Is Musa currying favour with the Prime Minister hoping to override Hishammuddin and get another year’s extension as IGP?
Lim Kit Siang
The Inspector-General Tan Sri Musa Hassan has acted with unusual alacrity when he announced in less than 24 hours that the police will investigate claims made by the independent Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Zulkifli Noordin in Parliament on Wednesday that he was asked to implicate the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibu.
This is in complete contrast with the foot-dragging and procrastination that top police leadership would indulge in when police reports are lodged against prominent government leaders from Umno and Barisan Nasional.
What is especially extraordinary with Musa’s high-speed response is that no police report had yet been lodged over Zulkifli’s allegation – a pre-condition always insisted on by the police before there could be any police investigation.
As MPs enjoy parliamentary privilege, they have immunity for what they say in Parliament, which bars not only prosecution but also being subject to police investigations for their parliamentary speeches – unless this is waived by the MP concerned or the MP repeated his allegation outside the precincts of Parliament as lodging a police report.
In the circumstances, shouldn’t police investigation be contingent on Zulkifli lodging a police report? It is also useless for Musa to order a police report be lodged on Zulkifli’s speech, as the speech is protected by parliamentary privilege and immunity!
In any event, will Musa announce initiation of police investigations if an allegation is made in Parliament that the Prime Minister has murdered someone or some Minister has committed various crimes under the laws of the country? If not, again why the double standards?
Musa’s alacrity in springing to action when there is no basis whatsoever for police action raises the question whether he is really trying to curry favour with the Prime Minister hoping to override the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammdudin Hussein and get another year’s extension as Inspector-General of Police when his one-year contract expires in September.
On 15th March, Hishammuddin had told the press in Parliament that Musa would be replaced as IGP.
He said:
