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  • 21 August 2024

Boundless Horizons: Lee Sok Wah: Corruption and Human Rights

The peace of a society requires the protection of law enforcement officers, and our police force plays this sacred role. Proper use of enforcement powers brings benefits to the people; otherwise, it brings suffering. Bad people disrupt social peace, and the police need the power to arrest them so they can face legal consequences and restore social order.

Similarly, police arrest powers must be used appropriately and not abused to prevent the violation of innocent people’s basic human rights and keep a democratic society from falling into the abyss of darkness. Article 5(4) of our Federal Constitution states that people have the right to liberty, and Article 28 of the Criminal Procedure Code stipulates that the police cannot detain suspects for more than a reasonable time. Article 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code further stipulates that the police must complete their investigation within 24 hours of arresting a suspect; otherwise, they must apply to a magistrate for a remand order, which must be backed by sufficient reasons rather than just requesting time for a thorough investigation.

Strictly speaking, the law requires the police to have sufficient reasons to arrest a suspect before arresting them, not arrest them first and then slowly investigate. Unfortunately, it is not difficult to find that there are some bad elements in our police force who abuse their arrest powers for personal gain. These corrupt officers are bribed to throw innocent people into detention, and anyone familiar with our police detention centers knows how harsh the conditions are—the filthy environment and inhumane treatment are unbearable for the average person, which gives these bad cops more opportunities to do as they please.

Anti-Corruption Efforts Reduced to Empty Talk

Detained suspects, for various reasons, resort to bribing corrupt officers to escape the hellish conditions of detention centers, and there are frequent incidents of individuals dying from torture in detention centers. Honestly, for the peace of society, we support the police having the power to detain suspects. However, we absolutely do not allow police abuse of power, and all detainees must be truly suspected of involvement in criminal cases, not detained because corrupt officers accepted bribes to use detention methods to torture innocent people.

I have received complaints from clients about being innocently detained by corrupt officers, including:

  1. Individuals who have quit their drug addiction being targeted as cash cows by corrupt officers, who demand money at any time and arrest them if they refuse, framing them with drug possession charges.
  2. Corrupt officers sending motorcycles involved in road accidents to repair shops and demanding bribes from the shop owners, threatening to detain them on charges of possessing stolen goods if they refuse.
  3. Business partners using corrupt officers to detain businessmen with whom they have commercial disputes to intimidate them.
  4. Corrupt officers intimidating bed-and-breakfast operators by claiming their customers are allowed to take drugs on the premises and then extorting bribes from the operators to resolve the issue.

The abuse of detention procedures by corrupt officers to torment innocent people is an open secret, but the government has yet to implement effective policies to address this long-standing issue. Tackling corrupt officers is best handled by an independent investigation committee, but no national leader dares to offend the police force, leading to worsening corruption and abuse, rendering anti-corruption efforts nothing but empty talk.

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