Murray Hunter
Police caught out trying to suppress an assault report
Picture by Focus Malaysia
Last week, there was an incident when a member of Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim’s personal security personnel allegedly punched a deaf-mute ride-hauling driver Ong Ing Keong, outside the St Regis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
However, it’s not the assault that is so worrying, although this could be seen as an act of heavy handedness and arrogance by a member of a security detail.
What is extremely concerning is what happened afterwards. The 46 year old Grab driver Ong went to lodge a report with the police of his assault. The police treated Ong very poorly, as if he was the perpetrator of a crime – keeping him waiting and confiscating Ong’s mobile phone.
There was no one called to communicate with Ong in sign language. Ong was pressured to sign a second police report and withdraw his complaint. Ong was pressured to accept the RM 800 compensation, where compensation given out by the police is highly unusual in such cases, and refused the return of his mobile phone, should he not accept the offer. This amounts to bullying and abusing the power of the police. For a Grab driver, a mobile phone is his livelihood.
Fortunately, Ong had assistance from Lawyers for Liberty Zaid Malek, Latheefa Koya, and N. Surendran, which forced the police to open up an internal investigation by the Bukit Aman Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS) on the assault incident and police procedures when Ong made his report to the police.
Picture by Focus Malaysia
Last week, there was an incident when a member of Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim’s personal security personnel allegedly punched a deaf-mute ride-hauling driver Ong Ing Keong, outside the St Regis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
However, it’s not the assault that is so worrying, although this could be seen as an act of heavy handedness and arrogance by a member of a security detail.
What is extremely concerning is what happened afterwards. The 46 year old Grab driver Ong went to lodge a report with the police of his assault. The police treated Ong very poorly, as if he was the perpetrator of a crime – keeping him waiting and confiscating Ong’s mobile phone.
There was no one called to communicate with Ong in sign language. Ong was pressured to sign a second police report and withdraw his complaint. Ong was pressured to accept the RM 800 compensation, where compensation given out by the police is highly unusual in such cases, and refused the return of his mobile phone, should he not accept the offer. This amounts to bullying and abusing the power of the police. For a Grab driver, a mobile phone is his livelihood.
Fortunately, Ong had assistance from Lawyers for Liberty Zaid Malek, Latheefa Koya, and N. Surendran, which forced the police to open up an internal investigation by the Bukit Aman Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS) on the assault incident and police procedures when Ong made his report to the police.
See full press conference here
Prior to Ong’s lawyers press conference, the Inspector General of Police Razarudin Husain said the investigation papers on Ong’s case had been sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers. If not for the intervention of Lawyers for Liberty, Latheefa and N. Surendran, this Ong’s case would have most likely just been suppressed until it disappeared from public interest. The media played a major role in publicising the case.
Tunku Ismail also called for a thorough and impartial probe into the matter.
The perpetrator is most likely a member of the Police Special Operations Unit. The perpetrators name has not been released leading to speculation that the objective of the police was to cover up their own, until public reaction prevented further cover up.
IGP Razarudin Husain is still covering up by not identifying the alleged perpetrator of the assault, and identifying his employer. Razarudin has no qualms about mentioning names in political cases aimed at persecuting critics of the government. This is a double standard and conduct unbecoming for an IGP.
The question is how many cases that don’t get the same publicity as Ong’s just go unnoticed. The attempt by the police to cover up for their own is a symptom of feudalism in Malaysia. This episode indicates the police exist to protect the elite and their servants at any cost, even at the cost of the dignity of people who are victims of their violence and arrogance.
The principles of the rule of law and protection of the public must be the role of the police. There must be a massive overhaul of the police in Malaysia, where the VVIP protection service should be undertaken by a separate organization, subject to the law like any other person in Malaysia.
Hang him up to dry.
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