Suaram director claimed that preventive detention has been abused over the years and calls to the police to own up to their inefficacy.
KUALA LUMPUR: The proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act, which include allowing detention without trial was an admittance of police incompetence, according to local human rights organisation Suaram.
“It is blatant acknowledgement of police incompetency. No countries use preventive detention without trial to resolve crime,” said Suaram director Kua Kia Soong during a question and answer session after the launch of Suaram’s 2012 Human Rights Report 2012: Civil and Political Rights at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this morning.
He was responding to a question on the proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act, which Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi tabled in Parliament, yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid announced that provisions allowing detention without trial was included in the proposed amendment to stump the rising crime rate in the country while dismissing allegations that it was draconian.
Despite that, Kua maintained his stand and called for the police to own up to their incompetency given the escalating crime rate and corruption involving their top officials.
“The police should be looking at prevention of crime and not preventive detention without trial. It is an absolute disgrace” he added.
Kua also briefed the audience on how preventive detention laws first came about – it was introduced to stump the communist insurgents. However, the authorities abused the law by using it to detain Labour Party activists in the 1960s, politicians, unionists and religious activists during Ops Lalang in the 1980s and soon, the alleged criminals.
Bar Council’s human rights co-chairman and Bersih steering committee member Andrew Khoo, meanwhile, said the Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri had told the Bar Council on Sept 18 that “the public need not worry about preventive detention laws, and that the move was due to the government’s concern of the rising crime rate.”
“Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail has on Aug 24 said at a forum on crime prevention that the nation does not need a preventive detention legislation as the police are competent.
“He cited the notorious Botak Chin case in the 1980s where the criminal was caught, prosecuted and executed without the use of preventive detention laws,” Khoo said.
Meanwhile, in response to a question on plans to form an internal investigative body to probe police misconduct, Suaram coordinator R Thevarajan dismissed it as an eye wash.
“It is an internal investigative body similar to Bukit Aman’s disciplinary board. There would be no transparency even though its members would comprise those who are not from the police force,” he said.
During the report presentation earlier, Suaram’s executive director E Nalini informed that the government persistently harassed Suaram, with six government agencies hurling at them unfounded allegations such as being a front for foreign agents and money laundering activities.
Two of the six agencies included Companies Commission of Malaysia, and Registrar of Societies.
KUALA LUMPUR: The proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act, which include allowing detention without trial was an admittance of police incompetence, according to local human rights organisation Suaram.“It is blatant acknowledgement of police incompetency. No countries use preventive detention without trial to resolve crime,” said Suaram director Kua Kia Soong during a question and answer session after the launch of Suaram’s 2012 Human Rights Report 2012: Civil and Political Rights at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this morning.
He was responding to a question on the proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act, which Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi tabled in Parliament, yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid announced that provisions allowing detention without trial was included in the proposed amendment to stump the rising crime rate in the country while dismissing allegations that it was draconian.
Despite that, Kua maintained his stand and called for the police to own up to their incompetency given the escalating crime rate and corruption involving their top officials.
“The police should be looking at prevention of crime and not preventive detention without trial. It is an absolute disgrace” he added.
Kua also briefed the audience on how preventive detention laws first came about – it was introduced to stump the communist insurgents. However, the authorities abused the law by using it to detain Labour Party activists in the 1960s, politicians, unionists and religious activists during Ops Lalang in the 1980s and soon, the alleged criminals.
Bar Council’s human rights co-chairman and Bersih steering committee member Andrew Khoo, meanwhile, said the Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri had told the Bar Council on Sept 18 that “the public need not worry about preventive detention laws, and that the move was due to the government’s concern of the rising crime rate.”
“Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail has on Aug 24 said at a forum on crime prevention that the nation does not need a preventive detention legislation as the police are competent.
“He cited the notorious Botak Chin case in the 1980s where the criminal was caught, prosecuted and executed without the use of preventive detention laws,” Khoo said.
Meanwhile, in response to a question on plans to form an internal investigative body to probe police misconduct, Suaram coordinator R Thevarajan dismissed it as an eye wash.
“It is an internal investigative body similar to Bukit Aman’s disciplinary board. There would be no transparency even though its members would comprise those who are not from the police force,” he said.
During the report presentation earlier, Suaram’s executive director E Nalini informed that the government persistently harassed Suaram, with six government agencies hurling at them unfounded allegations such as being a front for foreign agents and money laundering activities.
Two of the six agencies included Companies Commission of Malaysia, and Registrar of Societies.
No comments:
Post a Comment