Buying Loyalty – Despite RM1 Trillion Debt, Muhyiddin Rewards 17 Senior Cops With Luxury Holidays
How could IGP Mohamad Fuzi and his Deputy Noor Rashid’s so-called official trip benefits the police force considering they are to retire next month?
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Yesterday, Mahathir cried, whined and bitched about loyalty, which, according to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, has been misplaced. He said loyalty should be given to the country and not to certain leaders or political parties. Obviously, his administration is packed with civil servants who are still loyal to the previous government – Najib Razak – who had bought their loyalty with truckloads of cash.
PM Mahathir isn’t happy that he’s fighting a losing battle, as the “cash is king”mantra of his predecessor seems to be alive and kicking. To be fair, it was the 93-year-old premier himself, who had planted the seeds of blind loyalty to leaders and parties (Mahathir previously served as prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003). What a man sows, he shall reap – goes the saying.
Sure, perhaps Mahathir is a changed man today. Yet, his trusted lieutenant, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, appears to have a second thought about getting administrative loyalty. Today (Feb 12), Mr. Muhyiddin confirmed that he had given the green light for a lavish trip to Istanbul, Turkey, to a battalion of at least 17 high ranking police officers.
First exposed by Sarawak Report, the same portal behind the revelation of crooked PM Najib’s billion-dollar 1MDB scandal, the so-called working trip to Turkey would cost taxpayers a whopping RM312,441 alone on business class flights and hotel accommodation at four star Hotel Sura Hagia Sophia.
The first surprise about the trip was the massive number of senior police officers involved, which was led by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohamad Fuzi Harun himself. His deputy Noor Rashid Ibrahim and CID and Narcotics Dept Chief (Mohamad Salleh) as well as the Director of CID, Wan Ahmad Najmuddin, were also part of the high ranking figures on the luxury trip.
Other top guns included Deputy CID Chief (Huzir bin Mohamed), the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Roslee bin Chik), four Senior Assistant Commissioners (Rohaimi bin Md Isa, Zainol bin Samah, Fadzil bin Ahmat, Yaya bin Abdul Rahman), Assistant Commissioner Baharudin bin Mustapha, Deputy Superintendent Syed Mohd Azam, Assistant Superintendent Ahmad Sobri bin Amir Salim and Assistant Superintendent Faizal bin Narudin.
Interestingly, almost all the senior police officers gifted with the lavish trip were tainted, one way or another. The Deputy IGP Noor Rashid Ibrahim had allegedly abused his power when police officers were transferred out of their jobs after the No. 2 police chief’s car which was driven by his son was stopped in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur – found to contain illegal substances.
The name Wan Ahmad Najmuddin surely sounds familiar. This is the same Director of CID whose mind-boggling AUD$320,000 (US$249,000; £180,000; RM975,000) was seized by the Australian Federal Police. The authorities Down Under suspected the money was the proceeds of crime, or as a result of money laundering. Amazingly, the Malaysian cop refused to claim back his money.
IGP Mohamad Fuzi Harun, the head of the Royal Malaysia Police, one of the most corrupt institutions in the country, was appointed by the super-corrupt PM Najib Razak. It didn’t take long for the police chief to prove his loyalty to the crook when he declared in March 2018 that there was no link between Jho Low (Low Taek Jho) and 1MDB scandal.
The disgraced Fuzi said – “Based on the investigation, Low never worked for the company nor did he make any business decision for the company. All business decisions were made by the 1MDB board of directors.” He also defended Najibfrom the 1MDB scandal, claiming that the seizure of the Equanimity yacht in Bali was merely a civil forfeiture against Low and not against 1MDB.
As one of 17,000 political appointees that the new Mahathir government inherits from Najib regime, clearly Fuzi’s loyalty and professionalism were being questioned, so much so that Straits Times Singapore revealed in June last year that several chiefs in Malaysia’s police force were facing the chopping board, including the “No. 1” Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
However, when the news broke about the top police chief being fired, there were chaos within the Royal Malaysia Police and somehow Mr. Fuzi was retained. So, the burning question is this – was the luxurious holiday to Turkey a way to thank the IGP for his switch of loyalty, or even a golden handshake for not launching a rebellion against Mahathir government?
Of course, the incompetent Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has rubbished the trip was specially approved as a farewell gift for Fuzi and his minions. However, Mr. Muhyiddin has failed to explain why IGP Mohamad Fuzi and his deputy Noor Rashid were rewarded with such an expensive trip when both senior police officers are set to retire on May and March respectively.
