'This must stop '- young Malaysians react to 'virtual graveyard'

 

Young Malaysians are demanding a change of attitude and more firm actions from the government and police regarding the decades-old issue of custodial deaths, which flared up again this year as Malaysians were aghast over the death of cow's milk seller A Ganapathy.

Malaysiakini highlighted the numerous 'unsolved' cases of people dying behind bars through torture, abuse and neglect by creating a virtual graveyard with the stories of those who have died over the past two decades.

"The visualisation of the tombstones in a virtual graveyard is an important and sobering sight to behold. It pains me to think that each of these people had loved ones who are left without closure or justice.

"While it is is a difficult issue to broach, we cannot look away at it - for we pay for our silence and inaction with the price of another life being taken away on such gruelling conditions. We must take a stand collectively to state that this is completely unacceptable," said Roshinee Mookaiah, 26.

Misi Solidariti's Sharon Wah, 20, agreed, saying: "The importance of this project and what it stands for cannot be understated - it is a tribute to both the dead and the living.

"When the elapsing of time is a harmful balm, remembrance is not just a matter of loving memory, but a defiant promise of the rakyat to their due justice.

"As our memories are preserved, so too is our most important pain: The anger that reminds us how we all deserve so much more," she said.

 Ethnicity still a factor

Nivetha Sri Shanker, 25, said that it was impossible not to notice that those of Indian ethnicity were disproportionately represented.

"Be it on the virtual graveyard or the recent viral cases, it has been jarringly deaths of Indians, predominantly Indian men.

"Now, I will not derail this into a Race X against Race Y debate leading down a rabbit hole of socioeconomic failures and discrimination as there have been enough conversations of that.

"But it feels personal, as a young Malaysian from that same community each time a custodial death becomes viral. It enforces the fear that every little encounter with the police feels as if it is a matter of life and death. How long will it take before it is one of my kin?" she asked.

Nivetha said that the filter enabling searches according to victims with similar physical traits (Age, Gender, Race) to herself via the virtual graveyard only drilled that thought deeper.

"Why is it fear, what is it about the police and its investigation process or its lack thereof that instils the fear of custodial death in laypeople like you and me," she said.

Jit Lee,23, said that until the police made a genuine attempt to reform which included independent bodies having the power to investigate possible abuse of power, then all the proposals would seem like lip service.

"How can we continue to teach youth to trust the police when the fear of dying in custody is so real?

"This trust deficit is further exacerbated by the racially disproportionate violence perpetrated by the very men and women who have sworn to protect us. Can we still produce a future that is safe for the youth when there is no guarantee of being able to step out of a police station alive?" he asked.

Four years ago another Malaysiakini special report on death in custody addressed the question of a possible imbalance in the reporting of cases and raw statistics as far as race is concerned, but it must be noted that official statistics have repeatedly been challenged by rights groups such as Suaram and Edict this year.

On Dec 6, Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin announced that the PDRM will set up a special unit to investigate cases of death involving detainees.

He said it would be known as the Criminal Investigation Unit on Deaths in Custody and will be staffed by 12 police personnel and a civilian staff member.

Hamzah has also been behind the IPCC Bill which critics say is a watered-down version of the original Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) that was proposed in 2005 by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police.

Viktor, 20, clearly point the finger at authorities providing obstacles to proper reforms and accountability.

"Custodial Deaths and Police Misconduct are ever-present issues and the police force have been dragging their feet at any attempts to reform this broken system that enables so much needless suffering," he said.

 He added that the virtual graveyard gave great insight into illustrating how terrible police misconduct behind closed doors really is.

"We're all used to seeing the statistics of how many custodial deaths there are in any given period but we rarely get such graphic and descriptive write-ups about what really happens to the victims of police abuse," he said.

Issue must reach the masses

Nur Qyira Yusri, co-founder of Undi 18 concurred, saying that the interactive website illustrated the dire situation that Malaysians can face if they have the misfortune to be arrested and held in custody.

"It's an important effort to highlight the number of unexplained deaths, especially when these individuals have grieving families and friends who are waiting for answers, some years and some for decades.

"The discourse of death and torture in custody can't be just held by only NGOs and activists, hence an initiative that makes an effort to reach the masses like this is significant.

"This is an issue that needs to be a part of our daily conversation with friends and family, as it could really happen to just any one of us," she told Malaysiakini.

Ilaiya Barathi Panneerselvam, 27 said that custodial death and torture are issues critical in assessing the maturity or significance of a democratic society.

"Sweeping the issues under the carpet or camouflaging them with senseless excuses severely reduces both the integrity of the police force and the trust in them.

"As a body accountable to protect the public, the police force must act responsibly rather than abusing their powers.

Athira Michael, 23, agreed, saying that the indications were that torture has been normalised and that there has been not been enough effort in pushing for reforms by those in the positions of power.

"It is an extremely pressing issue as they are the most marginalised sections of society who suffer from police mistreatment and are most likely to be on the receiving end of police violence.

"Authorities who we thought are the ones who will uphold the value of truth and justice ended up becoming the opposite. In view of the current situation in Malaysia, seems like the delivery of justice is not accessible for the common people,: she said.

"The news of custodial death by police often hit the headlines in news however despite pressure and criticism, there were no significant laws or actions taken on the man in the uniforms," she lamented.

It feels like nothing has changed

Jacqueline Hannah, 24, said that it feels like things are the same as they were 30 years ago.

"It is a pressing issue because it concerns the life and death of a person but only those who are closely affected (the friends, families etc) will want to do something about it.

"As indicated in the website, we need a systemic change and IPCMC will be it. We need to police the police," she said.

Dr Thanussha Francis Xavier is a co-founder of Muda, a party still struggling with registration.

"It is simple logic that an accused murderer cannot be entrusted to investigate his own crime, why then is it acceptable for the police to investigate themselves?

"There is a resounding commonality in all of these deaths: a lack of accountability. Even a single death is one too many. The disregard for human lives lost in custody is appalling," she told Malsyaiskini.

She said that seeing the tombstones in the graveyard and reading the stories of their deaths had a powerful impact.

Finally, a 19-year-old student who preferred to remain anonymous urged the authorities to think of the family members of those who have died.

"The death of the victims is not the only aspect that is unjust. Often, we rightfully focus on the passing of the victims, but my comment would also like to shed light on the people left behind.

"It is extremely heartbreaking to think that someone is crying over the death of their loved one who died at the hands of those who were supposed to uphold peace and justice in a civil society.

"Another aspect that I also noted from the article, is that the compensation given for these deaths are often far too low. How is a life worth less than RM500,000.?

"These people who have died, regardless of their prior histories, would still have a chance at a bright future if they turn over a new leaf.

"There is no fair monetary compensation in this regard and a life lost in such a brutal manner is fundamentally wrong. However, I strongly believe that there could at least be better compensation for the families of the victims," he said. - Mkini