KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 ― As the end of his contract looms on the horizon, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador today dispelled speculation that he may enter politics after he retires from the force.
In an interview with Utusan Malaysia published today, the 62-year-old said he does not hanker for political clout or wish to gain any more senior positions in government or its companies.
“I have no ambition to hold the position of minister or any other high-ranking position. I only wanted to help the nation by speaking the truth of what is happening,” he told the Malay daily.
The outspoken police chief was appointed to his current position on May 4, 2019 by then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who has fallen out of favour with the current Perikatan Nasional administration.
In the interview, he acknowledged that he has been perceived as Dr Mahathir’s “blue eyed boy” but saw nothing wrong with that label.
“I am proud. I was called the blue eyed boy. Dr Mahathir never ordered me to do anything unlawful, instead he reminded me to watch over PDRM properly and not to repeat past mistakes.
“I was also reminded not to turn the police force as a tool to oppress those who are innocent,” he told the newspaper.
To Abdul Hamid, one of his biggest achievements during his two-year tenure was to reduce the culture of brown nosing within the police force.
“The culture of brown nosing has been successfully reduced. I am confident that no one tried to butter up to me. People who come up and see me are mostly honest.
“No more brown nosing culture by giving gifts or providing services outside of official business,” he was quoted as saying.
But his biggest desire is to remove the taint of corruption from the force, even if that has caused some dissatisfaction among its upper levels.
In recent weeks, Abdul Hamid has spoken out about corruption within the police force. Publicly, he has said there is a “cartel” led by certain power-hungry senior ranking officers conspiring against him.
“Many are angry about this issue, including former police officers, even with some spouses of police officers denouncing this action as I am revealing secrets.
“I am here only to create an environment where the public would respect and depend on PDRM when they face a problem.
“That is why people without fear will come to ask for our help because they are confident with the police system that is considerate and with integrity apart from taking quick actions to every complaint,” he was quoted saying in the interview.
