KUALA LUMPUR – Police should not pick and choose cases or “turn a blind eye” to others based on their preferences, said rights group Lawyers for Liberty.
Its director, Zaid Malek, said that while the police force is entrusted with preserving and protecting the public, it has blatantly abdicated its duty by refusing to investigate Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh.
“This breaches Section 3(3) of the Police Act states that the police must maintain law and order, preserve the peace, and apprehend offenders.
“This duty is mandatory for the police. In one case, they cannot choose to enforce the law, and in another, they turn a blind eye.
“Their failure or refusal to take action in Akmal’s case will be a breach of their statutory duty under the Police Act,” he said.
His response follows Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain’s comments that no official complaints had been filed against Akmal over a social media post showing him holding a sword and therefore no investigations have been launched.
Zaid said Akmal’s sword-bearing Facebook post must be investigated for offences under Section 505(b) and (c) of the Penal Code for causing public alarm and inciting one class or community of persons against another.
“There is nothing in the law that states that the police’s investigative powers begin only upon a report being lodged,” he said, adding that it was common practice for the police themselves to lodge a police report to initiate an investigation.
“Why was the same not done in this case?” he said, adding that Akmal’s post was “inflammatory” and must be probed.
Earlier, former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim also criticised the authorities’ decision not to launch an investigation due to the absence of a police report.
He expressed his suspicion that the authorities’ decision not to initiate an investigation was influenced by the involvement of a high-ranking Umno leader. – April 4, 2024