The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should make a personal visit to the family of the latest fatal victim of trigger-happy police shooting and set up a public inquiry headed by credible and independent Commissioners into the killing of 14-year-old Form III student Aminulrasyid Hamzah by trigger-happy police in the early hours of Monday near his house at Section 11 in Shah Alam.
This morning, together with Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng, I visited the bereaved mother, Norsiah Mohamad and his family immediately on our return from Sibu and extended our condolences and shared the outrage and anger at the unacceptable police killing of a 14-year-old student.
The official police version of the shooting/killing of Aminul as given by the Selangor Chief Police Officer Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar had been challenged on the most important facets by the family and eye-witness account.
Firstly, Khalid alleged that Aminul, who was driving, had suddenly reversed the car and tried to ram into the police personnel while his companion “had exited and was able to escape”.
The family said it was not true that Aminul tried to reverse the car to jam the police personnel. Aminul had died when he was shot in the head and the friend who was with him came out to surrender himself but was kicked and punched but he managed to escape.
The police alleged that a long machete was found in the car driven by Aminul, which was denied by Aminul’s mother, Norsiah Mohamad saying that the car belonged to one of Aminul’s married sisters.
Aminul is not yet 15 years old as have been reported in all the press, as he was born on 15th August 1995. He is the youngest of eight siblings (three girls and five boys) and come from a respectable family.
His father, who died six years ago, was general manager of Integrated Logistics and his uncle is the Maybank Berhad CEO Datuk Johar Che Mat.
Aminul has committed the traffic offence of unlicensed underaged driving but surely Malaysian youths do not have to die for such infractions!
Aminul is dead but her mother wants to redeem the good name of her son and her family, as Aminul is described by the police as a “criminal”.
The 14-year-old Form III student from SMK Section 9, Shah Alam has no criminal record, is a sports all-rounder who got 3As and 2Bs for his UPSR and preparing to sit for the PMR examination at the end of the year.
I was taken to the tragedy spot where Aminul was killed, which was about 300 metres from his house in Section 11, Shah Alam, with angry neighbours including Nazimuddin and Rahim recounting the appalling and heinous events outside their houses in the early hours of Monday just after a European football game.
I saw the tree busted by the car driven by Aminul which careened out of control when the 14-year-old student was shot in the head with a bullet. The car knocked into a wall and ended up in the drain. There were still faint blood stains on the stone walkway.
The noises caused by the “drama” woke up the immediate neighbourhood, with some saying not less than five shots were fired. The menfolk came out and saw three to four cars. They saw a body sprawled on the front seat, with head down and legs slightly out.
They could not see the face and had no idea of his identity. They were not inclined to ask at that late hour as they thought that the police were carrying out their duties and had killed a criminal.
Some more police cars came and they went back to sleep. They did not know until the next morning that the person shot and killed was Aminul, not only known to the neighbourhood, but was the best friend of the son of one of those recounting the heinous events to us. The person who recounted this cried and I grieved with him.
“This is not LosAngeles but ShahAlam” shouted one of the neighbours still angry at police trigger-happy killing of 14-yr-old Aminul.
These Shah Alam residents expressed their worry that they are afraid of the police who, instead of ensuring their security and safety, are now a threat to their security and safety – particularly concerned that youngsters who watch football games at mamak stalls into the early hours of the morning risk dangers like the fatal one which befell Aminul.
The public inquiry into Aminul’s killing announced by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, to be headed by the Deputy Home Minister Datuk Abu Seman Yusup, is completely unacceptable not only to the public but also to the bereaved family and the Shah Alam residents for there is no credibility and confidence that there would be “no cover up” whatsoever.
The Abu Seman Yusup public inquiry should be scrapped. In its stead, there should be a public inquiry comprising independent and credible Malaysians who can command instant public confidence that they will do a thorough, independent and professional job to get to the bottom of the Aminul’s killing.