EO6: Only The Cops To Be Blamed

There are people, average citizens out there very angry that the police still have refused to let close-relatives and lawyers to see the detained six of the PSM people in the Bukit Aman holding up center. Despite repeated assurances from the IGP that all six are handled well, people refused to be convinced. It's just the revelation that Saraswathy got forced into lie-detection tests and forced signed confession that got people so edged up. And one week ago, public anger simmered when the prosecution from the AG chambers came to the court and told the judge that they had not prepared anything and asking her for two more weeks.

I had the feeling that it's merely a delay tactic in order to get a detention paper of 2 years that will send the six to the Simpang Renggam detention facility there. The EO as what the BAR council people and human rights activists would say is the inverse of the ISA. If the ISA is top to bottom, then EO is vice-versa. There were close to 500 reports against the cops themselves over alleged mistreatment, refusal to allow visits and accusing the six for crimes with no evidence. I guess in Malaysia it's the other way round of being guilty until proven innocent.

We just need to go back to 25 June 2011 when they were detained. The main cop who said of such alleged crime was the Penang state deputy chief Abdul Rahim Jaafar. The question would be on how reliable the intelligence of the PSM people carrying material relating to communism? Was the entire thing fabricated just to fulfill the KPI quota of crime solving? This is one of the baffling things that I have came across whenever I witnessed people doing vigils. Since the early of the month they have been asking repeatedly to let them be charged in court, instead of putting in solitary confinement for 30 days. 

Instead, what really happens is actions of certain cops who pissed off a lot of people indirectly by pushing them off for disperse and Special Branch people who, to some see them as nuisance, busy bodies who are supposed to go for more serious crimes than snooping at people. Lawyers representing them have already have substantial amount of information to say that things that are related to crimes are non-existent. It can be associated as either the police were misinformed, got faulty intelligence from certain parties or in the worse case fabricated.

The criticism I reserved for cops is simply the lack of capability to distinct clearly between socialism and communism. It's also similar to the problem where we can't differentiate between Zionism and Jews. Another thing is simply that the cops on the beat that I've seen barely have the smarts to differentiate and recognize a citizen and a hooligan. It's simply taking orders top to bottom and disobeying one, even if he/she has the moral intelligence to assess the scenario is tantamount to insubordination and risk going cold storage.

I suppose that the refusal of the IPCMC recommendations plays a part of it. And the key person who refuses to take is Musa Hassan of course. Obviously there are several reasons to it but the caveat of not accepting that is plainly the good and brilliant officers go cold storage, no control and finesse over people control, and the continous third-degree interrogation that is happening still now. And look what happened - people dead in jail cells, cases of forced confessions, innocents get whacked for nothing by bad apples, you name it. But that will be for another time.

Back to the EO6 - there's another 2 days left before the decision comes of whether to let the six out or another 30 day to 2 year detention. There's no evidence to prove their crimes and backing the EO charges. Section 122 charge was dropped at the start, then the six rearrested under orders from Bukit Aman. It's a typical lose-lose situation. If Hishamuddin signs the extension, more public anger at cops. Even if they let them go, KPI score for them gets dropped and the one who makes the decision faces scoldings from the top brass.

So if we are to revisit the beginning, it's the cops to be blamed. For what they have received turns out nothing. And Dr Kumar gave them the ultimatum: charge us or he goes hungry strike. And of course the ball is in their court. They made a wrong move at the start that got into the mess. There was a saying that doing right but risking anger from a government who do not like things going against their way somewhat outweighs losing the gomen thumbs up but gaining people confidence. And it can be started by how they handle non-violent crowd gatherings.