Nurul Hidayah, an officer to Muar MP YB Syed Saddiq who was called in into the MACC office as a witness, in reading out her police report, stated that during the whole session with male and female MACC officers she suffered intimidation, threats and scare tactics by those questioning her as a witness.
She was shouted at, her handphone was thrown towards her, she was called “babi” and “bodoh”, she was told that she deserved to live as an orphan when her family disowned her, she was made to stand for 30 minutes on one leg with both arms raised while answering questions. The officers joked that if she was tired, she can switch standing on the other leg.
She was threatened to be slapped by an officer whose hand she claimed was near her face. The chair that she sat on was kicked by another officer, and she was clearly terrified to be confronted by 5 male and one female officer.
She requested to meet her lawyer at the lobby but was not allowed too. Why was she not allowed to seek counsel or advise from her lawyer?
Is this method of intimidation, scare tactics and torture the new Standard Operating Procedure by MACC under Perikatan Nasional to record statements by witnesses?
Is this the new normal under the Perikatan Nasional Government’s directive where those who have been summoned to MACC offices have to endure during their interrogations and witness questioning.
The MACC is notorious and disreputable in cases of the deaths of Teoh Beng Hock 11 years ago at Plaza Massalam in Shah Alam and also officer Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed who was also found dead at the MACC office in Kuala Lumpur.
One of the recommendations of the Tun Dzaiddin Commission Report (for an IPCMC) was to have designated rooms which would be fixed with video surveillance. Any interviews with suspects and witnesses must only be undertaken in such rooms.
If such practices were comprehensively adopted with respect to all law enforcement agencies, including the MACC, perhaps the deaths of Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbani from MACC premises could have been avoided.
The technology for this has long been readily available, and is widely used around the world. Why has there been a delay in adopting this recommendation and mandating its implementation?
Utilising such technology will encourage increased professionalism amongst law enforcement officers and help defend them in the face of allegations of abuse, brutality and unprofessional conduct.
The failure to do so, on the other hand, singularly demonstrates a lack of a genuine desire on their part to be open and transparent, and that there may indeed be something to hide about their interrogation methods, tactics and techniques.
Datuk Seri Azam Baki as the Chief Commissioner of MACC must launch an investigation into the misconduct and torture of witnesses and even suspects brought in to all MACC premises for questioning of interrogations.
We call on the Attorney General Mr Idrus Harun not to be intimidated and to take action upon the police report made by Nurul Hidayah.
3 months under Perikatan Nasional and such blatant abuses of power, torture and threats continue to reign in the MACC. Interrogations using excessive force must be criminalised and those responsible must face the music for their actions.
There is no place for thuggish behaviour within such a powerful agency like the MACC and the Prime Minister must step in to stop the culture of bullying and terrorising suspects and witnesses. Remember, the MACC has plenty of skeletons in their cupboards too.
We stand in solidarity with Nurul Hidayah and her colleagues and all those who have been victims of torture, threats and scare tactics by the MACC and call for a full investigation.