in all directions.
YB,
WHAT A SHAME TO MALAYSIA . I LOVE YB KARPAL SINGH WARNING TO CPO KHALID GO AND STUDY MORE LAW BEFORE OPEN HIS MOUTH.HE SHOULD LOOK MORE SERIOUS ON CRIME THAT WE HAVE NOWADAYS. WASTE THE RAKYAT MONEY ON PAYING HIM.
ALL MALAYSIAN CHANGE THE GORVERMENT NEXT GE. VOTE FOR YB ANWAR IBRAHIM FOR NEXT PRIME MINISTER. GOD SAFE US AND ALL MALAYSIAN.
Only in Kelantan the police seem to act accordingly.They see justice there.Perhaps the situation might change soon.The police belong to everybody and their decison will affect them if the government changes.See how the Bristish police act.We can learn from them.
A nation led by screwed-up racist politicians certainly ends up with screwed-up everything
AG, polis, judiciary, civil servants, msm, macc, etc
Wait 4 salvation, d big bang 2 come soon – sigh!
THE PRESENT LOT OF POLICE OFFICERS…THEY ARE THE ‘ROYAL POLICE OFFICERS’…KNOWN TO ALL, PRIVILEGED CLASS OF b#LLS CARRIERS!!!
//In Selangor, guarded and gated communities are mushrooming all over the state…//
This tactic may yet work…. For every unsolved crime that occurs in their precinct, all the policemen in that particular station would have to undergo a 10% pay cut. After 10 unsolved crimes, their take home pay would come to 0 RM and they would be given the boot.
1M’sia a truly failed state where one has 2 pay TWICE 4 many things
Drivers, pay road tax n tolls
Drivers, pay parking tickets n jaga kereta
Residents, pay rates/tax n private guards
Business ppl, pay above n under counter $$
Parents, pay school fees n tuition fees
Teruk nya, left bola n right bola both kena squeezed; no bola, b00b will do lah
Life is tough 4 nonUmnoputras
Now, Christians fr East M’sia, buy 2 BM bibles, 1 4 East M use n d other 4 West M use
YB Kit, you said:
“What Khalid had done is most dishonest and dishonourable. ..”
Judge Supang Lian of the Kota Kinabalau Sessions Court describes IGP’s testimony during Ramli Yusuff’s trial:
“I am in total agreement with the case for the defence that this lack of support of the evidence of PW75 (IGP Musa Hassan) on this point lends to his discredit….”
Both statements describes a common denominator – dishonesty.
So for IGP wannabes, please note this important trait if you aspire to that postion. Of course, the higher the degree of your dishonesty, the better your chances.
The police are long known as running dogs of UMNO. We rakyat are made suckers to pay their salaries only to look after the interests of their masters who are corrupted to the core and so is the police who will not flinch an inch to move away from this malice as they know they are protected by UMNO. Crime rates are rising astonishingly and every decent citizens are paranoid of being the next victim. Housing estates are looking like war zones and they are made to pay for something which a good government should be responsible for, but no the police are spending their manpower and resources chasing after the opposition to please their masters. I think we are having a sick government and a sick police force and that is why the thieves and robbers are getting more and more brave as day goes by.
The IGP vacancy is up for grab soon and this guy Khalid Abu Bakar is going all out to prove that he is an UMNO man. That is why our country is a failing state because people are selected for their loyalty and not meritocracy, same with the MACC, Judiciary and most government agencies. How far can we go if we keep on doing this. What intelligent output can you expect from this top flight civil servants when the yardstick is only base on loyalty. That is why one country after another is overtaking us as there is no pulse or vibrancy in our economy as the front liners are all dummies made to sit there to serve the masters only. Malaysia is a great nation, but under UMNO there are too many ailing patients who has no other vision but only to serve UMNO with great resolutions.
“Police will not hesitate to arrest him if he fails to give his statement on alleged sedition” is not saying anything new. Police always have the powers to arrest anyone called in to give a statement who refuses to do so. This does not mean that after making the statement, and ‘investigations, a case for sedition will be made out or sedition charge necessarily preferred against the person investigated. At least I don’t expect so in Penang’s Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (LGE)’s case.
LGE was alleged by those who reported him that he made seditious speech at the Pakatan Rakyat convention on Dec 19; that the seditious statement attributed to him was ‘Teh Beng Hock was “murdered”’ even though coroner’s inquiry has not yet concluded on the cause of death.
The argument here is since our Sedition Act defines a seditious statement as one
the effect of which has a tendency “to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Malaysia or in any State” – and since such a statement by LGE before conclusive determination by coroner’s inquiry prematurely carries a connotation to blame MACC for TBH’s ’sudden death’ – thereby in the words of Sedition Act, “bringing into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Malaysia or in any State” – LGE would have committed sedition. (Actual intention of the party making the alleged statement, whether mischievous or innocent, is irrelevant for making out the offence in the Act).
I don’t know if LGE actually said TBH was murdered but most presumably he said it having regard to the fact that after being threatened with sedition he still made another public statement – that maintained his stand that TBH “did not commit suicide.” – TheMalaysianInsider Jan 17th report.
There’s no difference: a statement saying TBH “did not commit suicide” is tantamount to reaffirming the corollary that he was murdered (since there’s no suggestion of an intervening third option that he died from heart attack or anything of that sorts).
So assuming LGE made the statement ‘Teh Beng Hock was “murdered”’ – was it seditious? Yes if one reads literally the words of Sedition Act like as ostrich without regard to nuances and discretion in law enforcement and administration.
Which statement of an opposition leader/member, NGO, Blogger critical of the government cannot be construed with a little strain on interpretation as bringing “into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Malaysia or in any State” within language of the Sedition Act?
I would say none. There’s not enough jails in the country to arrest and incarcerate all if one folows word by word of the Act! It also means that the Freedom of Speech guarantee in Federal Constitution is a joke. It also means that no government committing misfeasance, malpractices, or laches or inefficiency can ever be criticised unless at the pain of the critic being punished for sedition. Which is precisely why the very existence of Sedition Act has been continuously criticised by stakeholders of civil liberties for being open ended and ambiguous in language, providing ample opportunities for its abuse.
The enforcement of Sedition Act though discretionary should be exercised cautiously with circumspect considering whether having regard to all circumstances under which the alleged seditious statement was made, it was still after all a “fair comment” in public interest and not actuated by malice and unfairness.
TBH’s death is a public issue of importance. Countless members of the public have expressed comments similar to LGE. How could LGE incite and confuse the public, causing them to turn against government agencies more than what members of the public have already formed in their impressions based on what they know from news ??? Does any one expect the public to have no impression or LGE as a politician not to take a stand or express any opinion? You mean one cannot express an opinion until Corner Court makes a conclusive determination? This implies the public ought to behave like sheep and have no opinion on the matter or if they have one, forget about their constitutional guarantee of Freedom of Speech and remain silent until Corner Court decides! This again assumes Coroner Court will decide! Hello, there is no guarantee that it will decide definitively either suicide or homicide. This is because a Coroner Court is an inquest – which unlike the normal court of law deciding on basis of beyond reasonable doubt standard of evidence – proceeds in another direction based on 100% certainty of proven facts, short of which the Inquest will (as many Inquests have done so) always return an “open verdict” ie that it cannot determine, with certainty, cause of death. So the Public or politicians cannot speak of the cause of TBH’s death until Inqiuest determines when we’re not even sure it will determine anything? This cannot be. Even for a politician, especially an Opposition politician, whose public function/duty is to criticise the government of the day and its policies and foibles, one can’t muzzle him just because what he says falls literally within or could be construed as “bringing into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Malaysia or in any State” in the language of the Act – without more.
“More” here means having regard to the entire circumstances under which the statement was made, there are, objectively, other elements of malice, unreasonableness, blatant intent to incite people against government by inciendiary speech appealing to emotions, based on not on real facts but a tissue of lies, falsehood etc which in aggregate make the statement not a fair comment at all but mala fide one and in bad faith, totally inimical to overall public interest, and not promotive of it!
Now how can LGE’s statement fall under that category? One cannot read the Act like an Ostrich construing words by their literal meaning without regard to context of the kind of mischievous, unfair and irresponsible behaviour and statement that the sedition Act, by history and enforcement, whether here or abroad, is intended to address and capture.
Anyone can lodge a police report alleging sedition based on misconception of the law and its nuance – but misconception is not something law enforcement and prosecution department could afford in their exercise of discretion.
If someone lodges a report then it is incumbent upon police to investigate including call in any relevant person for statement and if the person refuses to come in for the statement, to arrest him. Khalid is just stating that fact. Whether he’s politicking or not, its not necessary to say he plays politics “with an eye to replace Tan Sri Musa Hassan as the next Inspector-General of Police.” At the same time, it does not mean that investigations will lead anywhere.
Oops “Coroner” Court – not corner court!