Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the police are ready to haul up protesters responsible for Bersih 3.0 violence to face rioting charges. He said those "who are wrong remain wrong and will be dragged to court". I am prepared to support the minister's action if he is consistent. He remains in a very dicey situation.
There are hundreds of photography and video evidences which showed that some policemen were the aggressors too. Hishammuddin's political star is going burn out its last remaining shine if he remains selective in his action against the aggressors.
IGP Ismail Omar apologised today to Malay Mail cameraman, Muhammad Arif Kartono, who claimed he was roughed up by police while covering the assembly at Dataran Merdeka, last Saturday. His apology alone is not enough. He has admitted, and rebuffed Hishammuddin, that the police did not act accordingly by confiscating and destroying cameras belonged to some newsmen.
Apparently, some photography and video evidences also pointed at more serious breaches of SOP which included a traffic policeman pointing his gun at unarmed civilians, policemen beating up and using adverse violence against protesters (not as self-defense) and policemen charging into restaurants to chase out protesters who were having their meal. These provocations are unnecessary and not in accordance to the police SOP, not in Malaysia and anywhere in the world!
If this is a mature democracy, the home minister would have resigned for being incompetent and incapable for allowing a peaceful demonstration to become violent. Human rights activists would have pushed for the resignation of the home minister for being inconsistent with his action and being unscrupulous with public safety and security.
Two weeks before the demonstration, Hishammuddin had announced that it was not a threat to national security. But days before the event, he had backed down to the stubborn and recalcitrant behaviour of the appointed city mayor who insisted that it was an illegal assembly and subsequently ordered a clamp down of the city centre. Any democratic government would have sacked the mayor. Any democracy which respected the third vote would have dumped the mayor in an election.
Ironically, Hishammuddin is calling for further action of the aggressors without making any commitment to take a stern action against some wild seeds in his security squad. If any civilians are being hauled up to face justice but the equally wrong rogue policemen are allowed to scoot free, it will spell an end to Hishammuddin's career.
Hishammuddin can act gung-ho and tough, while it lasts! Malaysian voters will demand for fairness, consistency and accountability at the upcoming general elections. They would know what to do to Hishammuddin and his reelection attempt.
3 comments:
Khoo,what can the people expect when Jibby placed his cutie cousin just fresh out of prep school into doing a man's job.Of course the boots are oversized and too big for him to wear.Hahaha.
The traffic cop drew and pointed his gun at a protestor. That must surely be in breach of police procedures governing their use of arms issued to them. The video is is there for all to see. It was not a situation where the cop's life was threatened, nor was he acting to protect the life of some innocent person. The cop drew his weapon and pointed it at a protestor for no valid reason. Will the police force, the IGP or Hisham do anything about that?
I have just gone through a stack of reports and amongst them, there was a number about policemen who first removed their name tags, some who even covered their faces, and some who even came prepared with weapons like knuckledusters. And then proceeded like a mob to beat up protestors, and even reporters and cameramen.
Indeed, many with cameras seemed to have been targeted. One lucky photojournalist got off when he obeyed police who ordered him not to photograph beatings in progress. Most others were themselves bashed up, the memory card of their cameras taken, sometimes their cameras smashed, or taken and not returned. Aside from just intimidation of the Press, was there a concerted effort to minimise chances of errant policemen being identified and destroying of evidence of the criminal deeds?
I would not want to place my hopes on Home Minister Hisham really doing anything about "those who are wrong remain wrong and will be dragged to court". After all, he was very, very quick to come out with an astounding statement that "Photo equipment seized as part of SOP" (which was quickly denied by the IGP within 24 hours). Maybe Hisham's own SOP, but not any formal police SOP!
But I think even that, and the huge pile of grossly incompetant staements from and deeds of the once-keris kissing Hisham, will likely end his political career as far as Najib, UMNO or the other lap-dog BN component parties are concerned.
Just look at what happened after Hisham defended the crowd who dragged a cow-head around in Shah Alam in 2009. He even had the gall to say that "people should be allowed space to voice their opinions"! But Hisham is still Home Minister, and still opening his mouth (too often!) to prove to everyone just what sort of "marvellous" minister he is.
It will take a GE13 tsunami to clean Putrajaya of such politicians.
I mean (error in 3rd last paragraph):
But I think even that, and the huge pile of grossly incompetant statements from and deeds of the once-keris kissing Hisham, will likely NOT end his political career as far as Najib, UMNO or the other lap-dog BN component parties are concerned.
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