Called a criminal, Aminulrasyid’s family waits for apology

 

Neighbour Monaliza Mokhtar accompanied Aminulrasyed's mother to court for moral support. — Picture by Choo Choy May

SHAH ALAM, Oct 12 — Anger appears to have buried grief as the primary emotion at the start of trial today probing the shooting to death of Aminulrasyid Amzah.

The 14-year-old’s family and friends are still waiting for Putrajaya to formally apologise for calling Aminulrasyid a “criminal”, six months after policemen on duty pulled their guns on the joyriding youngster and his best buddy Azamuddin Omar, causing the duo’s car to crash.

“We want justice for Aminulrasyid. We want them to retract the statement calling him a robber, a criminal,” said Monaliza Mokhtar on behalf of the dead schoolboy’s 60-year-old mother, Norsiah Mohamad.

Norsiah had declined to speak when approached earlier.

“Nothing to say at this point,” the single parent told The Malaysian Insider in a soft voice, and gestured to ask Monaliza for comment.

Monaliza said she had accompanied the upset family to meet with Home Ministry officials following police statements claiming the boys were suspected felons and that a parang (machete) had been discovered in the boot of the car driven by Aminulrasyid.

“We went to KDN. They didn’t want to say sorry. They just said ‘Just follow the process. Wait for the trial to be over,” said the neighbour whose teenage daughter was close friends with Aminulrasyid and Azamuddin, referring to the Home Ministry by its Malay initials.

The businesswoman, who is also a committee member on Azimuddin’s school parent-teacher association, smiled grimly and said they would follow the Home Ministry’s words to the letter.

“We’ll come to court every day. We will see if justice will be done,” Monaliza said.

Aminulrasyid died instantly that April 26 morning.

His best buddy, Azamuddin, 15, survived the shooting and is now the star prosecution witness in the trial of police patrolman Corporal Jenain Subi, 48.

Azamuddin had made startling allegations against the patrolmen in hot pursuit of them that morning when he recounted the events leading to and after the car crash in a press conference last May 4.

He denied that there was a machete in the car driven by Aminulrasyid.

The son of a policeman, Azamuddin had also accused the cops on duty – including Jenain – of repeatedly shooting at their car and assaulting them after they crashed into a tree, metres from their Section 11 home here.

But the patrolmen have given a vastly different account of the encounter.

Six police personnel testified in court today. The trial is set to resume tomorrow at 9.30am.