The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said yesterday he wished that the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) which was repealed in 2012 would be reintroduced.
“Yes, the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 is sufficient, but what is wrong with the ISA? Both laws are suitable for different reasons. As a law enforcement official, I would welcome any law which can help me uphold internal security and public order,” he said.
The statement by Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar is completely unbecoming of the top policeman of a free and democratic country that prides himself in the rule of law.
The IGP’s statement runs in complete contrary to the Prime Minister’s speech yesterday welcoming the Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan where he claimed, “Where others have fallen away from democratic principles, we share a commitment to both the spirit and the practice of democracy… In the face of demographic and technological change, we look to strengthen our societies and the democracy that they depend on.”
It is also clear that Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar’s authoritarian and anti-democratic streak will be a major hindrance to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s self-proclaimed ambition to be “the best democracry in the world”. While formerly authoritarian states such as Burma celebrated the New Year by releasing all remaining political prisoners as well as promising more democratic changes to their constitution, Malaysia is embarrassed by its IGP who is only keen on reviving the tools of a police state.
Instead of welcoming and seeking laws giving unchecked powers to the police to detain people without trial, the IGP should have sought to improve and upgrade the competency and capabilities of the Royal Malaysian Police to be able to successfully fight crime by solving them, instead of throwing any “suspect” under detention and closing the files.
It is certainly fair for Malaysians to ask, that if the police force isn’t sufficiently competent to investigate and charge a criminal for his offences, then why should we believe that they will be sufficiently competent to send only those who are “guilty” to detention centres without a fair trial?
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) must accept Dato’ Seri Najib Razak’s earlier advice that “now police must train themselves how to look for evidence.” Instead of just catching suspects and chucking them into detention, Dato’ Seri Najib asked the police to now “provide evidence to charge them in court”.
We would propose that our IGP, who is perhaps more at home in a Stalinist or Gestapo regime, be sent to a democracy and human rights school to understand the spirit of our Federal Constitution and the aspirations of the people. Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar must be properly schooled on the concepts of “rule of law” as opposed to “rule by law” as he is so inclined today.
The IGP and and the Home Minister has successfully lobbied the Najib administration for a return of detention without trial elements after the repeal of the Emergency Ordinance, with amendments in the Prevention of Crime Act 2013. Malaysians fear that the IGP is once again spearheading a campaign to mark a return of the draconian Internal Security Act which has been abused to keep political dissidents under detention without recourse in the judiciary system.