'It can be any of us' - youth group says after cops question co-founder

Youth group Misi Solidariti has called for public support in its petition for the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) after one of its co-founders was questioned by the police yesterday.

In a thread on Twitter last night, the group shared the story of its co-founder Sharon Wah, who was questioned along with four other activists over a short animation on alleged police brutality.

“Sharon is a university student who is turning 20 this year. She is a friend, and she is a daughter.

“Along with her friends, Sharon uses her voice to speak up about what they believe is right, and to speak against the injustice they encounter living in Malaysia,” the group tweeted.

It said the circumstances that led to the co-founder being questioned by police are not unique to her alone and warned the public against being complacent on the authorities’ crackdown on free speech.

“Any of us could have been Sharon.

“You may think, ‘That would never happen to me because I would never have done what she did,’ and you would be correct, but for how long?

“All it takes is one offhand comment, one misplaced statement, and you’re on the receiving end of a police investigation too,” the group added.

Criticising the police’s actions, the group claimed authorities were acting without accountability and asked the public to sign its petition for the creation of the IPCMC.

“Police officers physically and mentally abuse detainees, many times to death,” the group alleged.

It also called on the public to stand united “when the systems in place have failed”, and discouraged the public from being selfish out of fear of the authorities.

“Laws that arbitrarily criminalise speech and even legitimate criticism remain on the book. 

“We have to stand united and protect each other when the systems in place have failed because unity against those who seek to oppress us is how we survive,” the group said.

A scene from animation 'Chili Powder and Thinner'

Yesterday, police questioned four activists over a short film titled "Chili Powder and Thinner”, which depicted the alleged torture of a 16-year-old boy while in police lock-up.

This was after the police raided the Freedom Film Network (FFN) office in Petaling Jaya and the house of cartoonist Amin Landak in Wangsa Maju last week for their role in producing the animation.

Attention on the IPCMC bill resurfaced after several cases of custodial deaths happened this year, most notably the death of trader A Ganapathy which received widespread public attention.

The IPCMC Bill 2019 was first put forward by the previous Pakatan Harapan federal administration, but momentum for the bill’s passing soon faded after the coalition collapsed in February last year.

The bill was eventually withdrawn by the new Perikatan Nasional administration and replaced by the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) Bill which would give the commission less power to scrutinise police misconducts compared to the previous bill. - Mkini