Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has brushed off speculation on whether the contract of IGP Musa Hassan is going to be renewed or dropped.

“This is not yet the time to talk about the that, there is still time in his contract,” said the minister during a press conference after attending the launch of the Msafe program in Putrajaya this morning.

hishammuddin hussein pc 210509 02 He assured the press that once the current IGP’s contract ends, they will come out with an announcement about the matter.

Quizzed if a lack of next generation leaders may force them to renew the current IGP’s contract, Hisham ( left ) said that is not the case.

“I did not say that. How can you say that when the deputy IGP is sitting with me,” said the Sembrong parliamentarian, gesturing at deputy IGP Ismail Omar beside him.

The fate of Musa’s contract became the object of speculation when rumours surfaced that his tenure may be renewed.

The top cop however said that he was unaware of any developments.

musa hassan police igp pc 250607 serious Musa’s ( right ) last contract extension resulted in controversy when civil activists and the opposition mounted a strong campaign against it, amidst accusations of the police chief having underworld links and allegations that standards of policing had plummeted under his watch.

Asked about the status of PKR organ Suara Keadilan and DAP party newspaper Rocket, with their publication permits still in limbo, Hishammuddin said that the decision lay with the relevant department.

“(For) that you have to ask the Printing and Quranic Text Control Division. However we have clear guidelines that all publications must follow. If they don’t abide by the rules, we will take action.”

Report on Blackberry being prepared

At the same press conference, Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim was also asked about the Malaysian government’s stand on the use of the Blackberry communications device, given the outlawing of the popular device by some Middle Eastern states.

rais yatim pc 020709 02 “The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is currently preparing a report over the banning of Blackberry in several countries,” he explained.

Rais said further that the government will come out with a statement after a meeting at the end of this week to discuss the report’s findings.

The Msafe program launched today by Rais ( left ), will see the linking of the 999 emergency response hotline with 171 CCTV cameras in Putrajaya, which will assist authorities to efficiently dispatch emergency services or police to every incident reported.