Penang
Dear YB,YBs,
SUB:EMERGENCY MOTION IN PARLIAMENT FOR POLICE SHOOTINGS
Good Day to you all.
I refer to my letters of the 15th and 17th of November, 2009, requesting of all of you Honorable Pakatan MPs the following, in the current sitting of the parliament:
1) To pass an emergency motion calling for an immediate moratorium on all police killings, whether encounter killings or killings in Police custody.
2) In that same motion to include a call for setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry much like the one set up for Teoh Beng Hock’s case to investigate all these extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals, during the tenure of current IGP Musa Hassan.
3) In that same motion to also call for the prosecution of the police who are responsible for the killings, because it is non prosecution of such police personnel responsible for the killing that results in a continuation of the killing.
4) In the unfortunate event of the Speaker disallowing the motion, to stage a collective walkout from the Parliament.
As we understand, a motion to hold a public inquiry into the shooting was raised by MP for Ipoh Barat YB M. Kula Segaran. Deputy Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaffar ruled the motion met two of the three criteria of being definite and of public importance, but it was not “urgent” as police investigations were ongoing. So, in effect this motion saw no light of day. And the PR lawmakers just left it at that, and did not stage a walkout to emphasise the seriousness of the continuing transgression of the PDRM onto the rights of citizens.
I have the following feedback and comments back to you MPs about this episode of the emergency motion:
1) First, I would like to thank YB Kula Segaran for having raised the motion - however watered down it was.
2) The motion falls way short of what was needed in the circumstance of usurpation of State Power by one arm of the Government. The motion should have been to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the whole saga of Police Killings. Is there not sufficient evidence or enough seriousness in the matter to suggest that. Both the PR lawmakers and the BN lawmakers rushed and set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry for Teoh Beng Hock’s death. (May his soul Rest in Peace.). What you did was right, then. That was needed. Why not the same urgency and same emphasis here.
3) This motion should have been introduced by either YB Anwar Ibrahim the Leader of PR or by YB Lim Kit Siang one of the senior most Parlimentarian and the defacto leader of the DAP or by YB Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang being the leader of the Opposition in Parliament because of the seriousness of the matter. Instead YB Kula Segaran raised it, suggesting the matter is not serious enough to warrant top leadership attention.
4) Further, letting it be raised by YB Kula Segaran only reinforces the paradigm that PR is no different in their approach to dealing with such issues than BN. Why does an Indian MP have to raise this matter? Is it because all the other PR MPs about 65 others - were not available or there were not enough of them? My conclusion is that because those killed were the Indian poor, in the sectarian and class conscious PR mindset, an Indian MP is the right person to take this up.
5) Is summary killing by the Police of citizens, not really a national issue or do you all consider it to be just an ethnic issue, as in this case? It is our opinion that this issue is really a national issue - the usurpation of State power by and the rampage of the PDRM. Only it is showing itself up in this form. So what about “PAS FOR ALL”, What about “ MALAYSIAN MALAYSIA” – is that all just for the votes and do they not really mean anything more? Are you all saying all these killings and the problem of crime are really ethnic issues and not national issues?
6) There is a major divergence between your utterances and your actions in this matter. UMNO always used to and still sends in their Mandores, whenever the issue involved the Indian poor. This had the effect of taking away the true significance of the matter. That suited the UMNO Government well. But DAP and PKR have been saying you are a multiracial party. What does that mean. Having more Indian MPs in your line up, is that it? Is that what you mean? As we understand multiracialism - issues are studied on the basis of the seriousness to the nation as a whole, not on the basis of which ethnic group it afflicts. If you take a step back and do some comparison between these extrajudicial Police killings and the death of Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC, and the way you all have responded in both cases, maybe you will be able to see this episode as we see all of this.
7) Be that as it may, When the motion was disallowed why did the PR lawmakers not stage a walkout? That was a wonderful opportunity to have repaired your eroding position with us, the Rakyat. Yet you all could not see the opportunity there. From where I stand, this gesture comes with very little cost. So, if you fail ultimately to unseat BN, I must say you have to blame it on yourselves and on all these lost opportunities.
As I had mentioned in my previous two letters to all of you who form the the PR coalition, that you need to distinguish yourselves from the UMNO led and bankrupt BN government. But you continue to fail. As far as the marginalized Indians go there is still no difference. Also, I had said that it is time you all provided some leadership to the Indian poor. Here too I must say, there is very little leadership being shown for the Rakyat at the lowest rungs in Malaysian society. Public opinion is now swinging away from PR. The most significant swing has been from the Indian constituency. I understand that 70% of the Indians polled come from the lower rungs of the Indian constituency. That means the most significant swing away from PR has been from the marginalized Indian groups. They were the ones that swung significantly away from the BN in the last general elections and swung to PR.
One thing is for sure, without the Indian poor votes, PR will never make it to the seat of Federal Power. You decide how, serious you are about getting to Putrajaya.
We want you to be there, but not like this.
You have not risen to the challenge on this occasion, I am sorry.
Thank You.
Yours Sincerely
Signed
N.Naragan
