Musa: IGP, top brass avoided me
The ex-top cop defends his open criticism of the police force, saying that he had reached a dead end when trying to engage with the top brass and his successor the inspector general of police.
Anisah Shukry and Teoh El Sen, FMT
Each time Musa Hassan approached his successor Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ismail Omar, the latter would “walk away” from him, making all communication between the two impossible, the ex-IGP said.
“I don’t have the chance to talk to [Ismail] because whenever we meet even in public, he just walks away from me,” said Musa in a recent interview with FMT.
“I don’t know [why]. Maybe they think I am no longer relevant,” he said.
Musa said this when asked if he had raised the issue of criminal elements and political interference in the police force with the IGP before announcing it to the public.
Musa had dropped the bombshell two months ago during a press conference with crime watchdog MyWatch, which coincided with the opening of the Umno general assembly.
His timing, as well as his new role as the patron of the NGO lead by PKR members, had led many to grill him on his motives.
While the question on most people’s lips is “why now?” (Musa’s reply: the timing was a coincidence), others have expressed disgust at what they perceive as efforts that could destroy the police force’s credibility.
Musa’s rival, former top cop Ramli Yusuff had slammed him for turning to the media instead of discussing the issues with Ismail in private.
“You don’t have to say these kind of things in the open. These are internal matters. Musa could have discussed it discreetly with Ismail, meet up with him, tell him nicely,” the former commercial crimes investigation department (CCID) chief had told FMT last month.
But Musa told FMT that not only did Ismail deliberately avoid him, but the top brass also refused to speak with him on the matter.
“I have spoken to some police officers. But of course they are lower rung, they can’t do anything about it. But the bosses, they refuse to talk to me,” claimed Musa.
When asked whether the current leadership of the police was open to discussing such issues head-on in a transparent manner, he said: “I don’t think so.”
“I see Ismail [as] only a ceremonial IGP. He would only attend ceremonies,” Musa remarked.
Encouraging transparency
He also dismissed claims by his detractors that his bombshells would destroy the credibility of the men in blue.
Instead, Musa said, open criticism of the police force would encourage transparency and enhance its credibility.
“I don’t think so, [that making claims publicly would erode confidence in the institution]. You have to be open about this…
“If you keep quiet and keep things this way… there will always be the perception of the public that you are not doing anything,” Musa pointed out.
“[Then] it would erode the credibility of the police and also the confidence of the people [towards the police].”
‘People still want me to be involved’
Ramli had also criticised Musa, now technically a civilian after having retired in 2010, for “disturbing” the police with his allegations.
“When you have retired, your days are over. You don’t disturb. Your successors have their own way of doing things. You are gone, so why do you want to disturb?” Ramli had said.
But Musa told FMT that he still received text messages and even visits from people asking for his help in matters related to crime.
He said that when people contacted him for advice or help, it meant that they still wanted him to be involved in crime-fighting.
“The question mark is why people still give information to me even though I am retired, when they can give it straight to the police officer?
“That’s why I feel sometimes that something is wrong here. Why should people trust me? They should trust the police because I am already retired,” stressed Musa.
He said that despite being a civilian, he could not bring himself to deny them help as they would come to his house asking for advice.
