Police, cabinet refuse to act despite federal rapes report

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On Sep 26, 2009

(Malaysian Mirror) KUCHING – Amid refusals by the Sarawak police to take further action against the rapists, opposition leaders led by Padungan assemblyman Dominique Ng have slammed the state cabinet, demanding Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu's resignation for denying and ignoring a federal government report that confirmed Penan women including schoolgirls had been raped by timbermen in 2008.

“Jabu who is the minister responsible of Penan affairs should resign from all his posts to take full responsibility for the whole debacle which has now brought tremendous shame to the people of Sarawak,” said Ng, whose PKR party has relentless pushed for justice for the affected women.

“The whole cabinet should tender an apology to the Penan people of Sarawak.”

According to Ng, the state government must immediately release the long overdue report in its entirety for the Sarawak people to see and read for themselves. It must protect its people and not the powerful logging firms, whose crew were the culprits.

“ It must give a just account to all the people of Sarawak and Malaysia. Police and court action must immediately proceed to return justice to the victims and their families,” Ng added.

Growing lack of confidence in the state institutions

Already, the lack of confidence in the police and the state institutions tol do justice by the people instead of always kow-towing to the Sarawak cabinet was spreading and the people have become disenchanted.

“The persecution and the sorry plight of the indigenous people of Sarawak occur repeatedly and this is a situation that cannot be tolerated by all decent Malaysians,” Ng said.

“State cabinet ministers concerned should be ashamed of their futile attempts to camouflage the commission of such insidious crimes against our own Sarawak people. The international reputation of our beloved nation and state has been severely compromised.”