Close to a week has passed since the sudden arrest of cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, widely known as Zunar, and yet Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is saying very little.

The minister averted questioning from journalists and said instead that the police force has always been fair and professional.

"I'm just saying that there are so many cases with different facts. We don't want to make comments if they are under investigation," he said when asked about the relative speed of police action as compared with other incidents of alleged racism.

Zunar was arrested just hours before he was scheduled to launch his latest comic book, Cartoon-O-Phobia on Sep 24.

He was released a little more than 24 hours later, but not before being transported to seven police stations around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. His publisher, Kinibooks - the publishing arm of Malaysiakini - was also searched by the police.

hishammuddin hussein 160310 pc at parliament Hishammuddin ( left ) had previously said that Zunar was arrested because he had supposedly mocked the judiciary, religion as well as the issue regarding the term 'Allah'.

"With Zunar, someone else will then ask about (rap artist) Namewee or (murdered cosmetics entrepreneur) Sosilawati or the school heads (who had allegedly hurled racial slurs at their non-Malay students).

"All the people involved are from all races. I hope that all those concerned will do their investigation, fairly, professionally, quickly and efficiently. That's all we ask," Hishammuddin said.

'Police do not discriminate'

Speaking to reporters at the police and home ministry's joint Hari Raya open house at the Police Training Centre in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, he said the police did not practice racial discrimination with "high-profile cases".

"Now, we are investigating a lot of high profile cases, like Sosilawati, Namewee and the schoolteachers... in these cases, the suspects are from various races.

"There is no issue of racial profiling or targeting," he said.

Hishammuddin also promised harsh action against the policemen who had allegedly stolen drugs in police possession after the country's biggest syabu bust last year.

"We agree with the Bar Council, to see if we can prosecute them under the Penal Code... this can tarnish police integrity and image. We cannot let it continue.

"Although it's something we have to do to take action against our own police officers, it is important because we want the public to not just trust the police, but also to see that the rotten apples are severely dealt with," he said.

The 10 policemen, including an officer, are being investigated for dishonesty and inefficiency after a shocking revelation during a recent court hearing that 40kg of drugs had gone missing .

The High Court in Kuantan on Wednesday acquitted lorry driver Lee Yong Toe, 48, on a charge of trafficking in 700kg of methamphetamine in Rompin on May 2 last year.

The policemen's salaries and promotions have been suspended pending investigation, raising an uproar that they were being let off with a mere slap on the wrist.