PM in danger of being isolated and his resolve for “no-holds-barred” investigations into naked ear-squat police  scandal watered down because of powerful police resistance which had enlisted support of Deputy Internal Security Minister and several Ministers

________________________________
 

Media  Statement

by Lim Kit Siang  
________________________________

(Parliament, Tuesday): The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri  Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is danger of being isolated and his resolve for “no-holds-barred” investigations into naked ear-squat police  scandal watered down because of powerful police resistance which had enlisted the  support of Deputy Internal Security Minister and several Ministers.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Noh Omar has become the strongest defender and apologist for the Malaysian police Abu Ghraib scandal highlighted by the  naked ear-squat videoclip, declaring yesterday that the police action was in accordance with rules and regulations.

He told reporters in Parliament yesterday: “I dare say everything was done following  the rules”, referring to the Lock-up Rules 1933 and the Criminal Procedure Code.

In his media conference at the Parliament lobby today, he went  even further,  contemptuously telling foreign nationals to go back to their countries if they think the Malaysian police are “cruel”, as if asserting the “sovereign right” of Malaysia to be cruel, completely disregarding the issue about police violation of prescribed laws and human rights standards.

The statement by the Minister  for International Trade and Industry today  is also a   matter of grave  concern – not from what she said but what she failed to say.  Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said that the incident of the  woman believed to be a Chinese national, forced to do ear squats in the nude in a police station recently, will not affect trade relations between Malaysia and China.

Although Rafidah is the head of UMNO Wanita and should be in the forefront in the defence of the human rights of women and their  right to dignity and respect for human personality, she has no word of condemnation of the incident which had provoked a firestorm of outrage inside and outside the country – as if condoning the despicable incident.

All eyes are on the Cabinet tomorrow as to whether it would be  strong enough to take the bold decision to order independent investigations into the incident, not just as an isolated incident, but whether it is the tip of an iceberg represent systemic police abuses. 

The original will of the Prime Minister for a full-scale investigation into both the individual and systemic aspects of the police abuses should not be allowed to be watered down into an inquiry raising many questions about its credibility, authority and legitimacy.

     
(29/11/2005)