You can’t be serious, Tsu Koon!

Tota wonders how the Home Ministry was awarded full marks with its key performance indicators.

Under your KPI rating, you have placed the Ministry of Home Affairs under Hishammuddin as the top ministry. See ‘Home Ministry scores full marks with KPIs’ (The Star).

I do not know what criteria you used to evaluate this ministry. You are either daft or blind to the sins committed by the police against the citizens. If you had bothered to conduct a survey of public perception of the police force, you would have obtained the truth – that is if you wanted the truth.

The inefficiency and corruption in the police force is legendary. Do you think much has changed since the report by the Royal Commission was made public? The refusal of the police to establish a Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission, in defiance of the Royal Commission’s recommendation, speaks volumes about the way the police operate. Hundreds have died in police custody under strange circumstances and, in most cases, without proper coroner’s inquests.

The police are totally ignorant of basic freedoms, civil rights and liberties and constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly. The very partisan police force uses repressive laws like the ISA, the Sedition Act and the Emergency Ordinance selectively on the Opposition. Have the police ever acted against Umno thugs and lawbreakers? The police can smell candles weeks before candlelight vigils for ISA detainees are held but they conveniently plead ignorance of the many Umno-organised demonstrations. For example, the recent demonstration against the Penang Government and the blocking of two lanes of the Penang Bridge by Umno goons went without action by the police. Look at the police inaction against Umno bigots and extremists and Perkasa.

The Home Ministry uses the police to deny the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful assembly under the pretext of preserving national security. The brutality of the police against the Reformasi movement, Hindraf and Bersih has rightfully earned the wrath of Malaysians. The periodic cases of torture allegations made by those arrested on suspicion of crime and the nude ear squats fiasco appear to be their standard operation procedure (SOP).

The crime rate is indeed scary. All this talk of declining crime rate is hogwash. Anyway, who believes government statistics? Aren’t gated communities and people policing their own housing estates and neighbourhoods a severe indictment on the police? The public perception of the police mostly is that of a bunch of low-calibre men with high-calibre weapons. Their specialty is tear gas and water cannons.

Tsu Koon, you know which side of your bread is buttered. Hishammuddin is Najib’s cousin and so has to be placed above all other Ministers, right? Tsu Koon, has the Home Ministry done anything efficiently and correctly?

Headless

A young Indian in Uttar Pradesh, India, was saved in the nick of time while trying to saw off his head so that he could get a job! (Article by Nuri Vittachi)

It makes one wonder what sort of jobs a headless person can do! Obviously, such jobs would be those which people do not need to use their brains or are not required to do so. In most Third World countries, including Bolehland, there is much evidence that in both the public and political sectors when people open their mouths they often reveal that they have nothing between their ears! All of them appear to be suffering from the “foot-in-the-mouth” disease.

Well, a headless person cannot make much headway in the private sector. But one can enjoy rich pickings in the public and political sectors. One can be a Home Minister, Law Minister or Information Minister. Other jobs within one’s reach can be that of Attorney-General, judge, speaker in Parliament. A headless person can also head the Election Commission, the Anti-Corruption Agency or be the Registrar of Societies. If one is more ambitious, he can aspire to be the PM or Deputy PM. In a police state, one can be Inspector-General on whose “goodwill” the lives of ordinary citizens and even that of the political leaders, carrying a lot of baggage, depend.

Oil and gas university

When education was privatised, those with political connections saw an opportunity and jumped on the bandwagon to enrich themselves. Other than an insatiable desire to make money, they possessed no knowledge and lacked expertise. Colleges and universities, many of very dubious quality, mushroomed all over the country. Medical experts and senior doctors have serious concerns about the quality of the doctors churned out by local tertiary institutions.

Just imagine there are doctors who refuse to touch their patients and take the pulse rate using a pen or pencil! Recently, it was reported that a tertiary institution interviewing a doctor for employment asked the candidate to define “diabetes”. His reply, “Blood got a lot of sugar”! I begin to wonder whether the recent case of “Lazarus” was in fact a doctor’s inability to determine accurately whether in fact death had taken place.

Rumour has it that people are keen to set up an oil and gas university. Bolehland probably needs such a university. A faculty of oiling can be established to teach the art of oiling palms of politicians and civil servants to get projects or things done. Chief Justice, Zaki, having confessed to bribing court officials as a practising lawyer, would qualify to be a lecturer in the faculty, given his experience and in-depth knowledge.

As for the “gas area”, our state assemblies and Parliament contain enough gas bags, especially the BN species, whose only achievements are causing air pollution in the august chambers! These gas bag specimens can be used as examples to teach aspiring politicians how to talk sense and be rational at all times.

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama

1. Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
2. Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
3. Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
4. Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
5. Lawan rasuah dan kronisme

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