Police callous brutality

Malaysiakini - Public uproar over cop who 'kicked' motorcyclist

According to Kwong Wah Jit Poh, motorcyclist Lim Hup Hwang was riding without a helmet about 5.50 pm when he arrived at the roadblock.

Attempting to stop Lim, the police personnel kicked the motorcycle, causing the teenager to fall and hit the road divider.

Lim was taken to the Tangkak Hospital and later transferred to a private hospital in Malacca due to the severe injuries on the head, right ear, neck, right leg and other parts of his body.

The daily quoted an eyewitness as claiming that Lim’s motorcycle was kicked because he did not immediately stop after being instructed by the police to do so.

As if that was not bad enough, the following happened:

The witness then saw a People’s Volunteer Corps member riding a motorcycle. He ran into Lim who was lying on the ground and left the scene hastily.

The witness claimed that the police personnel had stood and watched the whole incident without offering any help to Lim.

The police as usual attempted to lay the blame on Lim as they did on Aminulrasyid Amzah. Like Aminulrasyid, Lim is only 14 years old.

Lim sister revealed: “This policeman argued that my brother intended to hit him with the motorcycle hence the kick. Fortunately, three good Samaritans are our eyewitnesses (to rebut the policeman). Thank you so much.”

To stop Lim, they kicked his bike, to stop Aminulrasyid they shot him.

Our remarkable police has done it again.

Eons ago in Penang way before my time, as my uncle told me, a police outrider in a VVIP convoy came upon a young boy pedalling a bicycle just ahead, but by the edge of the road where cyclists would be. Without pausing as he passed, he brutally and callously kicked the young cyclist aside, obviously to show that no one should be on the road when a VVIP convoy was in progress.

Unfortunately the boy died. Like Lim Hup Hwang he expired tragically due to severe head injuries.

As a youngster (coincidentally around 14 years old too) I suffered almost the same experience though fortunately for me, the policeman, also on a bicycle, came from behind me and kicked his booted foot right into the spokes of my front wheel (instead of me) to stop me.

Due to the unexpected abrupt stop, I catapulted forward and suffered some minor bruises. Worse for very poor me, my bicycle suffered damage especially to the front wheel spokes. I couldn't afford to repair it and for months I lost use of the bicycle. To add insult to injury, I was severely beaten by my mum for damaging the bike.

I got up with a shock wondering what it was all about. The cop snarled at me for riding double abreast with my mate. Did that deserve such a violent treatment? Then he gave me a ticket.

Coincidentally, he was the cop who sought lodging advice from my neighbour Pakcik Daud, on whom I wrote about in my post Makcik Puteh & Belangkas over at my other blog KTemoc Kongsamkok.

I had already told Pakcik Daud about that incident. During the meeting, he gently reminded the cop about his unacceptable ‘behaviour’ especially with people in a small kampung and then, best of all for me, urged him to 'settle' the ticket.

The asshole was embarrassed of course and attempted to bull his way through by laying the blame on my mate, claiming he (my mate) was arrogant and refused to stop. But Pakcik Daud knew he had came from behind two oblivious boys chatting away happily while riding abreast. Perhaps the cop wanted to show off his police credentials as allowing him that act of unnecessary brutality. Anyway, the cop somehow had my ticket cancelled, thanks to Pakcik Daud.

Some people just can’t handle power and misapply it. ‘Tis the nature of the beast.

Read also: Political violence - the nature of the beast