Outgoing inspector-general of police (IGP) Abdul Hamid Bador said he has nothing to do with Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin’s recorded phone call where the latter discussed senior police appointments.
“I don’t know, I have nothing to do with it,” Hamid said when asked about the minister’s condemnation of whoever recorded the call without permission.
Describing it as a dangerous matter, Hamid said the recording was made possible with the latest technology.
“Now we can even get videos from Mars,” he said, jokingly.
Earlier today, Hamzah admitted the voice heard in the recording was his, and said the conversation took place last year.
However, he said he did nothing wrong and invoked his position as chairperson of the Police Force Commission that is responsible for the promotion and placement of police officers.
“The only offence (with the audio clip) was the person who taped my conversation with someone. That is wrong. What I did was not wrong,” Hamzah said.
However, Hamid said that his criticism against Hamzah, which he made at his final press conference today as IGP, referred to the minister’s previous statement, not the leaked recording.
Hamid did not overtly mention the statement, but strongly criticised political and ministerial interference in the police force.
In the recording that began circulating a few days ago, Hamzah could be heard giving support to someone he referred to as “our boy” from Ipoh whose promotion will be “very good for us”.
“Do you want it if I give our boy… promote him? And he is a Perakian, Ipoh boy. Tuanku would surely like him,” he said. The identity of the person Hamzah was referring to is not known.
In the clip, Hamzah could also be heard speaking about an unknown person who is no longer allowed to decide appointments of Bukit Aman department directors and state police chiefs.
“Of course…that is why I will choose who. I know who Tuanku would be okay with and such.
“Now we want to decide on directors. Because I have taken over, I told him that you cannot have choices. You can give names, let’s say five people, let me know, and we will decide.
“It is not for you to decide anymore like before. All state police chiefs, you cannot decide,” Hamzah said in the clip. – Malaysiakini