Police the villain of the piece

The inhumane treatment of the detainees will not earn the government the people's trust.

COMMENT

The country’s police force is one stubborn lot. Having unabashedly earned for itself a besmirched image, the force shows no signs of repentance. Instead, the brutality meted out by the cops in uniform continues.

Abusing their powers to punish the supporters of the Bersih 2.0 “Walk for Democracy” rally is the latest preoccupation of the police, with blessings from Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

The nation’s police force, the Royal Malaysian Police or Polis DiRaja Malaysia, has itself to blame for its maligned and tainted image. There has been no effort made to transform the police force into a professional and law-abiding entity. As it stands, the cops play judge, jury and executioner, deciding the fate of the detainees.

The latest brutality displayed by the police was on June 25 when they arrested Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) deputy chief M Sarasvathy, among others.

The police used the lame pretext that Jeyakumar and his followers were out to wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and trying to revive the Communist ideology.

Five police reports had been lodged at the Penang police headquarters alleging that the police there subjected the three and others arrested on June 25 to mental torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

Jeyakumar suffered health problem while in police custody and had to be warded at the Penang General Hospital. He, however, has been denied visits by family and friends.

Once again the police shamelessly and blatantly flouted all basic rights of these “detainees” when the latter were refused their medication, water and physically abused by police personnel.

Was this abuse and torture the idea of Hishammuddin, to kill off the spirit and determination of Jeyakumar and fellow activists? If yes, Hishammuddin has only confirmed the sleazy and abusive nature of Malaysia’s police force.

No water, no medicine

It was reported that Jeyakumar, who has a heart ailment, did not get his medication on time while in detention. His sister, Dr Prema, in one of the police reports at the Penang police headquarters, said while she managed to give her brother his medication the day before, the police however failed to give him his next dose on time the next day.

Jeyakumar’s wife, meanwhile, said the police turned down her request to give her husband his medicine on time, agreeing to administer it themselves much later on in the day.

Jeyakumar was among the 30 arrested while distributing anti-Barisan Nasional leaflets as part of a three-day information campaign in the northern part of the Peninsula.

Of the 30 detained, seven were placed in custody at the Penang police headquarters, 21 in Kepala Batas and two at the Sungai Dua police station in Butterworth. There was also a report made claiming ill-treatment in the Kepala Batas police lock-up.

The report in Kepala Batas, lodged by PSM central committee member, V Paneer Selvam, stated: “Detainee G Pakiaj Letchumy was punched and spat at in the face by the cops; detainees were told to drink from the toilet bowls to quench their thirst; a diabetic detainee who asked for mineral water to consume her medicine was instead given syrup; detainee P Jothi was kicked by police personnel and the lock-up toilets had no water supply.”

Other reports alleged mental torture through solitary confinement in an attempt to extract confessions.

Another report was made by lawyer Rowena Nair who said he was denied access to his clients.

On June 29, police raided the office of Bersih in Petaling Jaya. Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah justified the raid based on a tip-off that claimed illegal activities were taking place at the premises. In the raid, police confiscated hundreds of Bersih T-shirts and other Bersih apparels.

Also on June 29, police arrested 14 DAP and PKR members in Sungai Siput for possessing the yellow T-shirt associated with the Bersih 2.0 “Walk for Democracy” rally. That brought to 95 those arrested thus far in connection with the rally.

Umno the real bully and culprit

The United Malay National Organisation (Umno), the dominant party in Malaysia, is sparing no effort to terrorise both organisers and supporters of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally, using the police as a front.

The people are all too aware and disgusted with the police bullying ways of “punishing” detainees claimed to be a threat to national security. Is there any surprise then why the people are angry with the Barisan Nasional (BN) government for abusing its powers to fulfil its hidden agendas?

Hishammuddin appears to be gung-ho in putting an end to Bersih 2.0. But he is barking up the wrong tree, knowing well that if the July 9 “‘Walk for Democracy” happens, it will mark the end of the BN era, a fact which Umno is unwilling to digest.

Just as irresponsible is the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar who is creating unfounded panic among the public, saying the Bersih 2.0 rally might involve casualities.

Based on police analysis and observation since June 6, it was concluded that the rally would lead to tension, chaos and destruction of property, injuries and even loss of lives.

What observation and analysis is Ismail blabbering about? How does distributing T-shirts and leaflets become illegal, when the objective is to engage the people to walk “for” democracy?

As of June 29, according to Ismail, 101 people had been arrested and 45 were still in police custody.

“I am monitoring all the words and actions of all people. If any individual does something that goes against the law, we will act,” Ismail said.

Instead of intimidating the people, Ismail should take action against his men who are openly misusing their powers by physically, emotionally and mentally abusing activists detained in connection with the rally. It will be the police and not Bersih 2.0 who will have the people’s blood on their hands.

Clearly, Ismail is unfit to talk about safety and fear for it is his very own “boys” who have been terrorising the people through their baleful actions.

Such is the paranoia that even a poem penned and recited by national laureate A Samad Said at a Bersih 2.0 event started giving the powers that be sleepless nights and he was called in for questioning.

All said and done, the writings are on the wall. BN and Umno have to stop playing bully and respect the fundamental rights of Malaysians, irrespective of their political beliefs.

To cowardly intimidate and beat up activists detained under doubtful reasons to hush up the truth will never earn the police, BN and Umno the people’s trust.