(Free Malaysia Today) - The public perception is growing that the authorities are all 'partners in crime' by concealing the truth about the many deaths in police custody.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak reaffirmed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, recently that Malaysia is committed towards becoming a developed nation by 2020.
Painting a cosy picture of a progressive nation, the premier conveniently swept the alarming truth under the carpet – that of police brutality having reached pandemic status in the country.
The rakyat, meanwhile, is worried, angry and frustrated because the federal government continues to belittle the importance of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
Eight years ago, a 634-page report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the police force, headed by a former judge, revealed that the police were brutal, inept and the most corrupt among the government departments.
Between 1999 and 2003, there were 5,726 formal complaints of corruption involving the police force and it was recommended that the police force be monitored by an independent watchdog.
But Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein continues to disrespect the importance of the IPCMC.
In the meantime, the layman ends up dead under police custody while politicians and offspring of Cabinet ministers continue to roam free despite being implicated in brawls and murders.
Can the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar explain such travesty of justice?
It was not too long ago when two police officers who were also members of the Malaysian Police Special Action Force were sent to the gallows for the murder of Mongolian native Altantuya Shaariibuu. The two cops were assigned to the Prime Minister’s Department and acted as Najib’s bodyguards.
Altantuya was found murdered in a jungle at Puncak Alam in Shah Alam, her remains destroyed with C-4 explosives on Oct 18, 2006.
If all this is not disturbing enough, the conspiracy between the public hospitals and police to hide the truth behind the deaths in detention makes the rakyat nauseous with the never-ending machinations of the ruling Barisan Nasional to conceal the facts.
In the face of all this troubling scenario, Ismail is going about “re-branding” the police force, saying more degree holders are welcomed to join the force and that his “men in blue” are doing a fine job.
But going by the “track record” of the Royal Malaysian Police, there is no reason for the rakyat to trust Ismail. From rapes in lock-ups to nude squats to bashing up detainees to being trigger-happy to misusing the C-4 explosives, Ismail’s “men” have done it all and the pattern continues.
Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/01/29/police-marching-to-bn-beat/
