Home minister: Right time needed to shake up enforcement agencies
PUTRAJAYA, March 30 — Making sweeping changes to Malaysia’s enforcement agencies was a delicate matter and must be undertaken at the right time, said Home Minister Senator Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said unlike when Pakatan Harapan won the 2018 general election, there were now more factors that must be considered, such as how the public would perceive the changes.
Saifuddin said this was why Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has not made changes to the head of law enforcement agencies.
“If we change the personnel, they’ll say he’s influencing the agencies and putting his people in, conspiring, so to say.
“In the end, the comments would be that we’re the same as the previous governments; hence, we’re in a precarious position and it is very hard to please everyone,” he said during an engagement session with reporters.
Saifuddin said the government wished to establish mutual respect and trust with the agencies first, which meant not altering their hierarchies yet.
He said there were people working in these agencies with valuable institutional experience.
“So, criticism is par for the course and we will deal with this as it comes.”
During the campaign for the 15th general election, some Pakatan Harapan leaders said Tan Sri Azam Baki would be removed as the head of the MACC if the coalition won.
