NGOs meet Paul Low over custodial deaths

Minister in the Prime Minister Department Paul Low today met several NGO representatives to hear their views on the spate of death in custody cases.

According to MIC strategy director S Vell Paari, Low wanted to source feedback before he addresses the cabinet on the issue tomorrow.

"We are quite satisfied because he was very open with us. I appreciate that the minister will for call for cabinet to support our cause," Vell Paari said when contacted.

He said he told Low (right) there was public anger over the fact that custodial deaths continued to take place unabated and that the government must show firm action by charging the police personnel involved.

Another participant, S Gobi Krishnan, who represented NGOs MyWatch and Power, told Low statistics showed that 64 Malays, 30 Chinese and 28 Indians have died in police custody between 2000 and 2010.

Gobi Krishnan pointed out to Low that there appeared to be more of such cases involving Indians over the past two years.

However, he lamented that the police seemed reluctant to investigate its own members.

Gobi Krishnan also pointed out that the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) lacked the necessary powers to take disciplinary action against errant law enforcers, unlike the proposed Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

Why IPCMC is better

In addition, Gobi Krishnan said the proposed IPCMC would be more neutral because the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would appoint its members, unlike the EAIC membership that is decided by the prime minister.

"Now, with all these differences, IPCMC is the perfect commission to ensure the police force discharges its duties as it should," reads a joint statement issued by the NGOs.

Among other NGOs represented at the meeting were Respect All Religions and Race (Rare), Federation of Malaysian Indian Organisations (Prima) and  Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (Mipas).

According to the joint statement, Low had requested them to shelve plans to hold a street protest against custodial deaths, to which they agreed, subject to the nature of the reply from cabinet.

The meeting between Low and the NGOs was initiated by Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) corruption national key result area (NKRA) director D Ravindran.

Vell Paari told Malaysiakini that the discussion with Low was a positive start, but the federal government needed to be more proactive in identifying and tackling such problems in the country.

"Do we really need to go to the streets or wait for MPs to call for action before the government takes notice? They cannot wait for people to resort to drastic action before they finally act," he lamented.

Meanwhile, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang (left) said in a press statement today that Low - as the minister for integrity - should not merely convey wishes for an IPCMC to the cabinet, but should also work hard to advocate for it.

“The country does not need a minister acting as super-postman in the cabinet just to raise a particular proposal brought to him, but an ardent advocate who is prepared to fight tooth and nail for the proposal to be adopted by the cabinet.

"It does not speak very much for the integrity which Low is supposed to infuse in (Prime Minister) Najib Abdul Razak's administration when he himself is not prepared to state his stand on IPCMC," he noted.

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