PM Najib Razak Must Halt Executions in Malaysia.

Picture courtesy of BBC.com

Before going to bed last night, I was scrolling through my ‘timeline’ on Twitter hoping that the ‘Nusa Kambangan Nine’ would be allowed another chance at life. 

But it was not to be. 

As I turned off the lights in my room, eight of the nine had their lights of their lives turned off completely after being shot dead by a firing squad under instructions from the Indonesian government. 

Many journalists on duty at the ‘Alcatraz of Indonesia’ were tearing together with family members gathered before gunshots reined in the stillness of the night. 

Today, The Guardian is reporting that Indonesia’s Attorney-General said “Mary Jane Veloso’s death sentence is postponed, not canceled”. 

Her ordeal is far from over. Mary Jane Veloso has denied ever knowing she was in possession of banned substances passed to her by her friend while in Petaling Jaya in 2010. Her account of what transpired is available here.

While we should condemn very strongly the preposterousness of the Jokowi-led government in Indonesia, one should also be aware of the ongoings in Malaysia, another proponent of the Death Penalty. 

In ASEAN, only the Philippines has done away with this most human-rights-violating punishment. The other nations still hold a firm belief that state-sanctioned killing will provide a better environment for its people. 

Malaysia too, does not allow its courts any leeway in handing out a sentence if it involves any of eight offenses, one of which is drug trafficking. The courts are obliged to hand out the harshest punishment in Malaysian law, death by hanging. 

Amnesty International reports that there are at least 902 people on Death Row waiting to be brought to the gallows in Malaysia. Shockingly, people are kept in the dark about this. A friend of mine also mentioned that executions in Malaysia take place very discreetly. 

And this must be stopped at once. 

In most cases, the willingness or intent of an accused is not taken into account, especially when it comes to drug-related matters. 

Factual-based research has displayed that harsher punishment will not reduce crime. Instead, better employment opportunities, a more vibrant economy and high quality education disincentivise people from getting involved in crime. Killing by states will not do anything. 

In any criminal justice system, including Malaysia’s, governments must take into account that it is a system which should have justice at its core, not extreme punishment. 

Anger and revenge, as displayed by the Indonesian premier and others who support the Death Penalty, is a foolhardy approach which should send alarm bells ringing throughout the ASEAN region. Because the issue of drug trafficking is a regional issue which needs a more nuanced strategy to tackle it.

But Malaysia can be a beacon of hope in the region when it comes to this pertinent debate. For that to take place though, we have to be consistent in opposing Capital Punishment instead of picking and choosing when one should be sent to the guillotine. 

This is prime time for Najib Razak to step forward in light of what has taken place, to put a stop to the Death Penalty in Malaysia and send a harsh message to our Indonesian counterpart so that what happened this morning, may never take place again. 

Malaysians have to be stand united alongside our ASEAN friends in this.

Remove IGP to Regain Confidence in Police

This month alone, at least 103 people have been arrested by Malaysian police for reasons from apparently being seditious to disrupting public peace through peaceful assemblies.

The bulk of these arrests, about 80 people, took place after the gathering at the Customs Department in Kelana Jaya on Monday. I was one of the 80 who were detained at Kelana Jaya police station.

Our aim was to get questions relating to the goods and services tax (GST) answered, as many Malaysians are still not prepared to face the consequences. Many will lose their lives if they cannot foot the bill beginning next month.

Shockingly, as the central agency involved in this process, the Royal Customs and Excise Department is ill-prepared as well.

It is then inexplicable to me why the police had to get involved on Monday. Some even tried to coerce people into leaving the compound before 5pm  that day.

A woman police officer told an elderly woman in front of me, “Aunty, lebih baik balik ke rumah dan makan. Dari pagi tak makan, nanti pengsan.” Her reply was worth its weight in gold. She said, “Puan, saya pengsan tak makan tak apa. Itu GST mari minggu depan, saya mungkin mati.”

These people are my heroes.

However, the actions of late of the Malaysian police have caused many people, including myself, to lose respect for the institution which has a duty to safeguard the public, making Malaysia a home for all.

Actions by the police are providing an impression that they are in place to safeguard the government and come down harshly on any person who points out wrongdoings.

The police in Malaysia, led by Khalid Abu Bakar, appear to have a different goal in mind, which is to provide a safe environment for Umno and Barisan Nasional to rule, and claw back on any dissent that calls on the government to correct its failed policies.

If the police indeed are for the people, they should have instead tried to facilitate an agreement between the Customs Department and people gathered so that concerns raised could have been addressed. The police, who had no business being on that compound, stymied the process of negotiation.

We came in peace, they came with force.

We came prepared with a list of 106 questions, they came armed with batons and shields.

We came with a mission to get our questions on GST answered, but their mission was to stop us from doing that.

With such displays of arrogance and disregard for the law, the police stand to lose legitimacy as the bastions of public safety because it is the people of Malaysia who provide the police with that legitimacy to enforce laws.

To compound matters, lawyers were denied entrance to meet with the detainees, food and water was not provided - which are clear violations of non-negotiable human rights.

Signs are showing that police are now perfectly willing to beyond the law to cut out any pressure against the ruling elite and its agencies. The men in blue must be firmly admonished for this.

In the immediate, what the people need is to regain trust in the police force, and under the current Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar, there isn’t a cat in hell’s chance of that happening.

So, to prevent things going overboard, it is essential that the IGP is removed immediately by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, and for a person of reason to be installed as police chief. The police need to go back to the basics of policing.

Room must be allowed for a democratic discourse, without threats, if Malaysia is not run by a quasi-dictatorship.

The current IGP seems to want to instil fear in people. I am confident that Malaysians will stand together and not be cowed.

The voice of the people will triumph.


Jay Jay Denis.