Home minister wanted to use SB for political purposes, says Hamid
(FMT) – Home minister Hamzah Zainudin’s alleged attempt to instal a new Bukit Aman Special Branch director was made to gain better control over the division, former inspector-general of police Abdul Hamid Bador has claimed.
On Friday, Hamzah confirmed he was the voice in a widely shared leaked audio clip that featured him discussing plans to place “our boy” in the force.
Hamid said the plan was intended to ensure the Special Branch would better follow directives from the home ministry.
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“I am not the only one who has problems with the home minister, the Special Branch has also been unhappy with his actions since a year ago,” Malaysia Gazette quoted him as saying yesterday.
“I was informed that the minister had forced the Special Branch to conduct several operations for its own political purposes.
“I cannot reveal what operations, because every Special Branch operation is secret, but suffice to say that the objective of the operation was not in line with the mandate given to them to preserve and manage national security.”
He said the Special Branch resisted and informed Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, formerly the home minister under Pakatan Harapan.
Hamzah was allegedly angered after Muhyiddin agreed that the division should not be used for political purposes, and chose to work with senior Special Branch officials, whose contracts expired last year, the report said.
“The minister is said to have arranged measures to give his ‘boy’ (a former senior Special Branch officer) the post of Bukit Aman Special Branch director because the individual easily followed the minister’s instructions,” Hamid alleged.
As proof, on Feb 16, the current director was called by the secretary-general of the home ministry who asked him to terminate his contract voluntarily, or else he would be served with a one-month termination notice.
“The minister seems impatient to fill in the post with his ‘boy’ when the Special Branch director’s contract ends in mid-June.”
The issue was also brought to the attention of Muhyiddin, Hamid said, before the director was instructed to continue his duties.
