The Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar, has been
accused of sensationalising the issue of RM12 million ransom paid for the
release of four kidnapped Sarawakians.
Lim Lip Eng, MP for Segambut, said Khalid had “never learned
to shut his big mouth” about the money and said the IGP was attempting to
politicise the issue by blaming opposition parties.
Lim wanted the Cabinet to punish Khalid, and said he
intended to file a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to
investigate what happened to the money.
The families of the four kidnap victims and the Sarawak
community are believed to have raised RM12 million for their release.
Conflicting reports have arisen about what then happened.
Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the money had
been handed to “the police Special Branch” to pass on to a Muslim welfare group
in the Philippines. However Khalid denied that the police or the Special Branch
had received the money or that a ransom had been paid.
Khalid said it was not the government’s policy to pay
ransom. Lim said he agreed with the government’s policy. But he accused Khalid
of having allowed the matter to be “blown up”.
“If not because of Khalid who from the very beginning,
denied that the police received the ransom from family members and told the
media to get the answer directly from the family, I believe this matter would
not have blown up to this extent,” Lim said yesterday.
The Abu Sayyaf militant group kidnapped the four Sarawakians
from a tugboat in the waters off Sabah.
Khalid had denied reports that the police or the Special
Branch had received the RM12 million raised by the family members from public
donations as well as the sale of family property.
“Khalid has never learnt when to shut his big mouth,” Lim
said. “He should have just said ‘no comment’ when asked by the press about the
ransom.” Khalid was also attempting to politicise the issue, Lim said.
Khalid had blamed an unspecified political party for
complicating the work of the police in this matter, saying that the party had
broadcast its attempts to collect donations, thus placing the ball in the
militants’ court.
Source –FMT-
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