vox populi small thumbnail 'All the previous inspector-generals of police also pledged to give their best. The problem is that their understanding of ‘best' is very different from that of the general public.'

New IGP pledges to 'give his best'

Albert: The new IGP (inspector-general of police) should strive for his name to be remembered fondly by all Malaysians. Please do not behave or lead like the previous IGP who, in the eyes of many Malaysians, was a big failure.

The administrative work at the office or police stations should be best left to civilians, like the old days, so that uniformed police could be free to play a more active role on the streets.

Some of the bread-and-butter issues left unattended by the previous IGP include public security (e.g. snatch thieves, house robberies, etc), political harassment (use of force against peaceful demonstrations), traffic safety (rampant beating of traffic lights by motorcyclists, etc), and most importantly, good service to the rakyat who are the customers (e.g. not making nasty remarks when the customers did not speak Malay).

Can we count on the new IGP to make the difference or is it going to be business as usual?

ONG: All the previous inspector-generals of police also pledged to give their best. The problem is that their understanding of ‘best' is very different from that of the general public.

Bozuka: The new IGP has two tasks ahead: he needs to fight corruption in the force and he needs to enforce the law without fear and favour. The least we should see is some changes for a start.

Anonymous: If you mean you are going to give service like former IGP Musa Hassan, we are doomed.

Guna's death is police fault, claims lawyer

Argonist: How much more cruelty and inhumanity to our fellow Malaysians are we going to take? The torture of prisoners is already a by-word with our Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), and this for simple offences, too.

Can the United Nations still accept such inhuman nations in its Council for Human Rights? Are the people in the UN blind and deaf to the cries of the detainees in Malaysia? Would not a UN enquiry into the many charges of deaths in detention be appropriate for Malaysia?

James Dean: M Visvanathan, you should push for a murder charge against all those involved in R Gunasegaran's death. There is no record of Guna being arrested, and his death is in the hands of those police officers in the station. All those "mistakes" are attempts to cover up this "murder". We always see similar patterns of cover-up. It's about time our judiciary take cognisance of this.

Not Confused: An injury a foot long and five centimetres deep in his chest and the deputy public prosecutor claims that his death was due to a drug overdose? Is he sure that he didn't strangle himself?

KJ: Kuan Yew's wrong, Malaysia not a failed state

Singa Pura Pura: If you juxtapose Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), then it is axiomatic that Malaysia is indeed a failed state. Both men were shameless dictators; yet one succeeded in enriching his nation, the other in fattening his coterie of cronies. One surrounded himself with a menagerie of profiteers, the other with a den of like-minded nation-builders. If that is not the surest sign of a failed state, pray tell what is.

Chipmunk: While there are some truth in LKY's remarks, we must not be too quick to jump the gun. For one, you cannot compare 'apple to apple'. Singapore thrived to succeed to be one of the most sought-after cities in the world.

Knowing that Singapore had limited resources and not to mention the limited land available, they (Singapore government) did not look at their weakness and sob. They pursued to become one of the best in Asia.

But when you look at Malaysia, we have the resources that Singapore cannot have, yet we do not know how to manage our resources well. Take a look at the qualifications of our Malaysian ministers and compare them with the ministers from Singapore, and you may well have the answer to our predicament.

The answer is obvious so KJ (Khairy Jamaluddin), give the man a break as sometimes the truth hurts and we have to bite the bullet (literally speaking).

Anonymous: I read through the whole transcripts of the interview and I can't find any part of the interview that LKY had any intention as "calculated to divide Malaysians even more" as what Khairy tweetered.

Furthermore, the mention of 'Malaysia' in that interview are just minor part of the whole interview, and as usual, people in Umno like Khairy treated it like very big thing, to the extent of accusing Lee as being insulting. This only proved that what Lee said was right.

But, all in all, it is not being fair for Lee to put all Malay Malaysians in one category. Umno Malays and the likes of Perkasa's ultra-Malays are just 'one kind' of their own. Many Malays are not like what Lee sees.

Anonymous: Yes, it is very true that Singapore is postage-size nation compared to Malaysia. But if one cannot do small little things like what LKY did in a small nation - transforming that nation into a first world country - then Malaysia will never be able to achieved anything worth mentioning. Oh yes, we have Proton cars.

Artchan: Sometimes KJ has to learn to shut up and not take the bait. He thinks he is smart by opening his mouth, but compared to the LKY, he is a just a postage stamp.

Gerakan, MCA slams Dr M for backing Perkasa

Bradley: It is as if you just got to know your former political master. After years of pandering to Umno, Gerakan and MCA are trying to score some non-Malay points. Isn't it too little, too late? And doesn't it smack of hypocrisy?

Sarajun Hoda: If MCA and Gerakan have not been dragged into the open by Perkasa's actions, they would still be Umno's political slaves. But now that they have made their position clear, I am dumbfounded as to who to congratulate for this positive development. MCA and Gerakan? Or Perkasa?

Cala: What a joke to find MCA and Gerakan suddenly waking up from their long-drawn slumber. What have they done after the March 8, 2008 general elections and when Utusan Malaysia took on racist lines and causing uneasiness amongst non-Malays? Have they not been faithful disciples of Ong Ka Ting: We (MCA) only work very hard behind the scenes?

Dominique Ng: Mahathir wants to impose his dictates on the country. This old man is worried about his son's career and wealth. Mahathir should be tried for all the crimes he committed. He is once again trying to fan racism, and he doesn't accept the fact that he is no more in the cabinet.

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