By Lim Guan Eng, Secretary General of the DAP
Not only Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar but Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should also resign if the IGP can refuse to comply with civil court children custodial orders, permitting the criminal deaths of those under police custody to continue and condoning violent acts by pro-BN gangsters. The IGP has caused outrage when he stated that the police would remain neutral in cases where there are conflicting judgements between Syariah and civil courts regarding the custody of children.
The two civil court orders that the children be returned to the mother involve M Indira Gandhi against her ex-spouse Muhammad Ridhuan Abdullah in Ipoh, and the case of S. Deepa against her ex-spouse Izwan Abdullah in Seremban. To avoid being “sandwiched” by a conflicting Syariah court order that gave custody to the Muslim husband convert, the IGP said the police will choose the middle path by not enforcing the two civil court orders and instead placing the children in childcare centres.
This is a dangerous and unconstitutional first step initiated by the police that undermines and subvert the secular basis of the Federal Constitution by refusing to comply with a civil court order. Never in Malaysian history has the police openly defied civil court orders by refusing to enforce them. This will not only result in lawlessness but may lead in future cases for the police to act selectively.
Now, the police has taken the dangerous first step by refusing to comply with the civil court order. What is there to stop the police from then acting selectively in future by only complying with the Syariah court orders and not the civil court orders?
The IGP must be reminded that our Federal Constitution is secular in nature and right from its inception during Merdeka, the police is empowered to carry out and enforce civil court orders. If Khalid fails to understand this basic constitutional duty to uphold the law, then he is not fit to be the IGP and should resign immediately.
For powerless and ineffective political parties like MCA calling for Khalid’s resignation, would MCA pull out from BN if Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi refuses to force the IGP’s resignation? And yet MCA leaders have no honour and dignity by being so hard up for the perks and privileges of office of a Cabinet Minister, when civil servants can disobey them and treat them with utter contempt!
The time has come for Khalid to also resign for failing to stop police custodial deaths of those detained in lock ups from continuing. The latest happened a few days ago in Penang bringing the number of police custodial deaths involving Penang to seven cases this year, and ten nationwide. By blaming the police custodial deaths on the health of the victim is not only an abdication of responsibility but also indicates that the custodial deaths will only persist, continuing this inhuman cruelty and sorrow to many helpless families.
Further the IGP has also condoned acts of violence by UMNO gangsters against PR leaders by failing to take stern action against them. Many of these UMNO gangsters continue their violent acts because of the failure of the police to act against them at the first instance. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should bear full responsibility for politicizing the police force.
After all what moral authority has Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to act against police inaction or wrongdoing when he himself can condone threats by UMNO gangsters to reward those who slapped Seputih MP Teresa Kok is not criminal in nature and calling the Chinese as ungrateful for not supporting BN?
