Has nothing changed to improve appalling conditions in PDRM?

TMI:

Has nothing changed to improve appalling conditions in PDRM?

THE Malaysian Human Rights Commission’s (Suhakam) study on custodial deaths, which I wrote about in my last post, was a response to complaints it received about deaths in custody. The study began in 2014. The report was published in 2016.

The study was conducted in six stages. The fifth stage, lasting two months, was for the police to recommend actions.

During the study period, there were 486 active lockups. The study team made observations in 47 police stations and lockups, in West and East Malaysia. They interviewed 373 detainees, 129 sentries, 275 Investigation Officers (IO) or Assistant IOs’ and 46 officers in charge of stations.

Here, I’ll summarise what they wrote in chapter six, which is titled Duties and welfare of PDRM officers and personnel: Observations.

Police buildings

In Klang Utara (Kapar), evidence was insecurely stored in the shophouses that served as offices. IPD Pasir Mas was often flooded. IPD Kuching’s septic tank overflowed during heavy rain. IPD Shah Alam’s air-conditioning system had been out of order for two months, and two of three lifts were not working.

IPD Travers (KL), though relatively new, had an out of order lift and the lockup was unusable since it did not comply with fire standards. The Johor Bahru Selatan Police District Headquarters (IPD) was in a British era building; offices were across the road, and this put officers and documents in jeopardy.

IOs’ Offices

In some stations, officers used their own money to buy or repair office equipment ranging from chairs to computers. They paid for purchase, installation and repair of air conditioners. They bought paper and toner with their own money. They rented photocopiers with their own money.

Confidential files could be seen by the public. Carpets were worn out. Sometimes officers pooled their money to buy a carpet. Many officers shared the same room, even males and females. IOs used the same toilets as suspects. Some offices were in shophouses, outside the compounds of the police stations. Some officers were so embarrassed about their offices, they refused to allow them to be photographed.

Interrogation rooms and Suspect Identification Rooms

Some rooms doubled up as suspect identification rooms (What? No one-way mirrors?). The air-conditioning wasn’t working in several of them. Installed CCTVs had never worked in some of them and weren’t present in others.

Of the interrogation room in IPD Pasir Mas, the authors wrote: “The room is seen unsuitable to be used as interrogation rooms or occupied by any officer, and personnel/staff.”

Some stations did not have suspect identification rooms, so identification line-ups were done in interrogation rooms. This jeopardised the safety of all present.

Vehicles

There was a shortage of vehicles. Those that were available were often in a poor state of repair. “Sometimes, the officers and personnel repair the vehicles with their own money to avoid any inconvenience when carrying out their tasks.” Officers and other personnel often used their own vehicles for official business, paying for petrol and tolls out of their own pockets. Some officers used their own vehicles to transport arrestees.

Other facilities

Many stations didn’t have enough female IOs and AIOs, so it was hard for the station to handle crimes involving female suspects. The computerised Police Reporting System could only be accessed from within the offices.

Many stations didn’t have rooms to store seized items that could be used as exhibits during trials in court. “Most of the exhibits are placed in space at the back of station and it is overcrowded with numbers of items and the exhibits have to be placed in an exposed station space (Figure 42).”

Many IO and AIO offices didn’t have phone lines. Some stations did not have rooms for lawyers to meet their clients. There weren’t enough crime scene photographers and IOs.

Work force planning

One third of 271 active IOs and AIOs interviewed said they had not received any special training in how to conduct interrogations. “The commission found … they are not continuously developed after being involved in the service.”

Over half of IOs and AIOs said they managed 16-20 cases each over six months. (I cannot reconcile this with a parliamentary answer from the home minister that indicates an average of 100 people are sent to lockups every hour.)

They spent over three hours per day conducting interrogations. Much of their time was spent on security and traffic control operations, often involving dignitaries. They attended court hearings too. Some stations had no officers to deal with sexual offences. Some had no detectives. Some were overwhelmed with narcotics cases. Some older officers had serious health problems.

Officers and personnel believed they were often exposed to suspects with contagious diseases. Suspects were not screened for infectious diseases prior to admission into lockups. Two-thirds of those interviewed said they experienced work stress.

Housing

Officers and personnel often couldn’t afford to rent suitable housing. Those who were provided with housing had to cope with poor maintenance such as leakages, broken lifts, bad odours and lack of security (police personnel are often targeted by the persons they investigate).

In a word, the study found that work conditions in the police force were appalling! Is it any wonder that officers aren’t punished for deaths in custody? Police management probably think officers’ actions and inactions that result in deaths cannot be assigned to individual officers, since the infrastructure and systems are so broken and officers are so stressed out.

I can’t help recalling the management aphorism “85% of problems are caused by management.” What has changed in the five years since the report was issued? Who will answer? Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin? The Police Force Commission? The Inspector-General of Police?

Why do Malaysian police have to labour under such bad conditions?

Don’t our men in blue deserve better? – May 28, 2021.

*Rama Ramanathan is the spokesperson for Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances (CAGED).

***

kt notes:

And we have 70 ministers and deputy ministers (including an arrogant Home Minister), and a Special Envoy to the Middle-East, all with public-funded fat salaries, limousines and staff, and also public-funded lunches complete with lobsters at Parliament where the House Speaker attended. And the well-salaried IGPs, one of whom said he owed personal loyalty to Atuk? 

Has the PM given up the fight against Covid-19?

Focus Malaysia:

COVID-19: Now is not the time for defeatism

By Liew Chin Tong

I WATCHED Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s hour-long television interview on Sunday and came away with the sense that he has given up on dealing with COVID-19 with the tools and resources available to the Government.

The Prime Minister (PM) is literally surrendering to time and fate to get us out of the COVID-19 pandemic and placing all eggs in the vaccine basket in the hope that it will be the panacea.

Muhyiddin’s rare interview reveals his current frame of mind: First, we can’t lock down because we need to balance between ‘lives and livelihoods’, the economy cannot afford to shut down.

Second, the Government has no money thus can’t afford a rescue plan in the event of a lockdown.

Third, there is nothing more the Government can do. The people should assume that if someone contracts the virus, it is because they did not behave appropriately.

But the fact is that doing nothing, not being bold, and not doing enough are not the options. The Government’s current response is akin to sitting still while watching a runaway train go off track.

Malaysia now has the world’s highest number of cases per million population in the past week. We are at war. We are in grave danger of a much wider spread that would paralyse every part of our lives in the weeks to come if nothing bolder and smarter is done.

We must first accept that we are at war with a virus. And the war will not end in another year or two. Vaccines are crucial but those vaccinated may still contract the virus and there will be variants and mutations.

It’s war, forget about deficit targets

The first thing Muhyiddin should get rid of is this notion that the government can’t spend more. As my friend Hafiz Noor Shams said: “If Malaysia were in a real war, KL would have fallen, and the Government would still worry about the deficit ratio”.

He also added that “to solve this crisis, it is clear we require a much bigger deficit spending: boost the deficit to 9%-10% or even more.

The “lives versus livelihoods” dichotomy is a foolish one, which is unfortunately subscribed to by the PM and the Finance Minister because of their misguided neoliberal notions that rating agencies reign and sovereign states can’t do much.

The Government must pull all out stops, throw in the kitchen sink and spend whatever is needed to deal with COVID-19. Without taming the pandemic, the economy will not recover. What the Government should do is to call parliament and get bipartisan consensus on a spending plan.

Of course, no spending should be channelled or siphoned off by cronies and corrupt officers.

I am appalled at the false debate of whether to lock down or not to lock down. Lock down or not, if there are no extra efforts and new thinking on testing, tracing, isolating and treating, and vaccinating, we will end up the same just weeks after we emerge from a lockdown. The story will repeat itself.

I have repeatedly argued since April 1, 2020 that a lockdown may be a necessary band-aid but going back to the basics of “testing, testing, testing” and tracing massively are key for a long-haul co-existence with COVID-19.

Testing, testing, testing

On testing, it is painful that the government is still not massively using rapid tests and only relying mostly on PCR tests. I urge state governments to work with private medical entities to conduct massive and subsidised testing such as those conducted by Selangor.

The number of positive cases may go up in the short-term, but the nation would know the extent of the spread instead of stumbling in the dark. Free and subsidised testing would encourage those who may otherwise not afford it to go for a test.

The United Kingdom and other countries are now adopting self-testing kits which are equally accurate. The government should make extra efforts to try multiple ways to make testing cheap and accessible to the largest population possible as that’s the only way to co-exist with the virus in the long-haul.

Tracing: The moment the contact tracers do not have the human resources to trace each of the cases, we are letting the virus run loose and leaving it to fate.

The Government should consider taking a war-like whole-of-government approach to mobilise civil servants, university students, members and personnel in other uniformed agencies and bodies, and volunteers to be contact tracers. If the government has to spend, do spend massively here.

Give them adequate training and empower the national contact tracing effort with technology. The full potential of the MySejatera tracing app has not yet been fully utilised.

Quarantine and treating: It is time for us to accept that not everyone has to be sent to quarantine centres. The shocking conditions of mass quarantine centres are, on the one hand, not conducive for recovery of patients with mild symptoms, on the other hand, takes up too much medical resources to care for asymptomatic patients.

Adding more beds to the mass quarantine centres is not the way forward. Allowing for well-managed home quarantine via technology for those with mild or no symptoms would help focus medical resources on critical patients who need more help.

For those who need quarantine facilities, smaller community quarantine centres should be explored. Here, the state governments should be brought in to help.

Around one in 60 Malaysians have tested COVID-19 positive since the start of the pandemic in 2020. It’s time to reduce the stigma of those who are tested positive.

The sharing by former journalist Rahmah Ghazali of her experience as a COVID-19 positive patient in the United Kingdom is illuminating. She was identified as COVID-19 positive through home testing kits made available for free by the National Health Services (NHS).

She also received regular phone calls from the NHS to check on her conditions as well as support for food supplies from the local council.

The real focus should be on greatly expanding the number of ICU beds and ventilators. Again, here I wonder why there wasn’t any escalation of spending on these items since the start of the pandemic.

Vaccination: Lots have been said about vaccination in recent days. My first point is that if the Vaccine Minister is not the Health Minister, he is being set up by the PM to fail.

I would like to reiterate the call for Adham Baba to be dropped as the Health Minister and to be replaced by Khairy Jamaluddin. That’s the least Muhyiddin could do to show his seriousness in trying to stem the latest hike. Ministerial and political leadership is crucial in time of war.

The vaccine campaign should be a national mission. All private hospitals and clinics should be roped in if they have yet to be. The entire government – the police, the armed forces, the civil service – and NGOs should be mobilised to help vaccine registration as well as the physical work of Phase 3 rollouts. Arrangements such as drive-thru centres should be considered.

I personally witnessed the overflowing crowd at a vaccine centre recently which currently only deals with front-liners and senior citizens. It’s time to plan to escalate the numbers of volunteers involved for Phase 3 when all Malaysians are eligible.

War-time leadership: I can’t stress enough the war analogy. In war, the political leaders search for bipartisanship; in war, all ministries, the whole of government, rally around the singular national mission – in our case, combating and containing the virus – and throw in every resource available to the government and society.

And, in war, the Prime Minister won’t appear on TV to tell everyone “call me stupid”, showing that he has given up on fighting. Now is not the time for the government to do nothing. Now is the time for bold wartime leadership. – May 26, 2021


Liew Chin Tong is the chairman of Research for Social Advancement (REFSA), a progressive, not-for-profit think tank that promotes social advancement in Malaysia.

Tommy Thomas and Sri Ram oppressed me, claims Rosmah

Tommy Thomas and Sri Ram oppressed me, claims Rosmah

Rosmah Mansor claimed that former attorney-general Tommy Thomas and DPP Gopal Sri Ram plotted together to oppress her similar to what they did to her husband, ex-premier Najib Abdul Razak.

She made this claim in her affidavit-in-reply filed as part of her application to nullify her corruption trial linked to the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid energy project involving 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

Rosmah was responding to Thomas’ affidavit filed in support of Sri Ram’s bid to have the Kuala Lumpur High Court dismiss Rosmah's application to invalidate her graft trial. Sri Ram is the lead DPP in her corruption case.

On May 6, Rosmah filed the trial nullification application on grounds that Sri Ram’s appointment letter as DPP to prosecute her case was invalid and not properly done. Sri Ram is a former Federal Court judge and currently in private practice as a lawyer.

Rosmah is seeking a court declaration that, among others, Sri Ram’s appointment as DPP for her solar energy project corruption case, under Sections 376(3) and 379 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), via the appointment letter was illegal, irregular and defective under law.

In his affidavit filed on May 17, Thomas stressed that he as then attorney-general had properly appointed Sri Ram to prosecute multiple high-profile criminal cases which included Rosmah’s corruption case.

Thomas contended that the appointment was in accordance with Section 376 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) as Sri Ram was under his general control and directive and was in a position to exercise all the powers of the public prosecutor.

In response, a day later (May 18), Rosmah through her aide had lodged a police report against Thomas over the affidavit claiming that the former attorney-general had lied or committed perjury through his affidavit.

It was previously reported that Sri Ram was also appointed to prosecute Najib’s ongoing RM2.28 billion 1MDB corruption case among other high-profile criminal trials.

In her latest court filing, Rosmah claimed that another police report has also been lodged against Thomas by one Hamidah Osman on May 20 in regard to the former attorney-general's alleged deceit and perjury linked to his affidavit.

She urged the court to consider the police reports lodged when perusing Thomas’ affidavit in support of Sri Ram’s contention for her trial nullification bid to be dismissed.

“What is clear is that Tommy Thomas had conspired and plotted with Gopal Sri Ram to ensure their malicious agenda to oppress me is achieved as they have done to Mohd Najib Abdul Razak,” she contended.

She also described Thomas’ affidavit as a mere "afterthought".

Former attorney-general Tommy Thomas

High Court judge Mohd Zaini Mazlan is set to hear Rosmah’s application on June 3.

On Feb 18, Rosmah was ordered by the High Court to enter her defence in her solar energy project corruption case.

On April 8, the Court of Appeal allowed her appeal to obtain a copy of Sri Ram's appointment letter following the prosecution conceding to provide it to the defence team.

This was after she appealed against the High Court decision last year to dismiss her bid to access a copy of Sri Ram’s letter of appointment.

Alongside the present trial nullification bid, Rosmah’s legal team has also filed at the High Court an application to strike down the validity of Sri Ram’s appointment as an ad hoc DPP.

According to the notice of motion seeking to invalidate the graft trial, Rosmah is seeking, among other things, a court declaration that the High Court criminal proceedings, which have been ongoing since Nov 15, 2018, are null and void and be declared a mistrial.

She seeks a court declaration that Sri Ram’s appointment as DPP for the solar energy project corruption case, under Sections 376(3) and 379 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) via the fiat (appointment letter) was illegal, irregular, and defective under law.

Rosmah is also seeking a declaratory order that “the fiat could not be utilised for the prosecution on the applicant (Rosmah) for the case because Sri Ram was appointed as senior DPP to lead the prosecution’s case of 1MDB inter alia the title of the fiat”.

She seeks a court declaration for her to be discharged and acquitted from all charges she is facing in the solar energy project corruption case.

Rosmah is also seeking an order to suspend the trial pending disposal of the trial nullification bid.

Azalina moots unity cabinet, convening Parliament

Azalina moots unity cabinet, convening Parliament

Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said has proposed that Putrajaya enact an ordinance to allow Parliament to reconvene without any motions of confidence to be heard.

She also proposed that an interim emergency government with an emergency cabinet formed with representation from all political parties.

Azalina said this would minimise any unnecessary drama in Parliament.

She also proposed that an election should not be held until the pandemic is under control and at least 50 percent of the target group is vaccinated.

Azalina said this in an open letter on her Facebook page today, which she said was written out of “utter frustration” with the lack of response from the attorney-general and law minister to her previous questions.

Azalina is the Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker but signed off in the letter as the MP for Pengerang, where she is currently representing for the fourth term.

Currently, Azalina said, MPs are unable to obtain answers from the government in a “crippled” democracy.

“At the expense of sounding like a broken record, I see no other way for Malaysia to move forward in this state of emergency but for Parliament to reconvene,” she said.

Azalina said Parliament can be convened if all Parliament staffers are vaccinated.

“I was informed that as of now, Parliament staffers are not considered as frontliners. I don’t agree with this. As guardians of both Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara, which uphold democracy, they are frontliners in my opinion,” said Azalina, who is a former law minister.

Should in-person meetings still be considered dangerous, Azalina said meetings can be held online.

“It is not costly. Even Zoom provides polling options to facilitate voting processes. And I’d be happy to use the mute function to stop errant parliamentarians who talk too much,” she said.

Parliament last convened during the November-December 2020 session. All legislatures have been suspended since Jan 11 due to the proclamation of emergency, which is set to expire on Aug 1.

However, an end to emergency is now in doubt given due to the slow roll out of the vaccination programme and ever rising number of new Covid-19 cases, intensive care bed use and deaths.

Vax? The marginalised elderly in Kelantan - the abysmal failure of the Kelantan State government & PAS party

No transport or phones: Kelantan elderly left out of vaccine drive

The registration rates for the Covid-19 vaccines among those aged 60 and above may be lower than expected, including on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, due to various reasons.

Conversations with elderly folk in Kelantan indicate that they include transport issues, health issues and lack of awareness about the vaccine.

One such example is Mek Nab Said, 81, who lives on her own and admitted to having little knowledge about the vaccine or transport to go to the vaccine centre (PPV).

The Kampung Serian, Kota Bharu resident said had she known she would be given the vaccine, she would have accepted it willingly.



Kampung Serian, Kota Bharu resident Mek Nab Said

“I don’t know anything about vaccines. No one told me about it. I just know there is an illness called Covid-19 which is spreading rapidly. But I don’t know anything about the vaccine.

“In any case, I live alone and my children work out of state. If the hospital came to my house to provide me with information and the jab, I may be open to taking it since I can’t go to the hospital on my own.

“I want the vaccine if it is good for me, but I have difficulties moving from one place to another,” she said when met at her home.

Yesterday, Kelantan Health Director Dr Zaini Husin said 125,774 individuals aged 60 or older are qualified to be vaccinated in the state, in Phase 2 of the National Covid-19Immunisation Programme.

Of that 66,314 of them have registered to receive the vaccine, through the MySejahtera application.

Malaysiakini also reported that as of May 24, almost 10,000 Kelantan residents who were registered for the vaccine and offered appointments, did not show up. Many were senior citizens.

‘I don’t know how to register’

Another senior citizen, Mah Abdul Raman, 75, told Malaysiakini she had heard the other villagers speak about the vaccine, but she does not know how to register for it.

Senior citizen Mah Abdul Rahman

“I have heard people in the village talk about this vaccine, but I don’t have a telephone to register for it.

“At this age, I’m not too well-versed with such things. I don’t even have a phone, let alone know how to register through a phone,” she said.

She added that transport is also another reason stopping her from coming forward for the vaccine.

“I can only walk around the village because I don’t have any transport. I’m also afraid to leave the village because of this disease (Covid-19).

“I’m a single mother with only one child, who works out of state. It is difficult for me to have to hitch a ride with someone if I have to go to the vaccine centre,” she said.

Senior citizen Mah Hussin

Another senior citizen, Mah Hussin, 75, who lives in Kampung Wakaf Tok Wali, Kampung Bharu said her ailing health is a reason she did not register for the vaccine.

She said she does not have the strength to go to the vaccine centre and wait for her turn to be vaccinated.

“I’m 75 now and I don’t even have the strength to go to the hospital. I am often fatigued and have several diseases including asthma.

“It would be much easier for people like me if the hospital staff come over and vaccinate us at home. My child is a factory worker and can’t take time off to accompany me,” she said.

Mohd Nor Abdul Rahman 73, who lives with his wife, Bidah Daud, 75, also has trouble getting to the vaccination centre.

Senior citizens Mohd Nor Abdul Rahman and his wife Bidah Daud

They also do not have a smartphone to register via MySejahtera.

“If possible, we would like to be vaccinated because we heard this vaccine is good for us. But we don’t have a smartphone to do so and no vehicle to go to the vaccine centre,” he said.

Mohd Nor is also worried that his wife, Bidah, who is a cleaner at Klinik Desa Kampung Arif may be exposed to the virus at work.

“My wife walks to work because we don’t have a vehicle, and when she is there, she is exposed to so many people, and we don’t know if they’re infected or not.

“If the government helps people like us get the vaccine at home, we will willingly accept it,” he said.

The 'lah' man who eff-ed himself out of a job

MM Online:

A man of much controversy: Here’s a list of the times Tajuddin made headlines for all the wrong reasons

Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman is known for his notoriously brash nature and abrasive language, from being sacked by the Umno Supreme Council to only being reinstated three year later to releasing controversial statements such as threatening ‘to slap’ ethnic Chinese who take their complaints outside Malaysia. — Picture by Hari Anggara

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — Umno’s Pasir Salak MP Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman is a man with a long history of controversy and uncouth behaviour throughout his political career.

Tajuddin is known for his notoriously brash nature and abrasive language, from being sacked by the Umno Supreme Council to only being reinstated three year later to releasing controversial statements such as threatening “to slap” ethnic Chinese who take their complaints outside Malaysia.

Having started his political career in the 1980s, his latest fiasco landed him in hot water as he was terminated with immediate effect from his post as the non-executive chairman of Prasarana Malaysia Berhad after his frivolous handling of a press conference to address the two-train collision on the LRT Kelana Jaya line at KLCC that injured over 200 passengers.

Here’s a list of times that the Pasir Salak MP has courted controversy throughout his career:

1995

In 1995, Tajuddin was sacked by the Umno Supreme Council for his involvement in money politics of RM6 million for the post of Pasir Salak division chief. This position was then held by then Perak mentri besar Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who became the deputy prime minister at the time — strongly supported Ramli for the post, leading to his dismissal from the party.

He was also tied to allegations of corruption in the award of a RM1.3 billion 23-year concession to his company to build the Universiti Teknologi Mara Tapah campus.

He was later re-elected to Umno in 1998 unconditionally after three years in the wilderness, and was elected Pasir Salak Umno deputy chief without contest in 2000.

2008

On May 6, Tajuddin pledged to sue Datuk Seri Azmin Ali who was then with PKR if he continued to convict him with the “six million dollar man” title — a moniker he earned after he was sacked from Umno in 1995 following allegations that he had paid RM6 million to secure his position as a division chief.

He also claimed that he was sacked from Umno by Anwar then because Anwar wanted to become prime minister of the country.

A few months later, on November 5, he berated then opposition Member of Parliament M. Kulasegaran — who represented neighbouring constituency Teluk Intan — after the latter made the claim that Tajuddin was “hated by Indians in Pasir Salak”.

Tajuddin had called Kulasegaran a “b*****d” and a “bloody b*****d” in Parliament, challenging the then Teluk Intan MP to “settle outside the House of Commons”.

“How do you know this? You bloody b*****d? Show me proof,” he shouted to Kulasegaran.

Deputy Speaker of Dewan Rakyat at the time, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar had told Tajuddin to retract his statement, but he said that he would only do so if Kulasegaran did the same.

In the end, both MPs retracted their statements, with Kulasegaran saying that this was the first time he had heard that the word “hate” is not an acceptable term.

“I will withdraw it and replace it with ‘don’t like him’,” Kulasegaran said, to which Tajuddin replied, “I withdraw the word but [Kulasegaran] shamed me. It is nonsense. We can settle this outside [if Kulasegaran is not happy].”

2010

Issues between Tajuddin and Kulasegaran did not end there, and on April 8, the latter complained that he was threatened with assault from Tajuddin.

Kulasegaran said Tajuddin headed towards him making accusations and threatened to beat him.

“He claimed that I had tarnished his name and I was warned that if I don’t stop, he would send people to my constituency and beat me up. I’m perplexed over his actions, and I hope the House will launch an inquiry,” Kulasegaran told the House.

The two were then summoned by Dewan Rakyat Speaker at the time, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to explain the alleged threat on April 13, with Amin giving stern warning to Tajuddin not to harass the Ipoh Barat MP.

2015

On September 30, Tajuddin, who was agriculture and agro-based industry deputy minister, was embroiled in controversy over his statement that the Chinese community would be “slapped” — lempang in Malay — if they sought foreign help over their grouses.

He then attempted to explain his way out of the situation, with multiple reasons given from outright denial to claiming that he was misquoted, to saying that it was “just a reminder” and even declaring that it was just “a joke”.

He added that such choices of words “are not suitable for a veteran politician like me.”

“How can I use the word lempang and so on? That is a school kids language. This reporter, I do not understand her. That is her interpretation.

“I am not a young boy. How can I use that kind of word! If I say something, it should suit my stature as a veteran politician. How can I use stupid words like that!” he said.

2016

Tajuddin again courted controversy on March 31, when he publicly defended then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor for their extravagant lifestyle.

He told reporters outside Parliament that it is perfectly normal to purchase expensive handbags for significant others.

“[Just] one or two bags, why not? She’s a lady, I know girls like handbags.

“I was told that one of the ways of tackling a girl is buying [her] a handbag,” he told reporters in Parliament.

Tajuddin was responding to an article by Wall Street Journal and Sarawak Report, which claimed Najib and his family spent US$15 million on holidays, shopping and jewellery.

“The way they go on holidays is just normal,” he said.

In the same year, Tajuddin faced criticism when he said “The only woman with a ‘Kok’ is in Seputeh”, referring to Teresa Kok, MP for Seputeh.

On November 20, Tajuddin made the statement when responding to a question by PAS Pokok Sena Datuk Mahfuz Omar about raising local rice production in relation to imported rice.

Instead of answering the question, Tajuddin deviated into talking about the Bersih 5 rally and how it had caused a disturbance as most of the roads in Kuala Lumpur were closed off.

He was interjected by Deputy Speaker Datuk Roland Kiandee who asked him to answer Mahfuz’s question about local rice production. Before replying, Tajuddin laughingly asked, “Seputeh, why? The only woman with a ‘kok’ is in Seputeh parliamentary.”

The Seputeh MP’s surname sounds similar to the word “cock”, which is also used for male genitalia.

Tajuddin’s remark triggered a roaring protest from a number of opposition MP’s who demanded that the Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister retract his statement.

Shah Alam’s MP Khalid Samad, quickly stood up and called Tajuddin, “sial” (damned) for making the statement against Teresa.

Tajuddin then challenged Khalid to repeat the curse word against him outside of the parliament and threatened to sue him.

“They think they can say whatever they want and that we just have to listen. But can someone simply curse another person in a debate? I wish [Khalid] would repeat the words ‘Tajuddin sial outside of Parliament and if he does, I will ask my lawyers to sue him. Someone needs to teach him.

“Her name is Teresa Kok. What’s wrong with me calling her name? Does this justify Khalid’s calling me sial? If my father and mother were alive today, how would they feel, someone calling me sial?” responded Tajuddin.

2020

On December 1, heated arguments arose in Dewan Rakyat after Tajuddin disrespectfully called Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman “budak”, which translates to kid in Malay.

This happened after Tajuddin told Syed Saddiq not to interrupt him as he stood up to question Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin.

“Sit down, sit down first, child. Sit down, learn more, many more need to learn. Wasting your time, my time,” he said before snickering.

At this point of time, Syed Saddiq reminded Tajuddin that the latter’s cucu (grandchildren) were watching the Parliament and that people are not going to forget this.

“Your grandchildren are watching this, you know? People are not going to forget this Yang Berhormat,” Syed Saddiq said while Tajuddin kept ordering him to sit down.

Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh then defended Syed Saddiq by saying that Tajuddin had breached Parliament Standing Orders by calling Syed Saddiq “budak”, but Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun refused to listen to her explanation.

“Standing Order, 36–4, Pasir Salak called Muar budak. This is not the first time Muar has been called a budak. This is bullying and other children are watching the proceedings,” Hannah Yeoh said.

Other Opposition MPs chimed in their support for Hannah Yeoh but Tajuddin can be heard saying that there was nothing wrong with his remark as he was older than Syed Saddiq.

“What do I need to explain? I’m 72, how old is he?” Tajuddin said.

2021

On January 4, Tajuddin, who was now Prasarana Malaysia Berhad chairman insisted that there is no conflict of interest in the Latitud 8 project, a project in Dang Wangi that is smack dab in the middle of the Kuala Lumpur city centre, which he said was granted to a firm linked to his family in 2012 through an open tender.

Tajuddin said when the project was awarded in 2012, it was before he was appointed as chairman of the national transport operator.

He also defended himself by saying that at that time, as a businessman, he too needed to make a living.

“I don’t see anything wrong, if you ask me. The project was awarded eight years ago, when I was Felcra chairman at the time. If you got a project eight years ago through an open tender, was it wrong?” he asked reporters during a press conference.

He added that this is not the same as him having already been appointed the Prasarana chairman eight years ago.

“It’s different if I were awarded now when I am the Prasarana chairman. Then, it is a conflict of interest and an abuse of power,” he said.

In 2012, the project was awarded by Prasarana to Intan Sekitar Sdn Bhd, which is 51 per cent owned by public-listed Crest Builder Holdings Bhd and 49 per cent by Detik Utuh Sdn Bhd.

In offering a clarification, Tajuddin said his family has a 40 per cent stake in Detik Utuh Sdn Bhd through Tindakan Juara Sdn Bhd, and this is how his family is linked to the project.

The project came under scrutiny when news reports surfaced indicating that Prasarana is considering terminating the project and may have to compensate RM80 million to Intan Sekitar.

And now his latest fiasco, Tajuddin was sacked by the Ministry of Finance as non-executive chairman of Prasarana with immediate effect after a disastrous press conference on the light rail transit (LRT) crash in KLCC.

During his press conference, he showed little empathy and sensitivity for the victims, making cavalier comments and attempting to joke about the crash.

An online petition demanding Tajuddin resign was immediately started, reaching 100,000 signatures only after 21 hours.

When contacted by Malay Mail, he did not seem to mind the termination from his post.

“Not yet. Want to terminate, terminate then. What is the issue? What is the matter? Want to terminate, terminate lah. Thank you lah. I can do other work” he said over the phone.

‘Tajuddin fiasco exposes appointments rooted in racism, patronage’

‘Tajuddin fiasco exposes appointments rooted in racism, patronage’

First thing in the morning after the LRT collision which left more than 200 injured, Prasarana Malaysia Bhd chairperson Tajuddin Abdul Rahman visited the site of the accident and addressed the media. The next evening, he lost his job.

For businessperson and think-tank founder Chandran Nair, the Pasir Salak MP's remarks, which if not for the tragic circumstances, would have made excellent viewing as a prime-time spoof on television.

“With hundreds injured and viral videos circulating of bloodied passengers, his description of the incident as 'two cars kissing' while laughing not only repulsed the public, it was a shocking display of the lack of empathy at a time of national distress.

“Citizens were outraged. A frightened nation already dealing with the surge in Covid-19 cases came out of its shell and expressed disgust. How could someone in such a position and in the midst of a tragedy show such low levels of empathy and at the same time display such an inexplicable level of contempt for the office he holds, the organisation and people he represents?

“The big question on everyone's mind was how could someone of such low calibre, apparently devoid of any experience and clearly 'out of it', have been granted such a role?”

“Yet the answer is one we all know: a system of appointments which is part of a corrupt political system that is race-based and which should apparently never be questioned,” he told Malaysiakini.



Chandran, who has blamed institutionalised racism for the nation's major maladies, said people were beginning to see the stark realities of a racist system to which they had turned a blind eye to for decades.

The inevitable blowback, he pointed out, is taking place as the country faces its biggest challenge since independence.

“The decay from decades of fear about challenging institutional racism which has corroded so many aspects of the country’s once strong institutions is now on display on prime-time TV.

“It is a ‘virus’ also lurking in the background waiting to rear its ugly head as the institutions and the very fabric of the country are being challenged by the pandemic.

“Every Malaysian is hoping for the best and wondering how the tireless frontline healthcare workers and others are managing, given the fragility of the system.

“Incompetence continues to be rewarded with appointments to critical positions of authority, all driven by our single biggest challenge - institutional racism furthering corruption at all levels of our society and destroying any notion of the value of meritocracy and hard work,” he added.

The other elephant in the room

The Tajuddin episode, Chandran said, also reminded Malaysians of what he described as “the other elephant in the room” - political appointments.

“Numerous political appointees who don’t have what it takes to fulfill the roles given to run corporations or other public service bodies and whose collective failings over decades have helped create the mess we are now in: large scale and entrenched patronage in action with no accountability.

“It was on full display this week for all citizens to watch and people of all races raised their voices. To an international audience, the country would have perfectly fitted into any lurid description their prejudices dictated,” he added.



MARI's Chandran Nair

On the same note, Chandran, who is in the process of establishing the Malaysian Anti-Racism Institute (MARI), said the matter should not end with the Umno lawmaker being relieved of his duties.

“We must articulate and internalise the reasons for the horror show. We must have that honest conversation all over the country so we all understand that it is not a one-off but a feature embedded in so many organisations, which are only exposed to the public when true leadership is called for.

“We need to mainstream the understanding that it is a product of decades of institutional racism which has disregarded the importance of meritocracy, competence and integrity and which therefore both encourages unquestioned patronage and facilitates corruption.”

However, Chandran also found a silver lining in the form of Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz's swift action against Tajuddin and hoped that it heralds a new beginning.

“Hats off to the finance minister for stepping in and taking action. This has rarely ever happened and let it be a turning point. Thank you Zafrul,” he added.

Qualification, expertise must override race

Tajuddin's replacement, averred Chandran, should be a competent Malaysian, whose qualification and expertise must override racial consideration.

“Let us use this to stop the behind-the-scenes appointments which everyone has become desensitised to but which simply further emboldens the architects of the system.

“Can this be the turning point when the Ministry of Finance from now on demands open competition for these positions and appoints the most qualified Malaysian irrespective of race?

“And let this be the point when Malaysians seek accountability about appointments such as this rather than revert and resign themselves to the machinations of a system that is failing the country.

“Let the citizens now demand competence in all key areas and call out incompetence at every turn. We need to turn around this fear that has been instilled in us over decades about questioning issues that have direct consequences for the safety and welfare of the people.

“Let us not wait for more people to die, get sick, get poor, go hungry or get mad before we take action about the root cause of our ills - institutional racism that suffocates meritocracy and nourishes rampant corruption,” he added.

Chandran said the nation needs competent people of all races to spearhead key institutions, which was the norm in the past.

“Things changed when the racists took over and the citizens kept quiet. We are now suffering the consequences of our subservient attitudes. Our collective complacency got us here.

“The way to reclaim the country is to have zero tolerance for any trace of racism when it seeks to infiltrate the key institutions of the country and becomes a cancer. After all, the racism we Malaysians face is not on the street - as in the US, etc - it is via the institutions of the state.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz

“Citizens have kept quiet for too long. The cancer needs to be treated now without fear or favour and the finance minister just did that and it is a great start. He needs our support.”

Bad news after bad news

Chandran rued that the LRT accident was the latest in a string of bad news for Malaysia over the past five years ranging from the 1MDB scandal to the reversal of the results of a democratic election in 2018.

This was followed by the pandemic and economic hardship as well as the realisation that political upheavals have left Malaysia rudderless.

He pointed out that the imposition of the Emergency premised on the argument that it would restore political stability therefore allowing the government to contain the pandemic did not deliver the expected results.

On the contrary, he said it could be argued that it had the reverse effect as the political and governance system went into hibernation while politicians waited for the pandemic to end to get back to business as usual.

“A nervous and scared population is now even more worried as the Covid-19 cases have soared to the point that Malaysia now has more cases than India per million.

“A worried population is now wondering what next as rumours abound about infection rates soaring, hospitals at breaking point, the economy in deep trouble and many citizens living from hand to mouth.

“A scared and poorly informed nation is also fertile ground for rumours about shenanigans with regard to vaccines supplies, corruption and all forms of mal-administration.

“Yet there has been no calming leadership voice, people have been left to their own devices to figure things out. Leaders seem afraid, aware they have little credibility and the public have close to zero trust in them.

“Let us be clear that the pandemic has changed the country, it will take a decade or more to recover but let us learn some key lessons. We should all be clear about how we got to this low point and now commit to working tirelessly - but without our traditional fears - to ensure we build back our institutions as that is often the best safeguard for a country from failing.

“In the midst of all of this, there are the frontline medical workers and administrators who have worked tirelessly to protect people, treat them and roll out the vaccines. So we know we can do it and the challenge is to scale up.

“But despite their hard work, a frightened and nervous nation is dissatisfied with what they see as widespread incompetence in what is a complex operation, but people who are scared expect the best from their government.

“And that is where competent leadership, a system of ruthless meritocracy and unforgiving demands on integrity is paramount,” said Chandran.

Umno nudges Muhyiddin towards 'total lockdown'

Umno nudges Muhyiddin towards 'total lockdown'

Two key Umno figures have suggested that Putrajaya should consider "total lockdown" in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic which has worsened in recent weeks.

Umno Youth proposed that this measure should be undertaken for 21 days, with special financial aid for the people.

"Prepare special measures for the period - i-Sinar 2.0, i-Lestari 2.0 and a three-month bank loan moratorium period without extra charges," said Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

Asyraf said Putrajaya should take heed of Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar who urged the public to stay at home where possible.

"Let's bear with short-term pain rather than long-term suffering," he said in a statement.

Although most of Malaysia is under movement control order (MCO) restrictions, it is not as strict as what was imposed in March and April last year, which mandated that most businesses remain close to force people to stay at home.

The current MCO, dubbed as MCO 3.0, started on May 12. After 16 days, there are no signs that it is working as Covid-19 deaths and those in intensive care units continue to rise.

Need to save lives

Meanwhile, Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan said in a video statement on his Facebook page that the government should worry more about lives than incurring a bigger deficit.

"The government always reminds us that 'total lockdown' will cost the country RM2.4 billion every day as what we saw (in March and April last year).

"If the government can forget about GDP growth temporarily, while (implementing measures to) protect jobs and a 'total lockdown', wouldn't that be better (for the public)?

"To me, the government is too scared of a deficit, too scared of facing debts and hence they don't want a 'total lockdown'," he said.

Shahril said no country in the world would prioritise their deficit levels over the needs of the country.

"The whole world is in crisis... our obsession with GDP and deficit should be forgotten (temporarily).

"I am confident that the rakyat understand the need to balance the economy and saving lives. Saving the economy alone while Covid-19 numbers increase serves no purpose," he said.

When two trains "kissed" each other

Did you hear about the one where two cars kissed each other?

by S Thayaparan

“Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.”

– Joseph Heller, Catch-22

COMMENT | Prasarana Malaysia Bhd chairperson Tajuddin Abdul Rahman's press conference regarding the LRT accident was a cocktail of hubris, arrogance, vulgarity, bigotry and coarseness - but a fine example of what this regime values in its minions.

Watching the presser was like watching another slow-motion train wreck - which is unfortunate because the last thing the rakyat wanted was another collision, this time between public accountability and a kakistocratic operative of this regime. The position Tajuddin holds is not a job but a reward. He certainly treats it as such. And no doubt many before him.

After all, the Perikatan Nasional regime was handing out positions like candy to its motley crew of political frogs and supposed allies, and this is part of the mainstream political culture in this country.

This could have happened any time but the fact that it happened now, with someone like Tajuddin, who is incapable of maintaining a modicum of competency and professionalism, is demonstrative of the bottom of barrel approach of this regime.

Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak in reassuring everyone that Tajuddin will resign at the "appropriate time", is also the kind of political opportunism that values agenda over accountability and further demonstrates the cynicism of the political elites when confronted by tragedy.

The fact that the Finance Ministry decided to remove Tajuddin from his position, after the avalanche of bad press his performance garnered, tells us all we need to know about the vetting processes of this government.

It is not as though they could not get a semi-competent person to chair Prasarana, but rather, Putrajaya could not be bothered that a semi-competent person leads a government-linked entity.

When it comes to mass public transport, having a perfect track record should be a given and since this is supposedly the first accident of its kind, what should have been done is to reassure the rakyat that everything was under control, to demonstrate empathy to the victims and of course a commitment for accountability and transparency.

Tajuddin and his ilk like to use the word “provoke” because it is a convenient defence for the state to take action against those who “provoke” on certain uncomfortable issues. A train collision happened on his watch. People were hurt, some very serious, but all he cares about are supposed provocations regarding his competency.

This, of course, is the strategy of the current regime. Get people emotional. Get Pakatan Harapan emotional and then it becomes less of the failure of policy but rather a partisan issue. An example of this would be the handling of the aftermath of this accident.

Some of the passengers on the LRT Kelana Jaya line after the May 24 collision, who were badly injured.

This is the baseline for such pressers. This has been done in countries all over the world by governments that are not necessarily democratic. In other words, this is not brain surgery. The fact that Tajuddin botches this and makes this another political talking point, implies that stonewalling and deflection is the best we will get from any investigation.

Throwing some cash at the victims, while behaving aggressively to reporters, is indicative of how governments in Malaysia view public failures and the fourth estate but especially the PN regime, whose credibility and legitimacy issues have affected its messaging.

However, do not be distracted. This is what this regime does. Just like how the prime minister attempted to deflect from the failings of his administration by defining criticisms of the state's policies as mere invective, what Tajuddin did is to use his mediocrity to deflect from the reality that he really does not care about the position he occupies - beyond the benefits the position elicits.

Even his firing is a means to deflect and distract the rakyat from the bigger issue at play.

You just had a collision between two trains, which apparently occurred because preliminary investigations revealed that it was the error of the driver. Now, if you believe this, as if there were no other safeguards and contingencies and everything revolved around this “lone driver theory”, that is on you.

The government scrambling to claim that every avenue would be investigated is ludicrous, since everyone in the government is tainted by PN's credibility and legitimacy issues.

The issue here will be transparency and accountability when it comes to this accident. Questions have already been raised by a former Transport Ministry official about systemic failures and the rakyat are left to wonder, considering how this regime deals with criticism, is this going to be viewed as a “provocation”?

Prasarana has committed to pay the victims of the accident a thousand ringgit plus any additional expenses including loss of income, but this seems more like rubbing salt on the wound. What is needed is accountability and transparency and I fear that we will not get it.

After all, with all the issues going on in this country at the moment, including the raging Covid-19 pandemic, the antics of Tajuddin will be forgotten by the next news cycle and we may get another incident if Prasarana is not continuously pressured to reveal exactly what went wrong that led to this accident.



S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - "Let justice be done though the heavens fall."

*********

kt notes:

You may wish to read Professor James T Reason's 'Swiss cheese model' on accident causation.

Why some Bersatu (Parti PRIBUMI) ministers should be sacked

After Tajuddin’s sacking, Umno man trains guns on Bersatu, GPS ministers

Umno supreme council member Razlan Rafii has lambasted Bersatu and GPS ministers for alleged incompetence.

This comes after fellow council member Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was fired from his post as Prasarana chairperson.

Without mentioning Tajuddin or Prasarana, Razlan (above) listed seven “ineffective” cabinet members.

“I am listing why Bersatu ministers have let go (of their responsibilities) and are ineffective in seriously helping to resolve Covid-19,” he said in a statement today.

The seven are Rural Development Minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad (Bersatu), Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri (GPS), International Trade and Industry Minister Azmin Ali (Bersatu), Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rina Harun (Bersatu), Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin (Bersatu), Education Minister Radzi Jidin (Bersatu) and Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin (Bersatu).

Razlan criticised Latiff for allegedly not mobilising community leaders to encourage more to register for Covid-19 vaccinations. He criticised Nancy for a Covid-19 cluster that originated from a trip to Genting Highlands.



As for Azmin, he questioned why factories were allowed to operate despite being centres for infection to spread. He criticised Rina for prioritising her appearance over delivering welfare aid to the needy.

Razlan criticised Zuraida for allegedly using NGO Penggerak Komuniti Negara for political programmes instead of encouraging vaccination sign-ups. As for Radzi, he questioned the slow distribution of laptops to students.

The politician blamed Hamzah for the “double standard” manner in which Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP) were enforced.

“Hamzah and the police can’t ensure that SOPs are enforced in a strategic and effective way. There are so many kluster kayangan who breach (SOPs) but the actions taken have become a joke,” he said.

Focus, no more politics

Razlan thus urged Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to get all ministries to focus on combating the Covid-19 crisis.

“During this crisis, we need to work together, not work in silos. This is about the rakyat’s lives. Have pity on frontliners and the people who are struggling with this hard life.

“Stop your political activities PN. Every cent of the rakyat’s money needs to be used to combat the Covid-19 crisis,” he said.

Uni & Police mum on SEXual abuse - victim file civil suit against perpetrator

UM student seeks to take ex-lecturer to court over sexual harassment

Universiti Malaya student 'Soleil Ching' (not her real name) is seeking to file a civil suit against an associate professor who sexually harassed her two years ago.

This is after the university’s Integrity Unit failed to reveal the punishment meted out against the culprit based on her official complaint.

The police, on the other hand, stopped pursuing the matter on grounds that the associate professor, who has since retired, had faced disciplinary action.

“Justice should not only be done but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done,” Ching told Malaysiakini.

“Justice should be done not only verbally. The process and the final result of the advocacy need to be seen by people before it can be called justice.

“So I am just trying to do my part to promote change.

“Sexual harassment cases are rarely brought to court for trial. Therefore, offenders or potential offenders continue to exist as they do not fear punishment,” she added.

Online crowdfunding launched

Ching hoped her civil suit would have a deterrent effect and provide encouragement to others who have experienced sexual harassment to come forward.

“They must know that sexual harassment is not a minor thing. At the same time, I hope other survivors will realise that they deserve to be protected no matter what,” she added.

To support Ching’s civil suit, the Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) has started an online crowdfunding initiative.

Umany president Yap Wen Qing told Malaysiakini that they are hoping to raise RM5,000 to support her legal fees.

“If there are excess funds after paying the legal fees, the money will be used for other public welfare activities,” Yap said.

Those who wish to donate can do so to:

Bank name: Public Bank

Account name: Persatuan Umany

Account number: 3204477300

State "Justice4Ching" as your reference and forward the transaction slip to umany.official@gmail.com.

Police closed file

Previously, Ching claimed the associate professor touched her hip and neck as well as hugged her and posed questions that violated her privacy. The incident took place in his office on June 3, 2019.

She lodged an official complaint with UM's Integrity Unit in July 2019. However, despite the associate professor retiring in June 2020, Ching was not informed about the punishment against him.

Dissatisfied with this, Ching then lodged a police report in July 2020. She also held a press conference to expose the incident.

Following this, UM responded that action had been taken but refused to reveal the punishment citing privacy concerns and administrative regulations.

Related:

Ministerial kerbau to stop sexual abuses in schools? NATO lah, Mafulat

That “incredible sense of sexual desire” that the wife cannot fulfil

FMT:

18 years’ jail, whipping for man who raped seven-year-old niece

(Bernama pic)

KLUANG: An unemployed man who raped his seven-year-old niece was sentenced to 18 years’ jail and six strokes of the cane by the sessions court here today.

Judge Mujib Saroji ordered the man to serve the jail sentence from May 15, the day of his arrest.

He was charged with raping the girl in the back room of a house in Simpang Renggam at 3.30pm on May 14.

The man pleaded guilty to the charge. In mitigation, the accused, who was unrepresented, apologised for his action.

Ministerial kerbau to stop sexual abuses in schools? NATO lah, Mafulat

Period spot checks: So many complaints, so little response

by Martin Vengadesan

More than a month has passed since Malaysiakini first wrote on April 22 about the practice of period spot checks being used as a form of harassment and intimidation of girls in Malaysian schools.

The story was prompted by social media sharing of the phenomenon and once the first article was published, more and more survivors had come forward to share their stories.

Zakiah (not her real name), a former student of the Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Tun Abdul Razak boarding school in Pekan, Pahang, is one former victim who was hoping for some firm action, after she was swiftly contacted by a Mara officer when she lodged a complaint on its website.

However, she has yet to hear any follow-up to the initial call despite Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) chairperson Azizah Mohd Dun announcing on May 6 that it has completed its investigation and a statement would be issued soon.

“I am disappointed thus far with their lack of initiative as the Mara chairperson promised to release a statement soon.

“As an alumnus and trauma survivor (with many others), we hoped that Mara would at least be concerned over their students’ welfare as this can greatly jeopardise current and future students seeking education in MRSMs all over Malaysia.

“I hope action will be taken soon and this will not be swept under the carpet after innumerable stories have already been told, especially as it takes a lot for us trauma survivors to dig up the past and find peace within ourselves, because no one else would want to address this glaring issue,” Zakiah told Malaysiakini.

Mara chairperson Azizah Mohd Dun

MRSM schools were among those in a list of 15 schools where period spot checks were made on female students submitted by Malaysiakini on May 1 to Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, who said his ministry’s investigations thus far found no indication that such practices existed.

“If it happens, tell me at which school, so action can be taken,” Radzi had said, adding that his ministry was also investigating if such incidents were taking place at boarding schools under the ministry.

In response, Malaysiakini has sent a copy of the list to Radzi, his deputies, Muslimin Yahaya and Mah Hang Soon, as well as the ministry’s secretary-general and Corporate Communications Department.

The list was sent along with other details, such as the dates of alleged offences (most of which dated from 2011 to 2018) and the wardens or teachers who were named by the students. The names of the alleged victims were not submitted.

Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto questioned the silence and lack of transparency from the Education Ministry in this matter.

“Three weeks ago, Malaysiakini had given the education minister a list of 15 schools that conducted period checks on girls as a method of curbing young Muslim girls from flouting their prayers. So what does this silence from the ministry mean?

“That they are investigating the matter or that they intend to be silent until the issue dies down? Or that it is not important enough to be addressed?” she asked.

“Malaysians need answers. The parents of these children subjected to such archaic, barbaric acts need answers. The children who had to endure this embarrassing treatment need answers,” Kasthuri added.

Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto

Has MOE issued a circular against this practice?

Fadhlina Sidek, head of legal and community development of Wanita PKR, also questioned if there were any steps taken to address the practice while investigations were supposedly ongoing.

“The question that remains unresolved is what action has been taken by the MOE regarding the complaints that have been submitted, and are there any instructions/circulars directing that all activities involving menstrual examination in all schools be stopped immediately?

“It must be stopped immediately as it is an act of invasion of dignity to a girl, bullying and sexual harassment,” Fadhlina said.

She called on the Education Ministry to clarify this issue immediately as complaints and records of the events that took place have been submitted.

“The MOE has previously made a commitment to investigate and take appropriate action on this issue.

“How can we make schools a safe place for students if the MOE is still careless, lazy and procrastinating in making a stand and announcing the results of the investigation?” Fahdlina added.

Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin

Silence despite widespread condemnation

The silence of the Education Ministry on the matter is all the more shocking, considering how widespread the condemnation of the practice has been.

Former ministers Anwar Ibrahim, Rafidah Aziz, Azalina Othman Said and Maszlee Malik have voiced their opposition to the practice, with Rafidah demanding that the Education Ministry put a stop to it and lay out clear ground rules on how schools, including boarding schools, treat students.

Former education minister Maszlee said such degrading practices must be stopped and condemned, and should have never happened anywhere, let alone in schools, where children should be safe and protected from any form of harm and abuse.

Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Rina Harun also expressed shock and vowed to engage with the relevant authorities to ensure this practice ends.

“This is unacceptable and shouldn’t happen in schools, I take this seriously.

“I will follow up with the relevant ministries, such as the Education Ministry, and Mara so that this doesn’t happen again,” Rina said last month.

Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Rina Harun

Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor also told Malaysiakini that no one should embarrass another by checking the private parts of the individual for any reason because everyone has self-dignity that must be respected by others, including the right to cover the private parts of their body from being seen by others.

“Islam strictly forbids its followers from looking at other people’s aurat, even on the pretext of performing the required duties such as to prevent a female student from making excuses to abandon the obligation of prayer,” Wan Salim had said.

CUKUP CUKUP, sudah lah!

The practice was also condemned by women’s groups All Women’s Action Society (Awam), Sisters In Islam (SIS) and Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kendiri Wanita dan Gadis (Women:Girls), while the Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) called the practice “a form of bullying” that can have a negative impact on young girls for many years afterwards.

Just last week Awam revealed that a study conducted across a 10-day period in April recorded 275 testimonials related to alleged sexual harassment and bullying incidents in schools, with 125 cases involving period spot checks, 108 bullying cases and 88 sexual harassment incidents.

Aside from the period spot check issue, the Education Ministry and its practices have also come under the spotlight after the “rape joke” highlighted by Form 5 student Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam.