Thesun 2008-12-26 Page21 Accountability Comes At A Price

theSun

21

| FRIDAY DECEMBER 26 2008

speak up!

Accountability comes at a price by Sonia Randhawa

assumption that if they’ve been arrested, they must be guilty, at WITHIN a week earlier this least of something. So perhaps, month, two 15-year-old boys on some level, they deserve to were shot by police in Greece be treated badly. How else do we and Australia. The death of explain the indifference of our the Greek teen triggered riots, media and the general public protests and looked likely to when repeatedly confronted bring down the government. with tales of torture and abuse The death of Tyler Cassidy in police custody? in the Melbourne suburb of Maybe this is changing. Northcote looks like it will bring One of the movements that Freespace investigations, recriminations became Hindraf was a group and a search for justice by family Where young views rule of lawyers, including Hindraf and police officers alike. leader P. Uthayakumar, who It’s unlikely that they were were investigating deaths in the only 15-year-olds killed, or even killed police custody and other alleged abuses by police, during that week – but they of police power. But the deaths of boys in made the headlines. And the outrage the custody wasn’t the issue that galvanised the two deaths sparked is important. It shows, community or the nation. paradoxically, a form of maturity in these I attended one session of the inquest of societies – that cops killing young boys is one of the boys who died in police custody. not tolerated, is considered outrageous, that The only question of relevance was it is unacceptable. whether the man, 21 years old, was sickly In Australia, there are investigations when he was taken into police custody, as into whether the boy was trying to provoke the police were maintaining that he had his own death – but there seems to be died due to ill health. His family maintained little suggestion that this would remove he died because of ill treatment. But blame from the police. The police exist to questions that were raised included his past protect suicidal young men, not to assist – whether he had a good record at school, them. A scared witness, who had hid from whether he had criminal convictions and the knife-wielding youngster, has said the whether, basically, he was a good boy or police action was excessive – despite her not. This is irrelevant. In law, hanging out fears for her own safety. with the wrong crowd doesn’t condemn I wonder what would happen in you to the death penalty. Having been Malaysia. Deaths in custody of suspects caught for a snatch theft doesn’t condemn occur with little media or public attention, you to the death penalty. Even repeated forget outrage. And a death in custody offences aren’t a reason for the death should raise far more concern than a penalty. Whether the boy was a “good boy” death out on the streets – the suspect or a “bad boy” was irrelevant. is under police control, in police hands And even if he was ... even if he was in and generally less able to cause a lifeprison for suspected murder, it would still threatening situation. At least not if the be no reason, excuse or justification for a police are doing their job properly. suspicious death in custody. Because we Why is it that we don’t seem to care? Is have the courts, we have lawyers, there is it that we don’t value our young? Or do we such a thing as due process. have some belief in the infallibility of the So, while I’m appalled at the deaths, police force? Judging by our laws, it would on opposite sides of the world, in widely seem to be the latter – we believe that the differing circumstances, with widely police are incapable of error. differing results, of two 15-year-old boys Examples of legislation that assume this at the hands of the police, I am heartened abound. Most obvious are provisions in the by the vigilance of the communities in Internal Security Act and the Dangerous trying to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Drugs Act that empower the police to take And hope that in the near future, we will away a person’s most precious possession demand as high a level of accountability – liberty, with few checks. And the checks from our police officers. that exist come into play only after an arrest has taken place. This could be either cause or Sonia thinks liberty and equality are the consequence of our attitude to the treatment only real guarantors of security. Comments: of people in custody. There seems to be an [email protected]

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Allow youth to mingle THE Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) Penang is greatly disturbed by the recent position taken in relation to the I-Dance street dancing competition in Penang. State PAS Youth chief Mohamed Hafiz Mohd Nordin has been quoted as saying that “elements like shuffle dancing ... can lead to social ills amongst youngsters.” The response by the state government, as conveyed by the state youth and sport committee chairman Lydia Ong Kok Fooi has been to impose the condition that Muslim male and female participants are not allowed

to mingle with each other during the competition. It is sad and ironic that an activity such as street dancing, which has tremendous capacity to unite young people from diverse backgrounds and encourage interaction which can only enhance multiracial and multicultural unity should now be demonised as a potential source of social ill. What is also disconcerting is the state government’s decision to segregate participants on the grounds of gender and religion. This move is an apparent compromise in relation to PAS’s earlier

demands that no Muslim participant be allowed in the competition. In a multicultural society, the characteristics of diversity must be promoted and valued as the strength of the society. The I-Dance is a healthy competition for youths of all races. On the basis of equality for all races, WCC calls for integration and not segregation. We cannot afford to segregate the youths based on gender as we move towards developing a human capital with first class mentality. Women’s Centre for Change Penang