Silent Najib, silent policemen

Why are good, honest cops afraid to intervene or report these custodial deaths and other crimes committed during interrogations and in the police complex?

COMMENT

In the first five months of 2013, there were eight deaths in police custody (Suaram monitoring group).

In January there were two cases – Chang Chin Te ( Subang Jaya) and C. Sugumaran (Hulu Langat).  In February we had Mohd Ropi (Temerloh); in March there was a John Doe (Seri Alam, Johor) and M. Ragu, (Kampar).

In May we heard about N. Dharmendran (KL) and Jamesh Ramesh ( Penang) and in June we had P. Karunanithi (Tampin).

These deaths provoke many questions but one stands out; how is it possible that no one saw or heard anything?

The rogue policemen who tortured the detainees were not alone in the building. Other policemen were on duty and must have seen or heard something.

Why are they silent?

A few months ago, an Indonesian female worker was allegedly gang-raped by three policemen in a police station.

Was the complex deserted? What other sordid activities take place in our police stations? Why are good, honest cops afraid to intervene or report these crimes?

We hear of the deaths in police custody only because a body has to be claimed by family members, from a morgue.

What about the men who are beaten senseless until an inch of their lives? What about the men who become unconscious from the torture but who are then revived and made to undergo the same ordeal, again?

Do policemen who witness crimes in their police station, have to turn a blind eye to their miscreant colleagues?

Were they threatened? Did the rogue policemen receive orders from the top and so no one dared challenge them?

Najib’s government only reacts

Are prisoners who are witnesses to the police brutality warned to keep silent? There must be police procedures to prevent sadistic policemen from satisfying their lust for violence on defenceless men.

When a death in police custody is reported, the rakyat can expect one of the following responses: The man who died was not a victim of beating and torture during interrogation. The police will claim that there was no foul play. The dead person was said to have died from sudden death, a weak heart, an asthma attack or a fall down the stairs.

What has been the usual response of the minority government of Najib Abdul Razak?

Did the police force, which is under the Home ministry crack down on police brutality and re-examine the standard operating procedures (SOP)? Did it force an immediate investigation into these unexplained deaths?

No. Najib’s government merely reacts.

When your hand touches something hot, you pull your hand away. That is how Najib responds; instead of being pro-active and taking the initiative, his government simply reacts to stimuli, like a slug reacts to salt.

Malaysians are familiar with the tricks used by the government to try to reduce the severity of the situation.

With the collusion of the Home Ministry, the police will attempt to cover up the existence of rogue policemen, keep us in the dark, claim the CCTV was malfunctioning and make it impossible for the families to gain answers to questions about the deaths of their family member.

Only when the government is forced into a corner do the ministers and police react.

We also know that if an inquest is held about these deaths, the proceedings will be subject to many delays.

IPCMC is not a new idea

Are there any law abiding policemen who will blow the whistle on crimes within the force? Are they afraid for their security? Is there a culture of fear within the police force? Do the policemen have no conscience?

This writer knows of a few policemen who have resigned and sought employment elsewhere. Theirs was a difficult decision, as their fathers and grandfathers were once proud members of the police force.

These men could not condone what they witnessed within the force and they have advised their children not to join the police, thus depriving their family of a respected tradition, and the nation of loyal citizens who are proud to serve their country.

For years, the rakyat has demanded the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) but the government dragged its heels.

With an enraged public, current and former public officials are now trying to get on the right side of the rakyat.

Former IGP Musa Hassan now claims that he had once supported the formation of the IPCMC. When he retired, he claimed that his political masters interfered in his job.

Why does he speak out only after he has left office and is powerless to stem the rot or correct the system?

When the three policemen were charged in court for Dhamendran’s murder, even the Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail tried to claim credit for the swift action. What would his reaction have been if there had been no public backlash?

Despite the seriousness of the custodial deaths, Home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi cannot make up his mind about the IPCMC and said, “We need to get feedback and discuss with NGOs.”

The IPCMC is not a new idea which was mooted yesterday or last week. It was suggested years ago. Both Zahid and his predecessor are clueless about what goes on in the country and have no real intention of restoring public confidence in the police force.

Najib’s undignified silence

Zahid is disingenuous when he said that he wanted to remove the errant policemen from the force.

He said, “Dhamendran’s death while in police custody is a tragedy that I hope will not occur again”. (sic.)

How many more deaths in custody before Zahid has the political will to act?

Zahid also said, “The charging of the police personnel is a first step towards ensuring no more such deaths will happen in custody.”

If he were to recall the case of Kugan who died in police custody in 2009, he would remember that the sentence given to the policeman who killed Kugan was ridiculously short.

So far, Najib has maintained an undignified silence over these killings by policemen.

In civilized countries, the prime minister would have ordered an immediate investigation and demanded answers from his IGP, or his resignation.

Malaysia has a long track record of police brutality. Both the Home minister and the IGP are paid handsomely for their senior positions. The buck stops with them and they should tender their resignations.

Whatever punishment is given to the three policemen (apparently one other suspect is still at large) and whatever moves that are made to prevent further deaths in custody, it will be too late for the families of the victims. They must endure a lifetime of being without their loved ones.

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist