I refer to the malaysiakini report Musa Hassan gets two-year extension. I am most disappointed to read that Musa has been give a two-year extension as the inspector-general of police (IGP) on the advice of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

True, Musa was cleared of corruption charges by the attorney-general but I think Pak Lah has missed the bigger picture here. Firstly, Pak Lah claims that Musa's service was extended in order for him to continue his efforts to rid the country of crime and corruption.

It is highly debatable that Musa has performed anywhere creditably in these two aspects. Instead, he has been accused of being corrupt himself, his force badly splintered by infighting and crime has taken on a different dimension in our country. In short, our beleaguered IGP is barely hanging on and lacks credibility, perceived or otherwise.

Musa is due for retirement, he can be replaced without much fuss. It was an excellent opportunity for Pak Lah to show to us that he is genuinely concerned about crime and corruption in our country.

Instead Pak Lah bucks the trend and tells us that Musa needs two more years as if to atone for his failures. Are we scrapping the bottom of the barrel here to find a replacement for Musa? Isn't this also about public perception and confidence in our police force?

Pak Lah swept to power on promises of stamping out corruption. It is obvious to us now that it is not an easy promise for him to keep, especially when he doesn't seem to be trying. But when a simple act of political expediency strangely eludes him, one can only conclude that his hands are tied, despite his lofty postulations and 'elegant' posturing.

It is that or else Pak Lah is a PM out of touch with the public and living in his own wonderland.