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Media Statement by DAP National Publicity Bureau in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, 20th May 2009:

The Royal Malaysian Police to stop attending candlelight vigils and focus on fighting rampant crime!

Last night's arrest of 11 persons, including DAP Assistant National Publicity Secretary and MP for Serdang, Teo Nie Ching, and state assemblywoman for Teratai, Selangor, Jenice Lee Ying Ha for holding a candlelight vigil, serves only to remind the public of how obtuse the Royal Malaysian Police has become.

It was a low-key candlelight vigil mourning the death of democracy in Perak, attended by less than 20 party members and supporters on private property below the office of MP for Seputeh, Teresa Kok. And yet in a remarkable show of force, a nearly 100-strong Police team swooped on the gathering complete with helicopter support before any speeches were even made!

While DAP fully appreciates the effort by the Police to grant some of our low profile activities instantaneous nationwide publicity by arresting innocent unarmed and peaceful civilians, we strongly condemn Police intimidation and oppression who acts on behalf of Barisan Nasional to stifle dissent and suppress the truth.

The Royal Malaysian Police should instead focus on its job at hand to fight rampant crime across the country which in the past 3 weeks have reached an incredulous state when victims have included MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and political secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister himself, Syahrin Jamaluddin. The police force has even suffered its greatest ignominy in recent years when the Johor Bahru OCPD, ACP Zainuddin Yaakob was tied up and robbed at knife point in his very own house in Johore Baru.

DAP deplores the high-handed and completely unnecessary actions of the police in detaining harmless concerned citizens. We call upon the Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan to apologise to the detainees and all Malaysians for wrongful detention and for acting against the Prime Minister's call for "One Malaysia".

In addition, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak must carry out his promise of "People First, Performance Now" by finally fulfilling Barisan Nasional's promise to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as proposed by the Royal Police Commission nearly 4 years ago.


* DAP National Publicity Bureau

 

 

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