Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo has welcomed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s directive for a fully transparent investigation into the fatal police shooting of three men in Malacca.
He said this sends a clear signal that the government is serious about police accountability and the rule of law.
Gobind said Anwar’s insistence that no police officer should be protected if found to have acted unlawfully was crucial in restoring public trust.
“I believe this instruction sends a clear, strong signal that whilst the police need to be firm and enforce laws, the government is serious about police accountability and upholding the rule of law,” he said in a statement.
The senior lawyer said that he raised concerns over police accountability, the conflicting accounts surrounding the said shooting, and the need for systemic reform during the cabinet meeting today.
“We have been consistent in raising issues involving excessive use of force and brutality by enforcement agencies. We must put an immediate and decisive end to these problems. There is simply no place for custodial abuse or deaths in Malaysia,” the Damansara MP added.
Gobind also called on Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail to act immediately on Anwar’s directive.
“This demands transparent, integrity-based investigations into all such cases without any delay. There must be immediate action taken against all who are found to have violated standard operating procedures or who acted outside the bounds of the law,” he added.
Anwar today demanded that Khalid conduct a transparent probe into the shooting of three men in an oil palm plantation in Durian Tunggal, Malacca.
Buletin TV3 reported that the prime minister also asked Khalid to submit a detailed report on the incident to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Anwar had said the shooting was discussed in the cabinet meeting today.
“We do not protect criminals, but neither do we protect actions, including those by the police, police personnel, that run contrary to the rule of law,” he reportedly said.
Yesterday, lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan, who is representing the family members of the three deceased men, told Malaysiakini that the police officers who fatally shot the trio last week should be charged with murder.
He refuted the police version of the event, which claimed the men had attacked the police officers with machetes and caused serious injuries to one of them.
Pattern of controversies
In a separate statement, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the fatal shooting cannot be viewed in isolation, warning that it forms part of a wider pattern of controversies involving agencies under the Home Ministry.
Takiyuddin also called for the use of firearms by any agency to be subject to review through a fully transparent and independent investigation.
“Justice must be upheld without fear or favour. At the same time, PAS is of the view that this tragic incident cannot be seen as separate or detached,” he said.
Takiyuddin said recent incidents, including the death of student Zara Qairina Mahathir in Papar, Sabah, and alleged shortcomings in the initial police investigation, corruption issues involving Immigration Department officers at border entry points, and the controversies over the wrongful granting of citizenship by the National Registration Department (NRD) to foreign footballers, have raised questions about possible systemic weaknesses in the ministry.
“These incidents collectively reveal not only operational flaws of the said agencies, but also potential failures in governance, oversight, leadership and accountability, which require urgent attention and remedial actions,” the Kota Bharu MP added.
Takiyuddin, who is also a senior lawyer, welcomed the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) decision to take over the Malacca shooting probe and to form a special team to scrutinise the police report lodged by the victims’ families.
He emphasised that any use of firearms by enforcement agencies must undergo a fully transparent and independent review.
“The credibility of our enforcement agencies depends not only on resolving individual cases but also on addressing the broader systemic issues that allow such cases to occur,” Takiyuddin added.
He also urged the authorities, particularly the police, to provide an update on outstanding missing persons cases, including the disappearance of Pamela Ling, who went missing on Apr 9, 2025, while on her way to give evidence at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.