Oped»
Call of duty
- NOTE OF DISSENT
AUG 29 -
The remarks to the Post the other day by a top cop about the unfortunate but fairly apparent nexus amongst the politicians, the police and the criminals point to the difficulty in fighting corruption and ridding the political scene of corrupt elements. The top-cop who made a name for himself in another district was transferred to Kathmandu. The transfer might have been a promotion of sorts or it could have been a subtle move by the political leaders who ultimately oversee the transfers
of senior police officers to rid the district of the tough and honest cops, leaving the field clear for them and other criminal elements to indulge in quick money-making activities. Presuming that all our top political leaders who run the government are “clean”, the move to transfer the cop, who the media has been describing as clean, could well have been prompted by the need to curb the growing number of criminal activities in the Kathmandu Valley.
The forthright manner in which he admitted what he described as “sad” (one would have preferred even stronger adjective such as “tragic”) nexus that exists among political figures, the police personnel and those who indulge in illegal acts shows his determination to crack down on such activities. It will be a Herculean task, but a task that nonetheless needs the immediate attention of all honest officials who are paid for by the taxpayers to carry out their duties honestly and without fear.
Government officials tend to forget that they are the servants of the nation, the servants of the people and not political leaders who “request” (in reality, order) them to do their bidding. Such “requests” range from excusing petty misdemeanours such as defying traffic signals to closing eyes to
pretty serious crimes such as robberies and murders. Most of the police personnel cannot but comply with the requests in the hope that the
political leaders would reward them with promotions, foreign jaunts, assignments or other forms of compensation. The police who are true friends and helpers of the people are, as a result, seen to be turning against them; the people, in turn, have scant faith in the police. It is the duty of the police to enforce the existing laws of the land and other rules and regulations that are periodically made to ensure that people lead peaceful and hassle-free lives. This writer once parked his car just off New Road at a parking space in front of Mount Makalu Hotel (which no longer exists).
No sooner had I gotten out of the car than a police inspector asked for
my licence and told me that it was a no-parking area. I showed him my
press card but to no avail. I had to pay a fine of Rs 200 (quite a sum in the early 1980s) at the Traffic Police to get back my licence. The fact that I was a journalist made no difference is a point that needs to be noted, for journalists, like all other citizens, have to abide by rules and regulations.
Politicians, journalists and other privileged groups need to abide by the existing laws, rules and regulations and it is the duty of the police to ensure that they do. And we need police personnel who are capable of enforcing these rules. Only honest personnel will be able to do so. In another instance, this scribe was driving to cover an event in Chobar when a police vehicle came from behind and stopped my car, demanding my licence on the pretext that I had not allowed him to overtake. Clearly, I was not at fault, but I seemed to have hurt the policeman’s ego and hence the demand for my licence. I later went to police station and fought and got back my licence for, unlike in the parking incident, I was not at fault.
Many of us are cynical of the police because we have often been witnesses to their not so subtle ways of enriching themselves. For instance, the traffic cop usually stands at the exit-end of one-way street and stops those who use the street in wrong way. It is clear for anyone to see that with a few bucks exchanged underhand, traffic law violators can get away easily.
Would it not be more effective—with chances of graft reduced too—if the traffic cop were stationed at the entry point of the one-way street in order to effectively prevent the misuse of the one-way street? From the police as street traffic organisers to the police as preventers of big crimes, the cops have to live up to expectations. As the senior police official mentions in the interview, the evil nexus between the police, politicians and criminals must not only be broken but must also be seen by the people as having come to an end. This is the only way to rebuild the confidence of the people in the police so that they see the police as their friends and not as a bunch of corrupt officials.
It is not that there are no honest police personnel. In fact, the majority of them, I think, are honest but their image is destroyed by the few corrupt ones who align themselves with dishonest, greedy politicians and criminals. Despite the determination of the police official in question to rid the valley of crimes, it is no doubt a formidable task that will require the concerted efforts of all honest and dedicated police personnel. But that is exactly what the people are paying the police to do and sooner this realisation dawns on those cops who align themselves with political figures and criminals, the better it will be for the nation. But will such time ever come?
I hope determined cops can prove the cynics wrong by breaking free of the cop-politician-criminal nexus and restoring a clean police image. Such laudable determination can be translated into reality only with the hard and unrelenting efforts of honest cops who realise their duty to the country and the people, and place duty above all else.
Posted on: 2010-08-30 08:20
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