THE family of Raymond Koh are now the real victims of another kind of abuse. The abduction of Pastor Koh by unknown individuals was conducted with almost police-type execution standards and with very government-like vehicles and the police claim they know nothing about it.

The Suhakam inquiry therefore was most welcome relief for the family, their concerned community members, and all lawyers (including Bar Council holding watching brief) concerned with this case. The information gathered by the public was more than revealing about police inefficiency and ineffectiveness.

The Inquiry was conducted with much professionalism and was, to me, the best court-type case I have ever attended; which left little room for cheating, stealing, and lying by one public authority.

Of course, it did help that the Chair was an experienced lawyer himself and an ex-President of the Bar Council and a Suhakam Commissioner.

Therefore, when the Inspector General of the Royal Malaysian Police “deployed” one section of the MACC law to stop this inquiry, everyone immediately took note.

The James Comey Case

Maybe, like Donald Trump, we want to make Malaysian great again. The Washington Post reported this story below by Devlin Barrett, Adam Entous and Philip Rucker on May 10, 2017:

President Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey on Tuesday, at the recommendation of senior Justice Department officials who said he had treated Hillary Clinton unfairly and in doing so damaged the credibility of the FBI and the Justice Department.

The startling development comes as Comey was leading a counterintelligence investigation to determine whether associates of Trump may have coordinated with Russia to interfere with the US presidential election last year. It wasn’t immediately clear how Comey’s ouster will affect the Russia probe, but Democrats said they were concerned that his ouster could derail the investigation.

The James Comey case-incident may appear to now have been repeated in Malaysia; with a public servant IGP applying his full and legal rights to prevent the continuing glare of publicity which made the Royal Malaysian Police look very sloppy and irresponsible.

Therefore the IGP instructing the Suhakam Public Inquiry to halt using Section 12 of the Act because they have charged a possible abductor does not explain what the Malaysian public want to know about the whereabouts of Pastor Raymond and some others who are still missing.

The primary victims of Pastor Raymond Koh’s disappearance remain the Koh family, especially the wife and children, and all members of their community of friends and relatives. I, too, am one of them. When the police use legal authority to stop the inquiry, they must give all of us alternative answers we are looking for.

I had made a formal report against the “quality and methodology of police investigation,” especially because they appeared less than thorough and failed by most standards of police investigation premised upon today’s forensic science capabilities.

Suhakam has agreed to comply, because of the law, but the rest of us demand public accountability and full responsibility.

My serious question to the IGP, related to the Comey-like action by the police; are you now creating a new kind of police abuse of Pastor Raymond’s family, and his community? As their lawyer Gurdial Singh stated, just when the hearing was reaching the most critical phase, the case and hearing is stopped.

As the family has said, the kidnap theory was dismissed early on in the case, and therefore, to develop that theory of abduction, it is now passé.

All public servants are accountable and responsible to the citizenry who voted the government of the day into power. Therefore, we cannot accept the IGP’s decision but instead demand that the police now answer the case for all missing persons. – January 29, 2018.

* KJ John worked in public service for 32 years, retired, and started a civil group for which he is chairman of the board. He writes to inform and educate, arguing for integration with integrity in Malaysia. He believes such a transformation has to start with the mind before it sinks into the heart!

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.