An official announcement indicates that the replacements for the departing IGP and his Deputy have been identified by the Home Ministry and that these names will be submitted shortly to the Prime Minister.

In so acting the Ministry have simply blatantly ignored the whole dismal record of the PDRM leadership since the time of IGP Khalid.

Obviously with the two top police officers near to departure arrangements should be made as to the succession and, to that, extent, the Ministry can be said have acted correctly. Where they have gone totally wrong is in their apparent stance that all is well with the PDRM and that promotion procedures should go forward according to the book.

Everyone in Malaysia knows that the PDRM, or at least its leadership, cravenly followed the orders of Najib even when such directions were clearly illegal. Whatever the motives of the top police officers in doing that may have been, self preservation, reward or whatever else, they cannot escape responsibility for having corrupted the Force for which they are responsible and abused their office by doing so. The senior subordinates who acquiesced in all that may seek to excuse themselves on the basis that “orders are orders” but that does not, and cannot, mean that they are fit to lead the Force in future.

Those responsible must look down the seniority list until  candidates for the top jobs in the PDRM can be identified as wholly clean, uninvolved in any of the past behaviour which has sullied the name of the Force and possessing the qualities fitting them for the top posts.

That may be a difficult process but it is a vitally necessary one if the PDRM are again to enjoy public trust and public respect; things that politicians as well as top police officers need to have and be seen to have.