Give the police a break
It would seem that in this country, if you want to draw public attention to the “seriousness” of the matter in question, then many police reports are lodged – either that or a public figures gets involved, forcing the police to investigate the matter regardless of its merit.
Zaid Ibrahim, TMI
There are many things in Malaysia that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the world.
Besides the famous “No contest for No 1 and No2” dance in Umno, the other equally well-known but no less absurd phenomenon is the lodging of police reports by members of the public who are not even remotely connected to the matter in question.
When Karpal Singh said something about the constitutional powers of the Sultan of Perak, droves of Umno-related groups lodged several hundred police reports. Karpal is now on trial for sedition.
Every time someone does not agree with something that has taken place in the public sphere, he or she lodges a police report, whether it’s about dog washing, beauty contests or even a surau not being properly constructed or used.
It would seem that in this country, if you want to draw public attention to the “seriousness” of the matter in question, then many police reports are lodged – either that or a public figures gets involved, forcing the police to investigate the matter regardless of its merit.
The latest incident by Umno Youth prompted the involvement of no less a person than Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin himself.
When a DAP leader from Sarawak said something against the Barisan Nasional government, not only was a police report lodged but the minister declared that what had been uttered was seditious in the extreme. I call this the Lodging of Reports, Malaysia-style.
This is not, however, a funny matter. It has become ridiculous and needs to stop. It’s true that for the police to act or investigate any criminal matter, there must first be what is known as the First information Report.
This is true of other Commonwealth countries too. The difference is that in these countries, people do not rush to lodge police reports about matters that are already in the public domain or have been widely reported in the media. People are assured that if it constitutes a criminal act, then the police will act accordingly.
After all, the police on their own volition can commence the investigation if there appears to be a violation of the law. They do not need anyone to lodge a report since they can initiate the preparation of the first report themselves.
Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/zaid-ibrahim/article/give-the-police-a-break
