HOW DECEITFUL: Cops admit questioning 'toilet-canteen' kids without parents' consent

KUALA LUMPUR - In a sudden about-turn that makes them appear downright deceitful, Malaysian police caved in when faced by angry parents and finally admitted they had questioned primary school children over a 'toilet-canteen' incident without getting prior consent.

The admission drew further indignant calls for a thorough probe, with the headmaster of the Seri Pristana school already accused of using his political connections to browbeat parents who had complained about his decision to make non-Muslim pupils eat their meals in the shower area of the school toilet during the Muslim fasting month.

"It is not proper for the police to question children without the presence of the parents. This is not the way to handle the matter and you cannot blame the public for suspecting a cover-up," MP for Ampang Zuraida Kamaruddin told Malaysia Chronicle.

What liars!

Sungai Buloh district police chief Junaidi Bujang had on Tuesday denied giving any instructions to question the children. "There is no such thing. There was never any instruction on my part. I did not ask any officer to do so. In any case, what would the children know?"

Several parents then told a press conference that the police had lied and that their children were indeed questioned without their consent.

Their public revelation forced Junaidi to change his story. The police chief has now admitted to questioning the pupils but insists his men were not taking official statements from the children and did not harass them.

"There were six children in the photograph (uploaded by a parent), so we wanted to find out who the children were, whether the photograph was taken during Ramadan, when they started eating there etc," Malaysiakini reported Junaidi as saying.

"We cannot just listen to the teachers. Even the parents got the information from their children. But we did not interrogate the children. We were just talking."

Claiming that he had misunderstood the question posed by the press, the recalcitrant Junaidi continued to take a hardline stance with the parents instead of a conciliatory one. He said if the children were "frightened" as claimed by the parents then they should lodge a police report on the matter.

"We didn't just speak to the Indian students. We spoke to Chinese students and even Malay students. We were just doing our job to find out if the claims were true," said Junaidi.

"I have no agenda and I have been trying to help. What I would prefer is for everyone to sit together and solve this problem as Malaysians."

"Perhaps what this group of parents want is for me to shut down the school or take action against the headmaster but that is not my job," Junaidi added.

Time to put political bullies in their place

However, his critics including Zuraida slammed his comments, pointing out that not all Malaysians would want to be caught "lying like him".

"I find it hard to believe the authorities could be so insensitive or crude in their behavior. Surely the police and school authorities cannot be so biased towards the non-Malays and non-Muslims. Given the political overtones in the 'toilet-canteen' episode, I wonder if someone in Umno is trying to use this incident to embarrass and sabotage Prime Minister Najib Razak," PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua had told Malaysia Chronicle.

Seri Pristana, a government-run primary school, hit the headlines when upset non-Muslim parents raised a commotion upon finding that their kids had been asked to take their meal breaks during the Ramadan month in the shower area of the school toilet.

The headmaster, who gained infamy when parents complained of his alleged bullying ways and bids to take revenge on their kids, is allegedly a leader in Malaysia's ruling Umno party.

The Education ministry is currently headed by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, whom many expect to challenge Najib for the Umno presidency when the party holds its election in October.

"Let me remind the Education minister that he can choose to remain silent on the issues at SK Seri Pristana, but can expect to be queried when Parliament meets," MP for Ipoh Barat M Kulasegaran said in a statement.

"Besides asking him whether he is powerless or heartless or both over the SK Seri Pristana issues, I shall also ask the prime minister - who has the prerogative to appoint ministers - if a minister who ignores acts of bullying and intimidation in schools  is still fit to be the education minister."