The son of the late Douglas Gomez, a hockey coach who was reportedly assaulted by the then-Johor ruler in 1992, recalled how his family was accorded round-the-clock police protection, following a reported alleged assault of a disabled person by a royal escort.
He also compared the situation with when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister to the present.
In a series of postings in X under the title “police protection in 1992”, he said: "Listen here, (Prime Minister) Anwar Ibrahim, you know this, but perhaps you have conveniently forgotten.
“When my father was (reportedly) assaulted, my family had 24-hour police protection. There was an undercover cop near my house at all times.
“Never mind that everyone in my Taman (residential area) knew it was an undercover cop car, they all took photographs in front of it and showed it to their friends and relatives…
“The point is that back then, we had police protection,” he added.
Brian said this was not because the police felt inclined to protect his family but rather because Mahathir’s government made it “very clear, publicly, that the police had to”.
“The police protected my family, whether they liked it or not because the government - the prime minister - told them to,” he said, claiming the the situation is different now.
In the recent case, the Malaysian Deaf Advocacy and Well-being Organisation (Dawn) accused the police of treating the alleged victim in an unprofessional manner.
Meanwhile, Brian said he could reveal all the details concerning what transpired in 1992 but realised that it could land him in jail under the present administration.
Referring to the constitutional amendments of 1993, he also lauded “courageous” lawmakers such as the late deputy prime minister Ghafar Baba.
Following the incident involving the hockey coach, Mahathir had used it as leverage to once again impose the code of conduct as well as to remove the rulers’ immunity from prosecution and the ability to pardon themselves and their families.
This is not the first time Brian has spoken out about the incident involving his father. In 2016, he had responded to Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim recalled the constitutional crisis and reminded the then government not to repeat such greed-driven episodes.
As for the May 28 incident, Bukit Aman CID director Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, who was asked to respond to a claim going viral on social media that Tunku Ismail’s escort assaulted the disabled man, said the case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code.
Hours later, Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Mohd Isa revealed that the alleged victim had lodged a second report on the same night stating that the matter had been resolved amicably and he did not wish to prolong the case.
However, various quarters, including Perikatan Nasional, have called on the police to continue with their investigations with Lawyers for Liberty urging the government to ensure there is no interference.
The Kuala Lumpiur police chief told Malaysiakini this afternoon that the case has not been closed.
In a related development, Tunku Ismail has responded to the alleged incident and revealed that it involved a police security team.
Calling for a thorough probe and justice to be accorded to the victim, his highness stressed that he does not condone illegal actions or acts of intimidation. - Mkini
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