NUBE urged Royal Commission of Inquiry to be set up on the alleged `criminal cartel in police force'

Criminal cartel in police force will drive away investors, impact workers livelihood, worsen unemployement unless decisive action is taken, says NUBE

By J. Solomon, General Secretary, National Union of Bank Employees

1. IGP Tan Sri Hamid Bador’s revelation that a group of younger police officers have formed a cartel to dominate the force and topple him, must spur the force and the highlest level of the government to take immediate effective action.

2. The existence of such a cartel is a grave cause of concern and has alarmed ordinary Malaysians, including members of NUBE from the financial institutions.

3. Although Hamid has said the ‘situation is under control’ after exposing the cartel, the public and workers remain extremely worried of the potential ramifications if a thorough and independent investigation is not carried out.

4. The thought that rogue police officers at the highest level of the force are acting in cahoots to bring down their No 1 to facilitate and advance their ties with the underworld, is a chilling one, to say the least.  The cartel poses a direct threat to the credibility of the police force and that of the government, if no decisive action is taken to get to the bottom of the matter. There is a urgent need to expose them and severe action is to be taken as a deterrent.

5. Needless to say, the public concerns about the cartel, will ultimately impact on investors confidence in Malaysia and provide them with more reason to shy away from Malaysia, therefore derailing efforts to revive the economy.  Those investors already here may also be looking to relocate their business if they lose their trust in public institutions such as the police force. All this will worsen unemployment, and pose a real danger to workers struggling to hold on to their jobs.

6. Therefore,  it is clear that Hamid’s revealation on the existence of a criminal cartel in the police force has far reaching consequences which affects every layer of our society, more so on the livelihood of workers. As such, Bukit Aman  and the government must not spare any efforts and act firmly to restore public confidence in the force.

7. There is ample prove that such criminal cartels already exist in other rungs of public enforcement agencies. The slew of top and mid-level immigration officers arrested by MACC for various offences of fraud and corruption in recent times attest to this. Even more recently, scores of RTD officers across the country were arrested, all part of a ring that took hefty monthly bribes from transport companies to turn a blind eye to their offenses.

8. In light of these developments, the IGP’s expose of a criminal top level cartel in the police force which sees him as an obstacle, is very worrying indeed. Corruption is fast pervading in Malaysia and over a period of time it breeds poverty, and lawlessness. It also spreads a sense of hopelessness among the people, including workers who are already struggling to eke out a living to support their families on measly wages.   

9. As such, we call on the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin to propose to the Cabinet to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to conduct a free, fair and impartial investigation.

10. The RCI must follow through with recommendations on measures to check corruption in the police force, and the adequacy of current internal checks in the force to crack down on corruption within its ranks.

11. At the same time, the home ministry must give the IGP full authority to crackdown on the cartel and bring the full weight of the law on the perpetrators. They must be brought to court to face criminal charges and indeed even treason as their acts were against Polis DiRaja Malaysia.

12. It has been reported that Hamid is due for retirement in May 2021. If true, than the IGP must be given all the support by the government and Malaysians in general to stop this cartel for once and all.  This is too big a problem to sweep under the carpet or to solve by just initiating the transfers or redesignation of some police officers. We commend Hamid for his bravery in exposing the scandal and we urge him not to back down or retreat in his efforts to ensure the credibility of PDRM is not eroded but strengthened. This will be his legacy to the force that will be remembered after his retirement. - DagangNews.com