It is most ironical that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in an interview on Sinar.FM radio station this morning that as Prime Minister he could not even afford a single mistake, and “if we have to make 10 major decisions, we need to get 10 out of 10 right”, as he had just made probably his worst decision in his three-year premiership.
This is the appointment of former Inspector-General of Police, Tun Hanif Omar as chairman of the six-member Independent Advisory Panel to investigate the Bersih 3.0 violence and brutality.
Right from the second after the announcement by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein last evening, Hanif’s appointment as the head of the Bersih 3.0 panel had received immediate brickbats and all-round disapprobation and condemnation as being utterly inappropriate, rendering the whole probe not only lacking in independence but totally bereft of credibility and legitimacy.
I do not think it is possible to find another announcement of the composition of a public inquiry by the government in the nation’s 54-year history which had attracted such instant and all-round rejection and condemnation by major national stakeholders in the country!
The answer is very obvious. Hanif is the last person to head the probe of Bersih 3.0 violence as nobody would believe that he could be impartial and unbiased after he had publicly supported Najib’s irresponsible, wild and baseless allegation that Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” at Dataran Merdeka on April 28 was a coup d’etat attempt by the opposition to topple the government when there is not one iota of evidence whatsoever.
And what is Hanif’s proof for him to endorse Najib’s wild and far-fetched allegation of Bersih 3.0 as a coup to topple the government?
This is Hanif’s lame response as reported by Berita Minggu (6th May): “Sudah tentu ia berasas kerana Perdana Menteri tidak bercakap begitu saja. Ia memang boleh berlaku. Orang yang menunggu peluang melaku sesuatu demi kepentingan diri memang ada setiap masa.”
(“There has to be a basis because the prime minister cannot simply make claims. It could happen and there are always people bidding their chance to do it for their own interest.”)
Berita Minggu also reported Hanif as saying that Najib must have made the allegation after receiving intelligence from the Special Branch.
The question is whether Najib received “intelligence” from the Special Branch that Bersih 3.0 was a coup attempt by the Opposition to topple the government before or after Bersih 3.0 on April 28, and if it was before, why Hishammuddin as Home Minister was given a different intelligence briefing causing him to say that Bersih 3.0 was not a security threat as it had “little traction” with the people?
Furthermore, why did’nt Najib reveal such intelligence of a coup attempt to topple the government before April 28?
If the Bersih 3.0 Panel is going to be a comprehensive and authoritative probe into the Bersih 3.0 violence, both Najib and Hishammuddin should appear before it to give testimony about the “intelligence” they had received about Bersih 3.0, both before and after April 28.
In fact, Hanif is the last person to be considered to head the Bersih 3.0 probe as he should be one of the inquiry’s “star” witnesses to substantiate his allegations that Bersih 3.0 was a coup attempt which involved pro-communist sympathizers!
On May 1, at 6.25 pm, Bernama carried the following report which was published by New Straits Times the next morning as follows:
‘Pro-communist elements seen at Bersih rally’
SHAH ALAM: Former inspector-general of police Tun Hanif Omar said pro-communist individuals involved in the 1970s demonstrations were seen in Saturday’s rally in Kuala Lumpur, which turned violent.
“I recognise from the photos and broadcast images (taken from the rally), the pro-communist people who were involved in the 1970s demonstrations,” Hanif said yesterday.
“The tactics of using provocateurs to cause the demonstrators to clash with police and to bring children along in the hope they would get injured were tactics learnt from past pro-communist demonstrations.”
Hanif was clarifying a Bernama report on Monday which quoted him as saying that the gathering could have been masterminded by various parties, including several individuals who tried to spread the communist ideology. Bernama
http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/pro-communist-elements-seen-at-bersih-rally-1.79784
Hanif should appear before the probe into the Bersih 3.0 violence to substantiate not only his endorsement of the Prime Minister’s wild allegation that Bersih 3.0 was a coup attempt to topple the government, but his own allegation of involvement of “pro-communist individuals involved in the 1970s demonstrations” in Bersih 3.0 using “pro-communist”, “provocateur tactics” “to cause the demonstrators to clash with police and to bring children along in the hope they would get injured”.
Without casting any aspersions on Hanif’s integrity, I would respectfully suggest that he should spare himself, the Bersih 3.0 probe and the Najib administration any public embarrassment by declining appointment as head of the Bersih 3.0 probe, for the simple reason that he should be appearing before it as a “star witness” rather than its head, in view of his publicly declared position on Bersih 3.0 rally.
Apart from Hanif’s appointment as head, the composition of the members (in particular the exclusion of representatives from Suhakam and Bar Council) as well as the lack of a proper and acceptable terms of reference are also matters of grave concern to all Malaysians who would want to see a truly impartial inquiry into the Bersih 3.0 violence to ensure that justice is done to all victims of Bersih 3.0 violence and brutality, regardless of whether police, media representatives or peaceful protestors and to demonstrate that Malaysia is capable of maturing to become the world’s best democracy.
The World’s Best Democracy – the way UMNO sees it. This is an outright rejection of transparency and accountability. Putting an avowed fox to investigate the going-ons in the henhouse is not a transformation matter.
Bersih 4.0 should commence immediately.
Hanif Omar as head of the “independent” panel to investigate police brutality. Mamakthir as head of the RCI to investigate sudden influx of foreigners into Sabah. Zahid Hamidi as head of the RCI into the Scorpene scandal. Malaysia Boleh !
Najib should not waste taxpayers’ money to set up the six-member Independent Advisory Panel to investigate the Bersih 3.0 violence and brutality as everybody already knows what conclusion Hanif is going to give.
This appointment is shameful and ridiculous.
It’s a forgone conclusion…all Malaysians know what Hanif and the team will say.
It is indirectly telling the policemen that behaved like gangsters and bullies not to worry….continue the good work.
It’s encouraging use of force with no fear…..for more anger and fights.
Those policemen will not be found guilty.
They will be praised for excellence.
It’s these bullies that will try to get an excuse for Najib to declare Emergency Rule .
These are priceless policemen for Najib.
Hanif Omar is Najib’s hope to get more policemen be like the bullies.
It dirty politics with no shame…by Govt.
It’s always their men and puppets.
So many have been seen.
I have a strange felling BERSIH 4 is being planned..and I will participate with no fear.
I has to be disobedience with no violence….on and on to get freedom…for young Malaysians.
Each Bersih have exposed how dirty and corrupted…made UMNO b is.
They always need something to divert attentions…and violence is the best.
N
Hanif Omar???…why….after Genting founder died…Hanif have changed 180%…..just like PRK ..Chandra….and few more.
Not one is for country and people.
All are for their personal benefits.
Money is the root of all evils…and so money is he reasons for these people bought up by the Devil.
I have always thought Hanif was a clown.
Now I know he is a clown.
‘….nobody would believe that he could be impartial and unbiased…’.
The country is in crisis. After 55 years of having only one government, we have run out of independent, trustworthy, respected, impartial etc people whom we can call upon to sit on the investigation committee.
Everyone seems to be disqualified on this score so Najib does indeed have a problem of selection. And those whom we think can be impartial turn up rogue instead.
Will such investigative committees be of any use if their credibilities are questioned right at the very beginning?
“….Hanif is the last person to head the probe of Bersih 3.0 violence as nobody would believe that he could be impartial and unbiased ….”
ABSOLUTELY!!!! Immediately after Bersih 3 he had made unsubstantiated public claims that there were communist elements involved and later publicly claimed Bersih 3 was at attempt at “coup d’etat”, both times without offering a shred of evidence.
The decent thing for him to do would be to decline the appointment as he would be a baggage to the panel. And it boggles the mind at the gross stupidity of this appointment by the powers that be. And these are the very people “leading” this nation. Are they so blind and insensitive to public opinion or are they so arrogant that they think they can ram such crap down our throats? This appointment betrays once again the the insincerity and charade of these “independent” panels. Just as they have card carrying UMNO members masquerading as “independent” EC Chairman and Deputy Chairman, the RCIs and the PSC etc that were toothless and biased, these clowns are slowly destroying the last vestiges of decency in good governance in this country to the extent no one believes in these panels, commission etc. any more.
What type of so-called “advisory panel” is this when the head is chosen by UMNO is from the PDRM? UMNO and PDRM are just a shameful bunch of liars and they have made Malaysia an international joke!