Waytha wants police quartet suspended

Soon to be deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waythamoorthy has lambasted the seemingly tame action taken against the police personnel being investigated over N Dharmendran’s death-in-custody case, saying such steps can only serve to undermine public faith in the force.

Pointing out that murder is a non-bailable offence, Waythamoorthy (left) said the four policemen should have been suspended and held in remand until investigations were completed, instead of merely being assigned to desk duties.

He said this in a statement issued today in his capacity as Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia (Hindraf) chairperson.

“The law is equal for police personnel as well as for the general public. Therefore any lesser action will only further frustrate the general public in the double standards practised against these police officers with such blatant immunity provided to them.

“Such ineffectual action as this by their superiors in the police force will only further demean the confidence of the public in the police force and their integrity in carrying out their responsibility in the interest of public,” the statement says.

Waythamoorthy also questioned how the police expect to restore public confidence in their “professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness” in reducing crime, if they are unable to take stern actions against their own suspected police officers.

He added that such action reflected the lack of respect the police force hold for the “fundamental rights and the value for human life”, as enshrined in the federal constitution.

Cessation of Indian custodial deaths were among the demands dropped by Hindraf when signing its historic pact with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak-led BN in April, a move which earned the movement much criticism.
IPCMC the only way

Meanwhile, the Stop State Violence Movement, a coalition of 30 NGOs, in its statement urged the authorities to seek the root causes of custodial deaths instead of the “cosmetic move” taken by way of the special committee on custodial deaths headed by Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar (below).

“We as members of civil society are simply fed up with such cosmetic reforms implemented by the government, which have not realised any positive outcome of eliminating custodial deaths.

“It still continues to remain a state-sponsored form of violence, where the perpetrators are able to act with impunity,” the movement said.

It stressed that the only way to make perpetrators accountable and ensure effective check-and-balance would be through an “independent mechanism” such as the rejected proposal for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

Stop State Violence Movement said the need for the IPCMC was "very clear", based on the experience learnt from the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission Bill (EAIC), which replaced the controversial Special Complaints Commission (SCC) Bill, that the current proposal to establish a national team "will be another failure of another cosmetic reform".

“The only way to end torture and deaths in custody is to make all enforcement officers conscious that non-compromising actions will be taken and perpetrators made accountable.”