VIDEO | 1.24 min

Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan today said the police must ensure peace if there was a peaceful transition of power.

“The police must ensure the situation is calm for a smooth transition of power.

“If there are any parties that are planning to do something (to disrupt the transition), they must take action straight away,” he told a press conference in Petaling Jaya this afternoon.

He said regardless of whether BN or Pakatan Rakyat comes to power, both sides must accept the results of the upcoming general election.

“If BN wins, (incumbent premier) Najib (Abdul Razak) will be prime minister and we have to accept it.

“If the opposition wins, whoever is chosen by their component parties (as prime minister) including (opposition leader) Anwar (Ibrahim), should be accepted.

“This is a democratic country, there is no need to quarrel (after the elections) as it will ruin the peace and security of this nation,” he said.

Asked about Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s statement that he expected more disruptions at ceramahs going into the general election, Musa said this was akin to saying that the police had failed in their duties.

“You cannot say you expect more to happen, the police must prevent it,” he said, adding that Hishammuddin’s justification that there was a lack of police manpower was not right.

“During campaign period, there are permits and the police know how many ceramahs are going on, so issue permits in a way that you can handle, don’t give them out until you cannot handle,” he said.

He added that the police force must be neutral in the coming general election and not take any directions from politicians during the period of a caretaker government.

'Political intelligence still necessary'

On Pakatan’s complaint that the police’s Special Branch spent too much resources spying on the opposition than combating crime, Musa insist that political intelligence was still necessary.

“Don’t forget during the cold war era a political secretary was arrested, so we need to be cautious,” he said.

Musa was referring to then premier-Abdul Razak Hussein’s political secretary Abdullah Ahmad who was arrested under the Internal Security Act for alleged Communist links.

However, he said the police can be spared from controversy if works concerning political intelligence were to come under other departments.

“If you feel the police is too much on political intelligence, then the unit should not come under the police, put it under the Prime Minister’s Department or other agencies, it’s easier.

NONE “If you think political intelligence is to help the government win the election, then it should not come under the police, but for security, then it should.

“People always think it is for helping the government to win the general election, but this is a misconception,” he said.

Instead, Musa said the police can do better if all the branches of police, including intelligence and crime-fighting were better integrated.

The press conference today was organised by the Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch) of which Musa is patron. Also present was MyWatch chairperson R Sri Sanjeevan ( left ).

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