AS ANGER proliferated over how pathetic a disabled Grab driver who was allegedly assaulted by the police escort of a royalty was coerced into a RM800 settlement to withdraw his police report, it is noteworthy to know that there could be at least five ministries/ministers who could have overseen the driver’s welfare.
They are (in no particular order):
- Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail who is in-charge of the police force;
- Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (welfare of the disabled);
- Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong (occupational hazards);
- Law and Institutional Reform Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Said (tabling/amendments of law); and
- Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook (e-hailing industry is under purview of the Transport Ministry).
At the time of writing, however, none of the five ministers/ministers has come forward to express their opinion on the matter despite the social media mill is ‘over-trending’ on the fate of the victim Ong Ing Keong, 46.
At this juncture at least, one would expect the most powerful person in a democracy who is none other than Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to swiftly come forward to stand up for the deaf-mute victim or at least state the government’s stance given the incident is already four-day old as of today (it happened on the late evening of May 28).
While infuriated netizens are expressing disgust over the incident, the Malaysian Deaf Advocacy and Well-being Organisation (DAWN) and Lawyers for Liberty’s (LFL) had held a media conference at the latter’s office in Petaling Jaya yesterday (May 31) where Ong was able to relate the entire ordeal which occurred on Tuesday night (May 28) when he was picking up passengers at the lobby of the St Regis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
The media conference was chaired by LFL adviser Latheefa who later said that lawyer N. Surendran and LFL director Zaid Malek will be representing the Ong in his case.
In the meantime, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said Bukit Aman will summon all officers involved in investigating the case of a disabled man allegedly assaulted by a police security escort.
He said all those involved in the earlier investigation will have their statements recorded.
“The priority of every probe is to ensure the perpetrator is held accountable for their actions,” Razarudin pointed out in a statement. “Strict action without compromise will be taken against any officers found guilty,”
Separately, Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has urged the authorities to investigate thoroughly the incident where a police officer escort is alleged to have committed a harmful act.
“I do not condone any illegal action or intimidation,” he penned in a Facebook post. “I hope the authorities will take action in accordance with the law and give the victim justice.”
On a similar note, Tunku Ismail also called on all quarters to allow the authorities to carry out the investigation as there has been attempts to drag the royal institution into the alleged assault.
“I’m also aware that there is a movement to drag the royal institution by using this incident to link the actions of an external security personnel with myself and the entire royal institution which is uncalled for,” he added.
To sum up, it somehow makes valid sense for PMX to perhaps state the government’s stance on the matter without further delay for his detractors are already seizing the moment to undermine the Madani government with the below self-explanatory social media posts.
We need Mahathir again. Lanun melampau dah ni. https://t.co/rlbUqpEaWD
— Akmal95K (@K95Akmal) May 30, 2024
Or this: – June 1, 2024
Main image credit: Lawyers for Liberty Facebook
