Former IGP Chides Md Hashim For Likening Himself To A Monkey

 Former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor today described it as "inappropriate" for former army chief General (Rtd) Tan Sri Md Hashim Hussein to liken himself to a "monkey freed from captivity" following his retirement from government service.

He said such a statement could hurt the feelings of more than one million civil servants nationwide.

"In that case, when he was the army chief, he was a monkey. Monkey or not, he got four stars and was able to head the army, and then made an ambassador abroad," Rahim told a press conference, here.

Md Hashim, who is standing as the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate for the Johor Baharu parliamentary seat against Barisan Nasional's Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, was alleged to have made such a statement in a ceramah last week.

Rahim said Md Hashim should realise that he still had his family members in the government service.

"This means his family members who are still working with the government are monkeys, and I too, because I used to be a public servant, am also a monkey," he added.

He said Md Hashim, who had been in government service for more than 30 years, should not hurt other people's feelings by making such a statement.

He also described the former general's statement as politically immature.