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Writer's pictureHussein Abdul Hamid

PERSPECTIVE: PDRM...Polis Raja di Malaysia?



Das Madhavan


If the preceding decades of the PDRM record are anything to go by, a few things stand out as ‘common denominators’, regardless of who is the top dog there:

  1.  A serious lack of transparency on how cases of national significance are handled. Altantuya, Teo Beng Hock, Pastor Raymond and company, 1MDB are just the ‘tip of the iceberg example

  2. Perceived cover-ups based on a public perception of you scratch my back’ culture entrenched within the ranks of the PDRM

  3. ‘Changing of the guards’ when some top officer starts to initiate change (a good thing) or ‘whistle-blows’ on some nefarious plots within and is suddenly transferred from HQ

  4. Immediate follow up action against opposition MPs (especially) based on some MP remark. Basically, not adhering to the law of the land but choosing to interpret the laws internally instead of enforcing the law as it stands ( Kit Siang’s incident serves as a recent example).

  5. Increasing crime rates in most places with citizens feeling unsafe and with no sign of abatement


Hence, depending on the PDRM to ‘sort themselves out’ is never going to happen. My guess is that the Deputy is resorting to ‘external (independent) help’ in investigating the wrongdoing since he has no faith in the unit’s ‘internal investigation’. These types of investigations usually end up as NFA (no further action) results that the rakyat jokes about anyway.


I have often argued that the PDRM is a ‘force unto themselves’, more concerned about perpetuating a culture of self-protection instead of being the enforcers of the law in an equitable manner. I have also argued that this culture of ‘I scratch your back…’, is a cancer that has metastasized so massively that only a complete re-set of the entire PDRM structure will result in the sort of meaningful change that the rakyat can believe in.


There are so many well-qualified and experienced retired police officers the country could recruit from worldwide ( ex. Scotland Yard, Interpol, FBI etc.). They represent an untapped resource that could help Malaysia reshape the PDRM to be an effective ‘law and order’ organization that it was meant to be.


Until and unless the government takes this much-needed action, the people will put their trust elsewhere and the police will act like the ‘rajahs’ and continue to interpret the laws as they see fit. Hmmm… maybe change the name to Polis Raja Di Malaysia ( PRDM)…. more accurate portrayal, no?

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3 Comments


Ting Kiong Tee
Ting Kiong Tee
Dec 11, 2023

When the guardian of law is the main perpetrator… harap pegar jaga padi, padi habis dibalun pegar!!

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naidu simon
naidu simon
Dec 11, 2023

When PH was in opposition , IPCMC bill was proposed?

Now , in power what is happening to this bill?

All talk and no walk

Que sera sera

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Ting Kiong Tee
Ting Kiong Tee
Dec 11, 2023
Replying to

NATO.

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