By Tarani Palani
July 11, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar are still in a state of denial. They still deny police brutality during Saturday’s rally despite extensive video evidence of police’s heavy-handed techniques.
Bersih said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by Najib and Ismail’s continuous denial, which “completely flies in the face of extensive video evidence” of the police’s heavy-handed techniques.
“We expect much higher standards of integrity from those entrusted with leading our nation and keeping it safe,” the statement said.
The authorities have maintained that there has been no police high-handedness throughout the rally. However, numerous eye-witness accounts beg to differ. One such incident was the firing of tear gas into the Tung Shin Maternity Hospital.
The police have denied that they fired canisters of tear gas into the hospital grounds, but numerous eyewitness accounts and photographic and video evidence showed that the police had fired tear gas and sprayed chemical-laced water into the hospital compound to lure out Bersih supporters.
Bersih has encouraged participants to submit such photographic and video evidence of police brutality to them.
Ironically, this request from Bersih comes just as Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the police themselves will release footages to counter allegations of brutality.
At a press conference in Bukit Aman police headquarters today, Hishammuddin also warned that action will be taken against those who make baseless allegations against the police.
“We have visual recordings in our operation room. Whatever has been alleged will be investigated , and action will be taken against those in the Internet and foreign media who have made baseless allegations,” he was quoted in a Malaysiakini report.
‘Police brutality shocking’
Bersih also said that acts of police brutality “against a peaceful gathering of unarmed citizens” were “unwarranted” and “shocking”.
“Such acts demonstrate beyond doubt the utter failure of the authorities to uphold and protect the most basic human rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution.”
Bersih expressed shock over the continued arrests of people associated with the electoral watchdog even after Saturday’s rally.
FMT learnt that eight in Sabah were arrested today for wearing yellow T-shirts.
“There is absolutely no need for such paranoid harassment and the authorities must stop these actions at once,” Bersih said.
Bersih also extended its deepest condolences to the family of Baharuddin Ahmad who lost his life while participating in the rally in the KLCC area.
Police said that Baharuddin, in his late 50s, died of heart complications. City acting police chief, Amar Singh, said that the post-mortem showed that he did not suffer any internal or external injuries.
However, Bersih claimed that it had received reports that the main cause of his death was the heavy-handed action of the police and their “complete failure” to provide timely medical aid. However, it did not elaborate further on these reports.
Massive turnout
Bersih also called for the immediate release of the six Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) members detained under the Emergency Ordinance 1969.
“They have done nothing wrong and we insists that they be released immediately without any conditions,” it said.
Bersih said that intimidation by the authorities will not prevent the electoral watchdog from continuing its struggle for free and fair elections.
It also added it was clear from the massive turnout that a huge number of Malaysians agree that things are not right with the electoral system.
Bersih organisers have said that about 50 000 supporters have turned up for Saturday’s rally. Police, however, have put the number at only 6,000.
Press reports estimate that there were 10,000 to 15,000 people who participated in the rally.
Najib and IGP,pictures don’t lie.Want to ask Dartmouth to verify the authenticity of the pictures and tapes.Police brutality is police brutality.No two ways.
PM Najib,your war cabinet ordered the men in blue to declared war on your own people.So now be a man and take the heat.Don’t flip flop on this one.
why najib and his cousins are still threatening people over the media? do they think that they are the real dictators? do they know that they will end up as mubarak?
BN~! I will make you CRY this upcoming GE~!!
We must make them pay for Baharudin Ahmad, our Mohammed Bouzazi..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCetbFLceFI&feature=player_embedded#at=735
They wouldn’t even look at him as he was dying. Similarly UMNO/BN would not give a damn if we all rot so long as they can indulge in their excesses..
They are so Stink and kotol
You may find shoe cleaner
The bald finish when foreigner human group throw him the shoes on him during foreign visit.
Between Najib and IGP, perhaps 1 suffer from cataract; the other retinal detachment.
The times, they have changed. So get real.
Najib is a compulsive liar. He even lied to God when he swore never to have seen “that woman”.
He also had no “physical contact” with her.
He will even say the world is flat. One day he will be exposed. I wait for that day.
Whatever that comes out from the mouths of IGP,Deputy IGP ,PM and all BN leaders rakyat have to filter the dirt a thousand times.Picture recordings don’t lie compared to the tainted reports of the mass media in Malaysia.
I wish majority Malaysian will not be as easy as to spare Najis/Umno and its lap dogs the rod when comes GE13.Spank its/BN backside hard enough and kick its butt away far far from the sight of Putrajaya.It’s time now we call all their/BN nonsense be put to stop and we want absolutely nothing to do with this racist,corrupt and incompetent leaders.M*t**r F*k*r is what it is deserved to be called-BN.
IGP and Deputy cannot afford to loose their cozy jobs.
The know..under PR alot of their half past sixes policemen will be sacked…and the present IGP and Deputy demoted….for them to accept or resign.
They accepted Najib’s offers and must be Najib’s lap dogs.
This self denial is very much characteristic of the middle east people. They only want to believe what is nice to hear and the truth hurts. Here, our govt practised this too. Even if 1m people say the sky is blue, they will say its black and use the media and people at their disposal to convince you its black.
But ultimately, their propaganda are not meant for the urban people who are more educated and more intellectual. They are meant for the rural area where their votes come from. These are the people whom are easily swayed with constant propaganda and maybe a couple of bucks here and there. Remember, Sarawak rural folks who were paid a couple of hundred bucks for their vote not realising their next generation’s future cost many many times more.
At the end of the day, BN may still win the next election with rural support. So folks, PR need to work on the rural people, their core base.
The government is so stupid. How can they hope to cover-up and keep denying.
1. They are numerous videos released almost immediately after the event, so that there is no time to doctor.
2. There is a whole lot of international press to act as independent witness. Al Jazeera, was running realtime coverage.
3. Baharuddin is dead with video evidence of police handcuff and death.
4. At least 4 persons were hospitalised, so they would have hospital records, Xrays, scans, and OT surgical notes.
5. There were 5,000 eye-witnesses in Tung Shin to see where the tear gas went and where the water cannon were pointed.
How are you going to deny and cover-up. They are crazy.
They were caught with their pants down. Just admit it, maybe say sorry ( hahahaha ).
We must change the tenant at Putrajaya.