Kritik kerajaan akan dibatalkan pasport mereka? kenapa begitu?

Dalam keadaan kedua-dua pihak pembangkang dan parti kerajaan sedang berperang mulut berhubung dengan banyak isu, keluar pula kenyataan yang sangat mengelirukan dari Ketua Pengarah Imigresen Malaysia, Dato Alias Ahmad. Mengapa dan kenapa kenyataan yang sangat mengelirukan ini dikeluarkan, hanya beliau sahajalah yang tahu. 

Dato Alias telah mengeluarkan kenyataan yang Jabatan Imigresen mempunyai hak untuk membatalkan Pasport rakyat Malaysia yang mengkritik kerajaan di luar negara dan ini tidak dapat diterima. Mengkritik kerajaan yang memerintah adalah hak rakyat negara ini dan ia boleh dilakukan dimana-mana, samada di dalam atau dari luar negara.

Kita bersetuju rakyat yang mengkritik dan memburukkan negara itu wajar diambil tindakan seperti itu, tetapi setakat mengkritik kerajaan yang mereka anggap rasuah dan menyalahgunakan kuasa itu bukannya mengkritik negara. Jika seorang rakyat mengkritik kehadiran sistem negara seperti kedudukan Raja-Raja Melayu dan apa yang berkaitan dengannya adalah salah bagi negara ini dan wajar pasport mereka di batalkan.

Tetapi jika seseorang mengkritik kerajaan yang rasuah dan menyalahgunakan kuasa dan membantutkan usaha memperkayakan perpaduan kaum itu tidak salah dan adalah ‘ultra-vires’ jika tindakan diambil terhadap rakyat itu. Jika semua kritikan terhadap kerajaan itu membolehkan pasport mereka terbatal maka negara kita seolah-olah sebuah negara yang zalim dan tidak bertamadun.

Rakyat dan pemimpin yang meminta pertolongan kuasa asing, misalnya CIA, untuk menumbangkan kerajaan, itu adalah tindakan yang jahat dan perlu pasport mereka itu ditarik balik atau dibatalkan terus. Tindakan ini adalah tindakan memusuhi negara dan Yang Di Pertuan Agong, maka mereka wajar dibatalkan pasport mereka.

Tetapi jika setakat mengatakan Najib atau Muhyiddin sebagai pemimpin yang tidak sesuai dengan negara, itu adalah isu politik dalaman dan tidak sepatutnya pihak imigresyen membatalkan pasport mereka. Tuduhan seperti itu pun sememangnya ada kebenarannya.

Apabila kita mendengar kenyataan-kenyataan seperti ini di keluarkan oleh mereka yang memegang amanah untuk mentadbir jabatan dan negaranya, kita amat khuatir dengan jenis apa negara kita akan berada pada masa-masa yang akan datang.

Saya secara peribadi berharap Ketua Pengarah Imigresen itu akan membuatkan pencerahan yang betul kerana ramai rakyat yang sedang tertanya-tanya kenapa kenyataan itu keluar dalam waktu yang sangat panas ini. Adakah kenyataan itu untuk menyediakan pemikiran rakyat yang jika ada pimpinan mana-mana pihak yang akan dibatalkan pasportnya nanti, rakyat diminta tidak bertindak dengan cara ganas atau apa?

Ramai yang sangat keliru sekarang ini. Ada pihak yang menggunakan kuasa sejak berdekad-dekad lamanya. Ada pihak yang telah merasakan akan dapat menggantikan kuasa sudah begitu celupar untuk mengambil tindakan dan memenjarakan pihak yang akan digantikannya itu.

Kalau hendak ambil tindakan pun biarlah setelah kuasa diperolehi. Tidak perlu bercakap besar diatas nama ketegasan dan pembaharuan. Apabila ternampak 'rusa dihutan tembak dahulu baru bersorak'. Tetapi mereka ini bersorak baru hendak menembaknya. Belum pun sempat menembak rusa sudah cabut lari.

Bila rusa sudah lari, marah-marah pula kepada semua orang kerana kesalahan sendiri itu. Diri sendiri tidak pernah bersalah.

Kerajaan UMNO Kedah haramkan kuliah agama di Seri Mentaloon..

Amat malang bagi umat Islam di negeri ini, khususnya kakitangan awam yang selama ini menghadiri kuliah mingguan setiap hari Sabtu di Seri Mentaloon kerana kerajaan UMNO Kedah telah mengharamkannya! 

Kuliah mingguan tersebut diperkenalkan sejak Pakatan Rakyat mentadbir Kedah pada 2008, menampilkan para penceramah agama yang menyampaikan pelbagai ilmu Islam. Ia mendapat sambutan hangat khususnya dari kakitangan kerajaan dan swasta, memandangkan tempat tersebut lebih selesa dan mempunyai kemudahan parkir yang luas.

Bagaimanapun sejak Kedah diambilalih oleh UMNO 5 Mei lalu, yang dilaporkan memenangi PRU dengan cara 'menipu dan membeli undi' maka kuliah agama tersebut tidak dibenarkan sama sekali.

Untuk maklumat, sewaktu negeri-negeri Islam seperti Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan berada di bawah naungan Komunis Soviet suatu masa dahulu kuliah-kuliah agama seperti itu memang diharamkan sama sekali. Kerajaan komunis khuatir kesedaran umat Islam terhadap agamanya menyebabkan dasar-dasar yang sekular dan anti Islam akan ditolak.

Tsunami or Landslide?

Lately I have become tired of the word 'tsunami' as in political or election tsunami. In earlier days the word used in similar circumstances when a political party or coalition walloped kau kau the other side would have been 'landslide' as in a 'landslide win' or a 'landslide victory' or 'won by a landslide'.

Mind, I haven't heard of 'lost by a landslide' or 'landslide defeat'.

Is that Jalan Tun Dr Mahathir?
wakakaka

The word 'tsunami'  became better known only after the devastating 2005 Boxing Day tsunami. Prior to that, some poor Japanese or South Pacific islanders were the only people who were conscious of tsunamis, and where most Malaysians (I dare say 99%) weren't even aware of what a tsunami was (Maybe 'tidal wave', but which was different).

Landslide sounds not only more traditional for political wins but also appropriate, because not all sides are crushed by a landslide, but almost everyone would perished when hit by a tsunami.

Thus the word 'tsunami' to describe a 'landslide' election victory would be inappropriate as both sides would have perished and thus lose.

Is that Bandar Tun Dr Mahathir?
wakakaka

On the other hand, with what's going on now in Malaysia, maybe there has been a recent political 'tsunami', wakakaka.

Apa hukum wakil rakyat guna duit judi untuk kempen pru13...?

Malaysian Malay Rulers are Constitutional Monarchs. They Should NOT Engage Themselves in the Politics of the State. The Selangor Sultan Must Set a Good Example of a Constitutional Monarch in Dealing with the Rakyat's Representatives.

 

WE SAY,

THE  RECENT APPARENT STAND-OFF BETWEEN THE RAKYAT'S REPRESENTATIVES IN SELANGOR AND THE ROYAL PALACE IS UNTENABLE IN OUR CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY SYSTEM. 

IN OUR FORM OF DEMOCRACY, THE WILL OF THE RAKYAT  EXPRESSED  THROUGH ITS REPRESENTATIVES IN MATTERS OF THE RUNNING OF THE GOVERNMENT REMAINS PARAMOUNT. 

THE MENTERI BESAR IS THE ELECTED HEAD OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE RAKYAT.   HE REPRESENTS THE WILL OF THE RAKYAT, WHICH IS  TO BE RESPECTED BY ALL, INCLUDING THE  CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHS

UNLESS THERE ARE REASONS THAT AFFAIRS OF THE STATE WILL COMPROMISE THE WELL-BEING OF THE RAKYAT,  THE ROLE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCH IS TO SUPPORT AND FACILITATE THE  HEAD OF GOVERNMENT FOR HE/SHE REPRESENTS THE WILL OF THE RAKYAT, NOT TO CREATE DISSENT AND OBSTACLES.

AS SUCH,  INDIVIDUAL AND PERSONAL WHIMS AND FANCIES OF  CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHS SHOULD NOT BRING TO BEAR ON  AFFAIRS OF GOVERNMENT, MORE SO IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE RAKYAT'S REPRESENTATIVES TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT

THUS, IT  DOES NOT DO ANY FAVOURS TO THE INSTITUTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY IF THE ELECTED HEAD OF GOVERNMENT IS CONSISTENTLY BEING EMBARRASSED BY THE ROYAL PALACE AND MADE TO LOOK SUBSERVIENT TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHS IN MATTERS OF RUNNING OF THE  GOVERNMENT.

Selangor exco saga - a tale with several twists

 READ HERE FOR MORE

 The  constitutional amendments that were passed in 1983 had actually removed whatever discretionary power the sultans had hitherto enjoyed in matters to do with the selection of the MB and the appointment of the state cabinet.

After those amendments were passed, state rulers were bound to accept the advice of the MB, loath as they sometimes are to do so.

The amendments had divested the rulers of their discretionary power, making the advice of the executive well-nigh irresistible.

But things THESE DAYS  are a long way removed from the 1980s when Umno was monarch of all it surveyed in the political realm.

Constitutional pundits were left scratching their heads as to how matters with respect to the selection and swearing-in of the exco could be as protracted as the Selangor saga turned out to be.

After the constitutional crisis in Perak in early 2009 when Umno-BN enjoyed royal favour in deposing the Pakatan government of Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin, the rulers began to claw back the powers and influence they had enjoyed prior to their 1983 decimation.

The exco saga in Selangor the past four weeks was played out against this backdrop of royals seeking to push back at the Umno-engineered limits placed on them by the 1983 amendments.

 Thus Pakatan MB-designate Khalid Ibrahim, days before he took the oath of office as MB on May 14, was subjected to the embarrassment of having a letter read out in his presence that was written by the Selangor PKR secretary to the sultan which not-so-subtly undermined Khalid's claims to a second term of office.

Senior state civil servants, known to be proxies of Umno, were present while the letter was read out at a royal audience, causing Khalid no small chagrin.

 Meanwhile, putting aside his pique at having elements in his own party deal him a low blow at a royal audience, Khalid kept his cool and continued the palaver with the sultan on the overall composition of the state cabinet, pirouetting within the narrow confines imposed by the sultan's insistence on the ratio of Malays to non-Malays (variously reported to be seven Malays to three non-Malays and, latter, six to four) and the advice of his own party that, pace the 1983 amendments, the constitution allowed the MB upper hand in the matter.

Despite two demonstrations by PKR adviser Anwar Ibrahim on how he, when he was deputy prime minister, had convinced rulers to abide by the advice of the executive in precisely such matters as the composition of the state exco, Khalid, either because of a lack of skill or a paucity of nerve,was unable to shift the sultan.

Further, his attempt to have Dr Xavier Jeyakumar retained in the PKR trio of exco members for the 2013-2018 term was shot down by the sultan who apparently revealed that he was deluged with letters and petitions from PKR types about the dentist's shortcomings.Khalid demurred that the claims against Jeyakumar were unproven allegations and, therefore, should not be held against the man. Khalid's pleas turned out to be unavailing.

Now party supremo Anwar is preparing to lead a PKR delegation for a requested audience with the sultan, presumably to discuss palace-to-party relations.

Perhaps what would be more useful to PKR would be an internal party seminar on the true import of the 1983 constitutional amendments and on how party functionaries could avoid undermining each other.

- Malaysiakini

Posted by Malaysian Unplug 

Mana Wang Zakat Kami Wahai Barisan Nasional..

Mana?

Oke. Jangan tanya pasal MANA dulu. Sekarang aku citer dulu kenapa persoalan di atas timbul. Lihat berita kat bawah neh sat ;

Bayi lima bulan, Muhammad Asyraf Zaili yang menghidap penyakit Hipolglisemia masih memerlukan RM200,000 untuk kos rawatannya di luar negara.

Bapanya, Zaili Dollah, 47, berkata, sejak kisah anaknya disiarkan media, jumlah bantuan yang berjaya dikumpulkan setakat ini adalah RM62,000.

“Doktor memaklumkan anak kami perlu dibawa ke luar negara untuk rawatan pada 16 Jun ini, namun wang yang kami perlukan masih tidak cukup.

“Kami masih mengharapkan keprihatinan orang ramai menghulukan sumbangan bagi membantu anak kami pulih,” katanya.

Zaili berkata, sekiranya jumlah wang masih tidak cukup, dia dan isteri, Rasidah Ardani, 41, terpaksa mencari alternatif lain.

“Kami mungkin terpaksa menjual apa sahaja yang kami ada untuk menampung kos terbabit,” katanya.

Sinar Harian pada 16 Mei lalu menyiarkan kisah Muhammad Asyraf yang memerlukan kos RM250,000 untuk menjalani rawatan yang hanya boleh dilakukan di luar negara.

Muhammad Asyraf menghidap penyakit kekurangan gula dalam darah atau Hipolglisemia sejak lahir dan kini di tahap kritikal.

Orang ramai yang ingin membantu boleh memasukkan sumbangan ke dalam akaun Maybank Rasidah Ardani bernombor 156141307260 atau menghubungi mereka di talian 0199321566 atau 0199882647.

Kali neh aku bagi punca dan kaedah. Kalau la ada sesiapa kat sini ialah UMNO, BN dan Pusat Zakat tolong take note. Bawa la idea2 neh kat sesiapa sekalipun yang korang yakin boleh bantu laksanakan ia.

Punca.

Tiap2 tahun aku baca berita. Lihat berita. Aku tengok dan tonton ada banyak jenis pusat zakat negeri umumkan pelbagai kutipan zakat. Mereka annoucekan jumlah zakat. Banyak. Maksudnya tiap2 tahun mereka sebenarnya berjaya dapat banyak duit zakat. Melihatkan kepada angkanya aku terfikir, eh kutipan zakat bertambah tiap tahun, orang islam still ada yang merempat gak, kenapa?

Aku tertanya. Aku berfikir. Ini tak betul. Aku pernah terbaca kisah pemerintahan Umar. Kutipan zakat ketika dia mentadbir negara juga tinggi. Tapi kenapa sepanjang dia mentadbir negara, dari era orang susah bersepah2 kepada orang susah mustahil untuk dijumpai?

Dia ada amalkan satu sistem. Setiap zakat yang dicukai, harus terus diagihkan kepada pihak yang memerlukan. Tak payah tunggu orang minta, zakat sampai dulu depan pintu rumah.

Oke. AKu minta maaf. Khalifah kita dah takde. Untuk aku mengharapkan orang lain mencontohi sikap khalifah2 agung kita seperti zaman dulu, aku gila. Tak normal. Sakit hotak. Ia mustahil dibuat oleh kebanyakkan pemimpin zaman sekarang. Ada, memang ada, tapi jumlahnya kurang dari 10 jari yang aku miliki neh.

Berbangga. Dengan kutipan yang tinggi ini mereka berbangga canang satu dunia. Aku takde masalah kalau niat mereka nak umumkan kutipan zakat. Tetapi sejauh mana mereka perform, buat kerja, lakukan agihan kepada golongan sasaran, mencari orang susah? 

Aku, tak percaya mereka buat kerja sehinggalah orang susah datang mencari dorang. Itupun aku tak percaya mereka bantu semua orang yang memerlukan. Biokrasi. Takut sangat kena tipu. Antara alasan yang aku sering dengar dari pelbagai pihak. Karenah biokrasi tue aku tak pernah setuju. Sebab tue aku sarankan, ko keluar dan cari orang susah. Bila ko sendiri keluar cari orang susah risiko untuk ko kena tipu pun margin rendah, sebab apa? Sebab ko lakukan siasatan ma. 

Tak betul meh?

Bila ko ada inisiatif untuk keluar dari pejabat selesa tue, automatik ko mengurangkan karenah biokrasi. Dah berapa kali aku nak korang faham. Kita tak boleh berfikir seperti mana keadaan kita. Kalau orang tue dah susah, usah kata motor, silap2 dorang sendiri pun tatau eh pusat zakat ada, rupanya kita boleh mohon bantuan melalui mereka.

Faham tak?

Penyelesaian.

Keluar. Bukan hanya teknologi je dah maju, dah moden, berubah ikut arus, kita sendiri kena ubah cara kita buat kerja. 

Keluar. Keluar cari orang susah. Tak perlu tunggu panggilan. Tak perlu tunggu aduan. Buat satu team. Team melancong cari orang susah. Jalan2. Pergi satu malaysia. Jejak semua tempat. Cari. Fahami. Dengar cerita mereka. Tengok apa jenis kesusahan yang mereka alami. Dengar. Tengok cara mana ko boleh nasihatkan mereka, tengok cara mana ko mampu bantu mereka dengan segala kudrat dan kemampuan yang ko ada.

Buat satu team. Beli semua jenis paper. Tengok kot2 ada rakyat yang mengadu kesusahan ke apa pada hari tersebut. Amek, kaji, analisa dan bantu setakat mana yang patutnya korang bantu.

Ubah. Ubah cara kita buat kerja. Ingatlah, zakat bukan perhiasan dalam bank tue. Takutlah. Semakin dia banyak dan berkembang, semakin ramai orang susah, kita sebenarnya sedang amalkan sistem yang salah. Kalau dia banyak dan berkembang dengan rakyat yang mewah bersepah itu takpe. Ini dia banyak dan berkembang dengan orang susah bersepah, wajar ka?

Audit. Perlu ada audit terbuka untuk semua jenis pusat zakat negeri yang wujud. Harus boleh dicapai oleh wakil rakyat untuk jadi rujukan dan perdebatan dalam dewan parlimen. Rakyat berhak tahu bagaimana mereka menguruskan wang zakat tersebut. Adakah sampai kepada golongan sasaran ataupun wujud unsur2 penyelewengan seperti yang pernah dibuat oleh Jamil Khir yang kemudiannya di halalkan menggunakan nama Islam. 

Ya Allah, Islam bukan alat untuk ko halalkan salah laku. Ya, ko dah ubah dan bersihkan, tapi jangan lupa, ko tak pernah akui kesilapan. Itu tak pernah betul, meskipun ko dah ganti balik duit tersebut.

Sakit ahti. Ya. Kadang korang marah, kecam dan sakit ahti. Melihat umat islam dibantu oleh kristian. Then korang kutuk orang kristian. Tapi korang tahu bagaimana entiti kristian neh buat kerja? AKu pernah masuk gereja. Dorang ada buat lelongan dan jualan amal. Then aku tanya. Untuk siapa? Untuk orang2 tua. Untuk kanak2 istimewa. Tak kira bangsa dan agama. 

Mereka tiada bantuan / dana tetap. Tetapi sejauh neh mereka usaha untuk tolong orang. Neh, kita ada zakat. Sistem kita tersusun. Besar. Tapi kita kalah dengan sistem kecik. Sebab apa? Sebab kesungguhan dan keikhlasan mereka mengatasi kita. Sakit. Sakit dada aku memikirnya. Apa salah umat islam di malaysia untuk mendapatkan pemerintahan seperti neh? 

CUKUP. 

Tolong la pusat zakat. TOlong la. Tolong la keluar. Tolong la bantu orang susah. Tolong la. Aku tak boleh bantu semua orang. Aku bukan orang kaya. Aku tak sanggup lagi baca cerita2 macam neh di dada akhbar. Jadi tolong la. Tolong la ubah cara korang buat kerja. Tolong la. Tolong la buat sepertimana yang digariskan dalam Islam. Tolong la cedok bagaimana khalifah2 agung kita buat kerja. Tolong la.

-amenoworld

UNSCRUPULOUS ZAHID stirring up trouble just to further his ambitions at UMNO election?

The statement by the director-general of Registry of Societies (RoS) Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman that many DAP members who were eligible to attend its national congress on December 15 last year did not receive notice to do so is both baseless and most unprofessional.

It is a “political twist” to the RoS investigations into the DAP and I see a political “black hand” behind it – all the way to the new Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Zahid Hamidi.

Since becoming the new Home Minister a forthnight ago, Zahid had tried to politicise all the departments under him.

Most political Home Minister & IGP

Firstly, being the most “political” Home Minister in partnership with the most “political” Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, he has created mayhem to police priorities, allowing crime and the fear of crime among Malaysians to run riot because he is obsessed with using police powers to crack down on Pakatan Rakyat leaders and social activists – not having said a single word on the primary duty of the police to keep crime rate low as well as to eradicate the people's pervasive fear of crime.

As a result, Zahid's two-week term as Home Minister takes on the hues of a return of Mahathirism, with arrests and prosecution of Pakatan Rakyat leaders and social activists while Umno/BN leaders and their kind enjoy immunity and impunity for the most sedious and racist utterances.

But the police force is not the only Home Ministry agency which is taking on Mahathirish hues. The Immigration Department director-general Alias Ahmad has announced that 6,564 Malaysians will have their passports cancelled to prevent them from leaving the country, among others, because they had “tarnished the nation's image abroad”.

The government has no powers to revoke the passports of Malaysians who had exercised their constitutional right to support the coalition of their choice in the recent 13^th general elections, as it is not only undemocratic but a gross abuse of power for the Immigration Department to equate criticism and opposition to Umno/BN as disloyalty to the nation.

DAP and Pakatan Rakyat will provide legal assistance to anyone of the 6,564 Malaysians whose passports are revoked because they had exercised their citizenship and constitutional rights to support the coalition of their choice during the 13GE, whether inside or outside the country.

In this connection, the barring of the PKR Vice President and MP for Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah Anwar from visiting Sabah yesterday to celebrate Pesta Kaamatan must be condemned in the strongest possible terms, as it is an example of the growing list of Mahahathirish abuses of power and undemocratic practices after the 13^thGeneral Elections.

I commend the BN MP for Kinabatangan Datuk Bung Moktar Radin for criticising the Nurul Izzah immigration ban, describing it as “a big mistake...and it needs to be corrected”.

Bung has become more sensible and level-headed over the years, and he should be promoted as a Deputy Minister instead of those who blindly accept abuses of power without daring to utter a protest.

Mahathirism overtaking the agencies

The RoS is the third government agency in the Home Ministry which is acting completely out character since having a new Home Minister.

Clearly, Zahid is only thinking about the upcoming Umno party elections and he wants to position himself as an UMNO hero by being a macho and belligerent Home Minister who dare to declare DAP unlawful even if it is a gross abuse of power.

DAP leaders, supporters and members must be prepared for the worst, as clearly Zahid has no respect for the rule of law but only rule by law – and may be prepared to shoot himself up to stratospheric heights in the UMNO popularity stakes by taking unlawful actions against the DAP even they constitute gross abuses of power.

Lim Kit Siang is the DAP adviser

Horrific autopsy report on Sat: Zahid, Khalid unfit to hold office, Paul Low a disgrace - Surendran

The family of the late N Dharmendran, who was beaten to death while in police custody, will reveal the full post-mortem report containing "horrific and shocking" details on Saturday, their lawyers told Malaysia Chronicle on Friday.

"Injuries and torture detailed in post-mortem report is horrific and will shock the nation when revealed tomorrow. That no action has been taken 9 days since Dharmendran's death proves the Inspector General of Police Khalid Bakar and Home Minister Zahid Hamidi are unfit to hold office. Paul Low is a disgrace and laughing stock as a human rights minister," N Surenrdan, the family's lawyer, told Malaysia Chronicle.

Surendran will expose the findings of the autopsy at a press conference to be held in the PKR headquarters at 10.30am on Saturday, June 1.

Remanded over a fight but ended murdered by the police?

The 31-year-old Dharmendran, an employee of sewage treatment utility Indah Water, had been remanded since May 11 for suspected involvement in a fight. He was found dead in police custody on May 21.

Surendran, who is also the MP for Padang Serai, had just days ago dropped a bombshell, revealing that Paul Low had made contact with his clients and invited them to a secret meeting without the presence of their current lawyers.

While Low, a former president of Transparency International Malaysia, was quick to deny this, insisting that it was the family who misconstrued his motives, the newly-appointed minister drew criticism for U-turning on his previous appeal to the government to form an independent panel, IPCMC, to monitor police conduct as a means to prevent custodial deaths.

"This is hypocritical because Datuk Low had himself criticised the failure of the government to implement the IPCMC as there is already an existing mechanism to lodge complaints against the police is both hypocritical and irresponsible," DAP sec-gen Lim Guan Eng said in a statement issued on Friday.

"As the then-President of Transparency International Malaysia, Datuk Low told a press conference after presenting the 2009 Global Corruption Report that the watering down of the proposed IPCMC into a special complaints commission ‘strongly indicates the government’s inability to regulate the gatekeepers’.”

What happened to you, Paul Low?

Indeed, there is deep public disappointment with Paul Low, who is perceived by many to have 'sold out' to Prime Minister Najib Razak's corruption-tainted government.

As for Zahid, whose credibility is already sagging after several highly-priced procurement deals he pushed through as Defense Minister, calls are growing for him to step down for abuse of power and interfering with police work. Just today, a group of students protested outside his office, lambasting him for using the police as tools for his political purposes.

"Even though there is a new Home minister, the Home Ministry continues to be partisan and as long as this continues, the police will not be independent,"  student activists Abdul Muqit Muhammad had told the press.

Newly-appointed IGP Khalid Bakar, who was caught lying over another custodial death case in 2009 involving A Kugan, has not been able to counter the perception that he is just another "subservient catspaw" for Najib and his ruling Umno party. Instead, his recent promotion as the country's top cop has ony added to this view.

All three men have rejected the establishment of the IPCMC, arguing that any complaint against the police could be channelled to the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), which they claim will investigate the complaints and recommend further action if necessary.

They have also tried to shield the 4 cops accused of beating Dharmendran from murder charges or being suspended from work.

“You have to be fair to both sides. You cannot blame the entire police force when something like this happens,” said Zahid.

Take responsibility

Meanwhile, human rights NGO Suaram has demanded that Khalid and Zahid take responsibility for Dharmendrans's death.

"SUARAM expects nothing short of transparency and independence of the police and the Home Ministry in this matter," it said in a statement.

"For as long as the police are allowed to commit these hideous criminal offences with impunity, the police are not qualified boast and to make public announcements on the level of safety and security on the streets. In fact, the police should start focussing to improve the safety of suspects under police supervision and custody."

It has asked for answers as to:

1. Why were there staples on the deceased’s ears?;

2. Who inflicted the bruises all over the deceased body?;

3. What were the grounds considered by the Magistrate in allowing the police’s application for remand?; and

4. The status of investigation on Dharmendran at the time of the application for remand and subsequently bail.

Suaram has also recommended the following actions to be taken by the authorities:

1. An independent and transparent investigation on the officers in charge of Dharmendran;

2. The police to disclose the Daily Journal kept by the officer in charge of Dharmendran during the initial detention and remand period;

3. An urgent intervention from the Magistrate who had approved the remand application and further heard the bail application; and

4. The Attorney General to initiate proceedings against the officers in charge of Dharmendran.

However, neither the IGP, the Home Minister nor the de-facto Human Rights Minister has responded to any of its suggestions.

Malaysia Chronicle