An open letter to Najib

EMAIL TO THE EDITOR*

Dear Najib, 

I have been following your commentaries in social media, where you look-up to your father’s sacrifices, the late Tan Sri Abdul Rahman, who was killed while on duty. 

Indeed, I too am lucky to be living in Malaysia, a land filled with courageous warriors willing to give their lives to defend the country. 

Malaysians are eternally indebted to them. Regardless of their ranks, be it the inspector-general of police (IGP) or constable, their sacrifices are priceless. Red, the colour of blood, symbolises the fearlessness of these patriots. 

But I was taken aback when you belittled the authority and undermined the leadership of current IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar by comparing him with your late father. 

In all honesty, you have to realise the fact that every single IGP has his own individual forte and it is such forte that collectively strengthen the Royal Malaysian Police. 

Let us stop undermining and ridiculing any IGP, for each of them has left his own dhoby-mark. Further, bear in mind that the IGP is an institution, not an individual. 

I am asking you to look around you Najib. Are Malaysians living in fear? 

Amidst the terrorising turmoil, the ear-shattering explosions and the corpses which lay wasted on our neighbours’ soil due to terrorist and militant attacks, Malaysians are able to carry on with their daily routines without fearing for the safety of their lives. 

That is the true yardstick to gauge the leadership and authority of our current IGP. That is his current benchmark. 

I am also aggrieved when you questioned the transfer of the Special Branch deputy director Datuk Hamid Bador. 

How much were you informed of what truly transpired behind closed doors? Or perhaps there were hidden-hands that have been misleading your perceptions to the point that these have clouded your judgement? 

Or maybe you are oblivious to the fact that you have been manipulated by certain quarters in igniting polemics to tarnish the reputation of the police and the IGP. 

I am not a mercenary that is handsomely paid to rebut your views and defend the IGP but my love for such institutions has no depth, especially since I now see how gallant your father was. 

I am perfectly sane and am still able to see clearly with my eyes and heart… and I would never ridicule the police that have, inadvertently, been taking care of me in this peaceful country. 

I advise you to do some research first before you make any comments. Don’t believe everything that has been told to you. 

Hamid had been applying for early retirement but due to reasons only he can answer, he withdrew the application. 

I plead that you do not raise issues to question why the IGP had not defended Hamid.

Isn’t a willingness to accept a withdrawal of a request for early retirement a noble act in itself? 

How has Hamid been victimised? Ask him how many of his squad mates carry the rank of commissioner, like him? 

You also made a misleading statement when you said that Tun M (former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir) had been investigated by the police for attending the Bersih rally. Read and re-read the IGP’s statement. 

Don’t be quick to blame or direct your negative assumptions on Tan Sri Khalid by comparing him with your late father. 

I do not have the heart to do what you did. You proudly compared the both of them and even claimed how your late father would not have condoned and emulate the actions of the current IGP. 

Times have changed and the situations were different back then… so is your comparison fair at all? 

What remains crystal clear is that your late father’s era and Tan Sri Khalid’s era are poles apart. 

Stop embarrassing your late father that I too look up to by uttering disparaging comments on the same institution he once belonged to. 

Statements such as these show that you no longer have the blood of the police running through you veins. 

The most important thing that you need to ask only yourself is whether Tan Sri Rahman would be proud of what you have done. 

I will continue to write more letters to rebut any disparaging remarks against everyone in the police force, for I too was born from the blood of a hero. 

Pencinta Anak Bangsa

Penyokong Pasukan Keselamatan Negara

8 Sept 2015

* The email, originally in Malay, was translated by The Mole yesterday and published as Comparison of police chiefs inappropriate. It was a direct response to a posting by Najib Rahman on his Facebook page where he questioned the integrity of the Inspector-General of Police. Najib's posting, needless to say, was heaven-sent for some, and he knew it:

An IGP for justice or just a political sycophant? - Free Malaysia Today

KPN Tan Sri Khalid tak berani macam bapa saya: Najib - Zam 

Ex-IGP's son pours scorn on Khalid for bowing to politicians - Malaysiakini via Hornbill Unleashed

The very next day (7/9) Najib did make another interesting posting, below, but which did nothing to pique the interest of any of the portals or blogs. Well, if what you gotta say doesn't fit their political agenda, they don't want to know ...