Royal Malaysian Police or Royal Malaysian Criminals

Around June this year Malaysian PM Ahmad Abdullah Badawi (AAB) launched a Royal Commission to investigate into alleged conducts of corruption, brutality and other illegal acts in the Royal Malaysian Police. The Commission came up with a hundred over recommendations, which one wonders if any has yet been implemented.

Interestingly, the Commission threw a titbit to the eager long-suffering Malaysian public who would like to see some blood spilled among the police ranks, preferably by the top brasses for their incompetence, lack of governance, and pathetic leadership. The titbit?

The hungry public was told that there was a 7-million dollar police officer, whom I have no doubt had legal and lawful possession of that sum – or that piece of news wouldn’t have seen daylight at all.

OK, so feed the public sharks a bit of berley, which hopefully should satisfy their angry hunger, and thus deflect their attention from the Home Minister and top police officers.

As for the Royal Commission, this is what Ioannis Gatsiounis of Asia Times has to say of them:

“The commissioners themselves have a wide range of backgrounds, including political, legal, activist, religious and business, and have vowed to help restore credibility to the police. In time, maybe they will. But according to lawyers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and citizens who have dealt directly with the commission, it is already showing some of the traits that are synonymous with the police: arrogance, secrecy, complacency and inefficiency.”

“NGOs and concerned citizens have been barred from some of the commission's ‘open hearings’. Uthayakumar, the human rights lawyer, said: 'They were set up to take immediate action on urgent matters. But they have not taken any action on [these cases of abuse].'"

Should we be surprised at all?

OK, leave the Commission’s lack of openness aside, now, what have happened with their recommendations?

??? - can anyone help on this?

Then, given all the above, what do we have right now?

Barely 6 months have passed since the Royal Commission handed in the recommendations, and we have very shameful cases of abuse of powers by the Royal Malaysian Police, again. Three female Chinese nationals, wives of Malaysians, have been abused by Police.

The so-called law officers demanded money from them – I believe that’s called EXTORTION.

One had her money taken without her permission – I believe that’s called DAYLIGHT ROBBERY.

Two were forced to strip and one had her breast squeezed by a police officer – I believe that’s called SEXUAL ASSAULT.

Yes, all these criminal acts were perpetrated by the POLICE. The three women were unlawfully, yes, UNLAWFULLY DETAINED for 4 days despite having the correct documents.

When the husband of one of them rushed to the police station to secure her release, the police sergeant refused to verify her passport with the Immigration Department until he paid up a sum of under-the-counter money. What the hell does one call that?

They were unlawfully detained, humiliated, stripped, sexually assaulted, extorted, and robbed at the police station.

All those crimes are punishable by law.

Now, ask yourselves how and why the Police dare perpetrate such crimes on three innocent women, wives of Malaysian citizens?

As noted commentator Dr M Bakri Musa wrote in his Malaysiakini column, the story of the PM-ship of AAB has been a legacy of lost opportunity.

What good is a Commission of Inquiry if AAB fails to institute measures to right a rotten, yes, bloody rotten police force, manned disgracefully by many uniformed criminals. And what has been AAB's action on the police force thus far? Oh yes, he made them wear stickers on their uniforms with the message that they won't be corrupt.

I am not sure whether to laugh or to cry. Malaysia Boleh!