The people want policemen, who are accused of
criminal behaviour, to be punished, but more often than not, justice is
rarely seen.
The alleged gang-rape of an Indonesian woman by three Malaysian policemen in a police station has shocked the nation and many questions remain unanswered: Why did the other policemen on duty not intervene to prevent the act? If the policemen on duty were only made aware of the rape later, why did they not report it? Is rape commonly used as a form of intimidation by the police? How many other rapes which have been committed by policemen go unreported? Are police recruits not aware that the highest standards of behaviour are expected from them, at all times?
The latest incident of rape has received the attention of Foreign Minister Anifah Aman but only because of widespread protests by Indonesians outside the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta.
There is, however, silence from both Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussien and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister.
These two men should get a firm grip on the situation, justify the salaries they draw and act with the decisiveness that their roles demand of them.
People tend to emulate their leaders and the inaction of ministers over previous crimes, committed by senior politicians, people with the right connections and members of the police, has caused a breakdown in law and order.
It is pointless to call for Hishammuddin or Najib’s resignation because neither has any sense of shame.
Last July, Hishammuddin brushed aside the public’s fear about an increase in crime. He belittled their concerns and claimed that the crime surge was only a “perception”.
Today, his words have returned to haunt him.
Perk of extra-marital sex
Hishammuddin is not the only minister to regret belittling the rakyat; the other person who feels the heat is Najib, the de facto minster for women.
Last October, at an event to celebrate Women’s Day, Najib dismissed the need for women’s rights groups in the country. He proudly proclaimed that Malaysia was “way ahead of developed nations in terms of women’s rights”, but he made no reference to the discrimination against women and the violence they face, on a daily basis.
Lau Chiek Tuan, the Bukit Mertajam Barisan Nasional co-ordinator, whom the 25-year-old migrant worker approached for help, after the alleged rape had taken place, told reporters that the victim was on her way home from work, around 6.30am, when the taxi she was in was trailed by a police car.
The taxi was stopped and the driver asked to show his driver’s licence. The victim was then asked to show her passport but told the policemen that she only carried a photocopy, as the recruitment agency held her original document. The woman was subsequently taken to the Prai police station and arrested.
At the station, she again pleaded to be released but was instead taken into a room with a mattress on the floor, and gang-raped. After they were finished with her, the police dropped her off at her home in Taman Inderawasih and warned not to tell anyone about the rape.
In an interview with another online newspaper, Lau claimed that the victim was aware of similar rapes and her reason for reporting her own experience was to prevent a similar incident from happening to other women.
The wives of all policemen must be wondering if their husbands also enjoy the perk of extra-marital sex while they are on duty.
Malaysians demand a police force with high standards of behaviour. The unacceptable conduct of its policemen should prompt the government to review the selection and training of police recruits.
Rakyat does not trust police
The rakyat also wants policemen, who are accused of criminal behaviour, to be punished; but when it comes to police brutality, justice has rarely been seen by the victims’ families.
The rakyat would also like the government to address other issues, like low morals in the force and see if it needs more funding to make it less corrupt.
Last March, Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar said that 99% of his police force were clean. Can he really claim that that is true when the situation on the ground is the reverse? Perhaps, the rakyat is unlucky and have only met the 1% who is corrupt.
The problem of maid agencies and employers hanging on to the passports of the migrant workers is not new. When will the relevant departments resolve this issue?
The acting Indonesian consul-general Sofiana Mufidah has reassured Indonesian workers and told them to remain calm, while the issue of the gang-rape is being resolved.
“We have faith that the Malaysian police will act fairly and without bias throughout the course of their investigations,” she said.
Although the rakyat does not believe that all policemen are bad, they are aware that many policemen who are allegedly guilty of crimes escape punishment.
One way of restoring the rakyat’s confidence in the police is to have an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), which will investigate crimes committed by policemen. The formation of the IPCMC has been blocked by the government, on many occasions.
The Indonesian government may have expressed confidence with our police, but the Malaysian public does not share that confidence.
The rakyat does not trust the police, nor the government’s will or ability to handle any crime perpetrated by the police.
Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.
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