‘Irrespective of whatever information or feelings they may have, they should not have arrested Anwar before the deadline. Now, who will ever trust them in the future?’
On Cops rapped over 'incredible' excuse
Little Scorpion: It goes to show that the police force does not honour their word.
If the 2pm deadline has already been agreed upon (and Anwar's lawyer informed the police force an hour before the deadline that they will be arriving), then the police force should not arrest Anwar before the deadline but only after if he fails to arrive.
Irrespective of whatever information or feelings they may have, the police force should honour their word, otherwise who will ever trust them in the future?
This incident terrifies all Malaysians as to whether we can truly believe any statements made by the police force.
I guess all Malaysians already have some degree of mistrust after the ‘black eye’ incident, and this recent incident only adds and confirms their previous mistrust. The police force is an authority - how can they behave like this?
Stanley Tai: Perhaps this is what the Australia prime minister referred to as a 'vibrant democracy'!
Benameye: What's the perspective here? A crime had been reported against someone and the police subsequently issued a summons to the accused. This would have been to assist in the investigations that had commenced.
What Anwar did was to directly defy that order. By that, he had preempted any validity of his assurances that he will turn up by the 2 pm deadline on Wednesday. The police will now have to rely on their own experiences and instincts on the next action, all within the law.
The police then stated categorically that Anwar will have to meet the next deadline they had set. This deadline was just as much for the police themselves as it was for Anwar. On Wednesday, the likelihood that Anwar will miss his deadline was increasing by the hour and then the minute.
With just about an hour left, the police had been put in an untenable position. It is simply not good enough to appear after the deadline has passed because that will still be another defiance.
All that heavy police presence was to prevent Anwar from entering his house. Once there he could hole himself up, and issue statements through his lawyers.
If that did happen, the deadline would definitely have been missed. Subsequent police action would have been heavy-handed for the UTK guys would have stormed the house and ensured that Anwar is brought out, in a stretcher or handcuffs if necessary.
There could even be more injuries to other occupants in the house. Such high collateral damage can only be acceptable in a police state and that's how the rest of the world have viewed Malaysia.
In this instance, Anwar:0 Police: 1
Shiek Yerbootay: Maybe the cops have run out of patience? After all, when the word was released that a report was filed by his former aide, Anwar fled to the Turkish embassy saying his life was in danger.
But if his life was in such 'mortal' danger, wouldn't his family be as just an easy a target? Why didn't he bring them along? Or is he only concerned for his own safety?
Was he fearing for his life or trying to buy time to figure out the next move?
Then on the day he said he would come for the questioning he refused saying that the cops were rude to his staff and family (where’s the proof?).
Then on the next day, instead of heading straight to the police station he goes home (we remember the last time when they had to storm his house because he barricaded himself inside).
Ask yourself, if this was any other person accused of a crime and they refused to come in for questioning saying you were rude and ran to an embassy to hide, would you as a policeman have patience for any more nonsense?
Givemelilberty: This is outrageous! First, the so-called deadline had not expired. The action of arrest should only be taken after the deadline.
Second, and much more serious, Malaysia is now the laughing stock of the world. The alleged offence of sodomy does not warrant a group of twenty balaclava-clad commandos (UTK) in fifteen vehicles to accost DSAI.
What ludicrous criterion did the PDRM use? If this is the strength needed to arrest someone on a sodomy charge, does this mean that for:
Murder: one hundred commandos in fifty vehicles;
Armed robbery: eighty commandos in forty vehicles;
Rape: fifty commandos in thirty-five vehicles; and
Shoplifting: four commandos in two vehicles?
What nonsense! The CID director, IGP, home minister, and, of course, the prime minister should all resign. This is so disgraceful!
Pure Sabahan: There was a judgment reported in the Malayan Law Journal in the 1980s.
A high court judge rebuked a magistrate for issuing a warrant of arrest against Karpal Singh for failure to present himself to the police station to have his statement recorded because of his involvement in a public demonstration to save Bukit Cina in Malacca from being bulldozed to the ground.
The high court judge revoked the warrant of arrest and ruled that if Karpal Singh could not go the police station, then the police should go to his office to record his statement.
Only when neither alternative could not be achieved could the police complain to a magistrate, who should then issue a summon to Karpal Singh. Only when a summons is not obeyed, can a warrant of arrest be issued.
It was also implied in the first few paragraphs of the judgment that the then attorney-general did not understand this basic law at all.
My views on the arrest of Anwar Ibrahim are as follows:
1. The police did not understand any law at all;
2. The magistrate that issued the warrant of arrest did not read the law either;
3. The police did not honour any gentlemen's agreement;
4. The police team that executed the illegal and defective warrant of arrest looked more like terrorists than law enforcement agents;
5. The present attorney-general, like the previous one, did not properly advise the police in this episode.
What is left to be discovered now is who in the contaminated judiciary will be honourable enough to uphold the law this time?
D Chin: Our home minister, his deputy and the CID chief are one sad triumvirate. When will the government ever learn that this kind of intimidating conduct (especially by our law enforcement agencies) will not endear them to the populace, even Umno supporters?
Why do these eminent personalities even try and justify what can only be perceived as severe poor judgment and bad faith? If a person has an appointment at 2pm, does it matter where he is or where he goes so long as he duly presents himself at the appointed time and place?
Anyway, so what if Anwar was 15 minutes or even half-an-hour late. There is no need for the commando-type style of arresting him. Keep that for Hollywood or Bollywood. For goodness sake, Anwar is not an absconding terrorist suspect or a gangster.
He was our DPM and is now the de facto opposition leader. Treat him with some decorum and respect and you won't find hundreds of his supporters brandishing flags and shouting reformasi outside the police HQ.
I am sure when the police took Najib or Rosmah's statement on the Altantuya case, the investigating officer probably accorded them the respect of visiting them at their home or office.
The foreign news services and human rights organisations are watching Malaysia. Don't feed them more grist for the mill.
JKS: Syed Hamid said ‘There is no conspiracy as Anwar likes to point out.’ What does Syed Hamid know?
This is the same clueless minister who cannot tell whether Hindraf chairperson's passport was revoked until he sneakily admitted recently that immigration department had indeed been instructed to revoke the passport (only not to carry out the revoke order, really?)
He is the minister with the ‘intelligence’ to execute a Monday-morning traffic jam to stop a non-existent protest. This is the minister who apparently dreamed up the non-existent three-party meeting to plan the protest.
Syed Hamid cannot be that dense. He is likely being misled by a rogue but powerful force within his ministry with extremely prejudicial thinking, or with a plot to humiliate the minister in the public. Either way, Syed Hamid needs to clean out his house.
J Koay: The recent turmoil to the political scene in Malaysia is indeed being watched by the whole world. Let us not forget that the world knows the plan, motive and the expected conclusion to the present political scene.
Is Anwar a threat to Malaysia or is our ruling government afraid of the eventual truth? One minute we read of something in the media, and the next minute something happens opposite to that.
The law enforcement agencies must discharge their duties without fear or favour in order to gain the trust of the rakyat .
KL Dude: The most ironical thing is that those in BN can coolly say that the arrest of Anwar was not politically motivated and the police are carrying out their duties in accordance with the law. What law do they mean? Jungle law?
Here the person making the report, which is Saiful, is not even being detained at all for allowing himself to be sodomised, a reverse to what had happened in1998 to Sukma and Munawar.
Here, the person making the police report, which is Saiful is protected and action is being taken against the alleged person in the report.
Why such obvious blatant double standards? And the best part is they expect the rakyat to swallow all this and believe whatever they say in the mainstream media.
Concerned Malaysian: I totally agree that it is time now for Malaysians to speak out against the authoritarian role played by the BN and the ‘mafia- type role played by the police.
Anwar is being treated like a world renowned terrorist while there are loads of unsolved criminal cases. What is the meaning of all this?
When are they (PDRM) going to draw the line between serving the public and serving BN? It is not fair that we have to be a BN supporter to get the immediate attention and service of the PDRM.
Let us as Malaysians start a peaceful campaign of show our loss of confidence in the PDRM by having a petition calling for PDRM to get themselves out of politics and start building confidence by honestly serving the people.
Let us gather a million or more signatures to show the government that we - as Malaysians - demand and expect a unbiased and fair police.
Dominic Henry Chin: Anwar is suspected of having anal sex, therefore he is the accused and now being treated like the guilty suspect.
Saiful reported the matter and therefore admitted to having anal sex, and that has been allegedly confirmed by a medical examination done at HKL.
Why is he then the victim, when in fact he has already been proven as the guilty party engaging in anal sex?
Muthusamy Alagan: The arresting of Anwar before the given time shows that the Malaysian police force is not matured enough compared to that of the small neighbouring country.
This is what will happen if the police force is acting on civilian advice. Poor police. Shame on you.
Jude Manickam: For all their denials, the police have just proved that this is not just another normal investigation.
The lightning speed with which they moved and they way they used the Special Squad to force
Anwar to the police station all smacks of a bigger conspiracy - a repeat of the 1998 fiasco.
No matter how much Najib and Musa Hassan continue denying, the people have seen and understand what is happening. They, however, are still in denial mode, as they forever will be.
It's time for all Malaysians to come out and support Truth, Justice and Freedom.
And get rid of the useless. Save Malaysia. Now.
Dr Su: I am totally blown away by the Malaysian police and the ruling party politicians. They make me ashamed to be Malaysian because they make us the laughing stock of South East Asia.
Why is this ridiculous circus happening? Balaclava masks? Fifteen patrol cars? What arrest protocol are they following? Why the 'special' treatment?
Richard: Why do they need so many police personnel to arrest only one person, and to the extent of wearing balaclava? It is downright despicable of the police to treat DSAI, like he was a big and notorious terrorist.
Very Sad Malaysian: All Malaysians are deeply saddened and angered by Anwar's arrest. I suggest we tell our leaders in power how we feel by honking all our cars in the street for five minutes at midnight the day next time Anwar is arrested again.
The BN government needs to know that they will not get away with this when we go to the polls again in four or five years’ time.
Michael Sun: Just like many Malaysians, I am also appalled by the high-handedness of the government and the police. The CID chief is right by saying they are following procedures and they have power to do it.
Sad to say, the powers-that-be do not understand that power must be exercised judiciously. In this case, Anwar was supposed to meet the police at 2pm, but he was arrested one hour earlier. This is indeed mala fide .
Secondly, the blatant show of force is utterly unnecessary. There are many sodomy cases reported to the police, and if the police showed the same amount of zeal and dedication, more crimes would have been solved.
The very fact that Anwar has lodged a police report against the IGP and AG itself would ‘create a conflict of interests’ of the parties involved. To Joe Public, this is nothing more than a vendetta.
Thirdly, we have all wondered why the UK police chief is called ‘commissioner’ and an IGP. It is because a commissioner reports to the Queen while the an IGP report to the PM. Here lies the danger of abuse of power by the PM.
Fourthly, the BN federal government have shot themselves in the foot in the court of public opinion with both the heavy police roadblocks last Monday at Parliament and now this.
CH Siew: I think it is ridiculous. Do they need fifteen police cars and special task force men just to arrest one sixty-year-old man with a bad back? Sounds like overkill to me.
A tourist watching the whole operation would not be blamed if he got the impression that the police were going to arrest a highly dangerous and armed wanted criminal.
Now they want to charge him with sodomy. It is incredible that an old man would be able to single-handedly sodomise a strapping young man not just once, but over a period of time. It begs disbelief.
And why did Saiful not complain earlier, only now when Anwar is claiming that he can form a new government by mid-September?
Besides, I think the demeanour of Saiful does not look like someone who have been sexually abused, but like someone who is very confident and heroic because he is able to floor Anwar with his accusations.
I think everybody is very eager and keen to know what his reasons are and who is behind him in bringing Anwar down with his accusations. Anyway, I do not care about Anwar's sexual inclinations, whatever it may be, as I firmly believe that it is his own personal matter, and is between him and his family.
So long as Anwar is able to come to power; is able to rule firmly, fairly and in a transparent manner in order to rid the country of corrupted officials who are only interested in lining their own pockets; and practice meritocracy so that every citizen will be accepted and treated according to their own merit, regardless of racial origin and personal connections, I will gladly accept him as the next PM of Malaysia
Farmer Kumar: Why fifteen petrol cars for a single man without a fire arm? It’s a clear picture that if you are against the government, you will be in a mess.
Is anybody daring enough to challenge the government? That is the old proverb. That's the message they want to send to the nation.
In today's world, the nation and people are well-informed by technology. People are aware and strong, and dare to ask questions concerning the government. Today’s proverb: ‘Is the government daring enough to challenge the people?’
In last Tuesday’s debate, Anwar Ibrahim pointed out the fuel prices of nation and the poor management of the country's economy.
Today the government proved to the nation that management of the country and the economy is poor with the simple example of sending fifteen patrol cars and the police force for a single unarmed man.
Lilian Tan: The unnecessary show of force sent to arrest DSAI is truly laughable.
By dispatching fifteen police cars, were the police trying to make us believe that a sixty-year-old man with a bad back might be strong enough to resist a ‘normal’ arrest?
Or could it be that the police were afraid, very afraid?
Perhaps they are afraid because they know that there is no basis for the arrest and the public knows this, hence they needed to put on a big show of bravado to quell their fears and intimidate the public.
If this is the case, the disproportionate number of police cars for this one arrest only serves to confirm to Malaysia and the world the enormous threat that Anwar Ibrahim poses to the police and the tottering government of this country.
So never mind what the prime minister or any member of his cabinet has said about their non- involvement in Anwar's arrest and that everything being business as usual – their ‘irrational’ action tells us otherwise.
Kanagaretnam Ganesh: If I were the police I would have covered my face too. Who wouldn’t be ashamed at what they did to one man?
I would like to know what further investigations took place from the time he was brought back from HKL until the time of his release. Ten to one nothing, he was kept to show. ‘See what we can do?’.
Upset: Unless our law enforcement agencies stay neutral in the current political situation, they will lose the confidence of the public in their efforts to carry out their duties.
The overzealousness in putting up roadblocks in all over the city on the flimsy excuses of national security and the arrest of Anwar even before he violated his promise to turn up at the police headquarters for questioning only confirm the public opinion that the police are nothing more than lackeys of the government.
In the court of public opinion, they seem in a hurry to arrest and prosecute anyone who is identified as a part of the opposition, or anyone who is a whistle-blower against the wrong-doings of high officials in the government.
Abdullah Badawi's effort to portray himself as stepping up his efforts to fight corruption and reforming the judiciary is nothing more than lip service to the nation. Yes, they detained some immigration bigwigs to show they were serious. Big deal.
Catch us some big Umno fish and we will believe. After all, if he is really serious in his efforts to fight corruption, I believe our jail would be full of Barisan Nasional politicians.
It doesn't really matter now what they can come up with to prove that Anwar is guilty of the charges they are throwing at him, because in the court of public opinion, their case is already lost.
Perhaps the BN government thinks that five years from now we will all forget this episode and give them our votes, but I for one will vote in a tree if I have to, so long as it is not for Barisan Nasional.
Alan Sham: I believe that most Malaysian people while agree that no one is above the law, but the way the authorities handled Anwar’s arrest was unwarranted and they have over reacted. There is no need to send in fifteen cars loaded of commandos in full masks to do such an arrest.
This will only give the wrong idea that Anwar is more threatening than a terrorist. While the US and Japan should not be involved, this highhanded way of doing things has just shown that the authorities apply different standards for those who rule and those who are ruled.
Meng Chai: The government may not realise that in the recent display of high anded tactics, they are in fact losing the rakyat 's confidence. They are digging their own graves, and this short- sightedness will haunt them in the next election.
The PM has two years, and in this critical situation, no words from his mouth to ease the situation. Why do we need him then? All the goonies are talking while he plays the Goodie Two Shoes Man and letting them be the scapegoats.
He should be in the debate with Anwar instead of Shabery. They choose a junior minister to debate with an ex-DPM? He the PM is running away from his responsibilities.
Why no investigation on the UN Food-for-Oil scandal? Why no actions to the SD from RPK?
We will not get the answers, for we already know the answers.
Berang Giler: The manner in which the order was brought earlier to DSAI’s daughters was most despicable.
Were the police and the special branch force so uninformed that they were not aware that DSAI and his wife were not at home? Or were they trying to build up a case against DSAI to justify evil actions that they are planning to carry out against him?
This new arrest episode is the world’s biggest joke of the year. The Malaysian police had to galvanise fifteen police cars and a team of masked men, dangerously armed, to arrest an unarmed, sixty-one-year-old man.
I wonder how foreigners are looking at us now. If I were overseas, I would probably be too embarrassed and pretend that I am a not Malaysian. This whole episode is utterly shameful, and this is not the first time.
If Pak Lah still has honour and wants to save whatever good that remains of the BN government, he should take immediate actions to sack Musa Hassan and the commanding officer who was responsible for organising the entire funfair.
This beloved country is not sliding towards an authoritarian government. It appears that we might already be living in an authoritarian police state.
An Unhappy Citizen: The chain of events happening now is enough to smear Anwar's credibility.
BN (aka Umno) is getting desperate and trying everything to remain in power. Look at headlines of the MSM newspapers: ‘Anwar arrested’ on their front pages.
If Anwar had voluntarily went to police station, then today there would be no news. The police acted professionally, the CID chief claimed. I'd rather say let the people be the judge of that.
And when a person is being forcefully taken, anything can happen. It is highly possible that DNA samples or other samples could be forcefully taken from Anwar and later used as evidence against him. I don't think you can rule out this possibility.
And how in the world does Khairy know about the DNA samples? Is it by coincidence? All of this sounds very fishy. How can we be convinced the government is not behind this? I'm kind of surprised that our prime minister is keeping mum on all these events.
It's sad that current government is not focussed on solving the current problems at hand, but using all of its resources to suppress Anwar Ibrahim.
John Tan: Putting aside the events or reasons for the arrest of DSAI, what is most appalling is the manner in which the arrest was made.
Cloudie: The letter from the police clearly stated that DSAI was to report to police headquarters by 2pm. The police could have kept DSAI under surveillance and have him arrested after 2pm if he did not turn up.
Moreover, why did they need fifteen patrol cars to escort him? DSAI is just an opposition leader, the police acted like they were striking at a gang of heavily armed robbers.
As far as I’m concerned, the police have been acting badly, and the chief police who gave these instructions is clearly unprofessional. No wonder our country’s crime rate is getting higher and higher.
Joe Chong: It is a very common thing for PDRM to take immediate action on those who are standing in BN's path, as they are the Malaysian-controlling body. However, the manner of execution of the action was not appropriate.
Let justice prevail, rather than be too enthusiastic to act before a given time. Law enforcers must lead by example, rather than saying one thing and doing another.
They should give due respect to every human in the world, without exception. Respect and be respected. No amount of good will come without it.
Before executing an arrest, view the victim as your brother, not your enemy, and then act according to law. Let no hatred stand in the way when making a professional arrest. Let the Almighty be the judge, not humans.
G-man: I guess once again the 'efficiency' of the Royal Malaysian Police was clear for all to see when fifteen vehicles and armed officers were sent to apprehend a sixty-year-old man with a bad back.
And the reason given was they were made to 'believe' that he would not make his 2pm appointment with the police. I wish the same gusto and drive is shown in reducing the already spiralling crime rate.
Anyway all of these actions have done nothing but reinforce the sheer incompetence of our police force and how biassed they can be. ‘Serving the people’ they say - more like serving themselves and their political masters.
The government also fails to realise how all of this makes them look in the eyes of the rakyat. If they don't see this now, I doubt they ever will.
