When he blundered in handling the police brutality that was unleashed during the July 9, 2011 rally by election watchdog Bersih 2.0, Najib decided to spring a surprise, one which would be least expected by everyone – by repealing the inhumane Internal Security Act (ISA) 1960.
News of the ISA abolishment was made by Najib on the eve of Sept 16 while commemorating Malaysia Day. Since then, he has not failed to use this so-called good news to convince the people that if there is one party which can take Malaysia to greater heights, it is Barisan Nasional (BN) – the amalgamation of Umno, MIC and MCA.
Tongues loyal to BN have not stopped wagging as to just how “sensitive” and “caring” a leader Najib is, as seen from the move to put an end to the ISA.
While the ISA should have long been buried, what now worries the people is what “reforms” does Najib truly have in mind.
For one, Najib has shown no interest in establishing the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission or IPCMC, which is the only hope to “revive” the much-maligned police force.
Time and time again, cases of abuse of power by the police have been reported. And still, Najib seems unfazed by it all.
Instead, Najib says the repeal of the ISA will see Malaysia emerging as one of the best democratic nations to be reckoned with. Is there any truth to this claim? Hardly.
Democracy no where in sight
Is Najib making an open confession that with the ISA around, there was little hope for democracy to survive? But just why would that be so if not because of the corruption plaguing the federal government?
Irrespective of whether the ISA stays or goes, what is more crucial is the shift in mentality on Najib’s part in treating the rakyat with respect. Should he care, then the premier would take all steps to ensure the people’s basic rights are not violated by the authorities, especially the police.
Death in police custody is no longer a shocking revelation to people of this country. But this gives no locus standi to the authorities to treat the bad as badly as they want.
But it is still happening, where the lay person gets abused in more ways than one by the police. The abuse of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) detainees is yet another example of how democracy seems dead in Malaysia.
Thirty-one PSM members, including 14 women aged between 16 and 64, were travelling in a bus from Sungai Petani towards Penang when they were arrested at the Sungai Dua toll plaza on the North-South Expressway about 3.30pm on June 25. They were later remanded until July 3 for police to facilitate investigations.
The abuses ranged from denying special food to detainees with medical conditions to compelling the Hindus to eat beef, the latter which goes against their religious beliefs. The detainees were also deprived of water.
As for the women detainees, they were sexually and verbally harassed by the cops. The women detainees were forced to undergo physical forms of sexual harassment, which included having their clothes pulled open to expose parts of their body, being made to remove undergarments and change into lock-up clothes in the presence of male police officers and being inappropriately fondled by a woman police officer.
The women detainees were further tortured via innuendos and inappropriate comments during their questioning, as in the following remarks below:
“Awak tidak ada nafsu terhadap mana-mana lelaki? Awak telah adakan seks dengan siapa-siapa kah? Buat seks boleh dapat anak mengapa nak kahwin? You boleh tahan ke tak ada seks dengan suami? Sudah seminggu tiada seks, nanti balik ada seks dengan lelaki nanti beritahu saya apa perasaan kamu semasa buat seks? Pasal kamu lah saya tak boleh [expletive deleted] dengan suami saya, hari-hari saya berada di sini.”
(Are you attracted to any of the men? Have you had sex with anyone? If you can have children after having sex, why get married? Can you stand not being able to have sex with your husbands? It’s been a week without sex, when you go home and have sex, let me know how it feels when you are doing it. Because of you I cannot go home to have sex with my husband, every day I have to stay here (to watch over you).
Complaints of police misconduct and maltreatment were made by three of the women detainees to Suhakam and the Bukit Aman police.
And dare Najib claim Malaysia is on its way towards becoming a respected democratic nation?
Najib’s idea of democracy flawed
Najib is extremely desperate to return to his plush office in Putrajaya and is counting on the coming general election to make this happen. In the process, little does Najib care that his acts of desperation are all at the expense of the rakyat.
Claiming to champion the people’s rights by reforming the laws and wasting taxpayers’ money on endless projects is not going to do the trick.
The people have not forgotten how uncaring a leader Najib is when he did little to assist in the death of a DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock. On July 16, 2009, Teoh was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam which also houses the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office on the 14th floor.
Teoh was summoned to MACC’s office for a nine-hour interrogation concerning allegations of corruption and was found dead the next morning. Despite his family claiming otherwise and even renowned Thai pathologist Pornthip Rojanasunand stating an 80 percent probability that Teoh’s death was caused by suicide, the “powers that be” classified it as “sudden death”.
That very “powers that be” through the Royal Commission of Inquiry set up to investigat MACC’s interrogation procedures later concluded that Teoh had committed suicide, as he was unable to deal with the aggressive interrogation tactics by MACC officers.
As far as Najib goes, is this how a democratic country serves justice to its people? Clearly, Najib’s idea of democracy is flawed and needs much working on.
‘Facelift’ not assurance of victory
To bring to end the 51-year reign of the ISA is not going to assure BN victory in the coming 13th general election. To indulge in a “facelift” by shoving the ISA out and replacing it with two other laws is not going to convince the rakyat.
The day the BN government establishes the IPCMC will determine its true commitment towards serving the rakyat. To put an end to the abuse of power, be it at the executive, legislative or judiciary level, will serve as a hint of just how much the BN government cares for its people.
To stop meddling in the affairs of the nation’s human rights commission, Suhakam, will determine whether the BN government has honestly embarked on the road to repentance, finally giving democracy in Malaysia a chance to breathe.
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