There is a profound loss that Malaysians have suffered as a result of the recent police video scandal, which will go beyond national shame. It is the loss of confidence in a vital service that was ostensibly created to help provide the public with a sense of security, public order and discipline.

How are we expected to function normally in our daily life with a police force that has close to zero credibility ratings?

It will now be a mammoth task for the police force to restore any semblance of faith that the public can have in its integrity. This will demand much more than hurried apologies to China and the rapping of a few low-ranking knuckles. The right heads must roll, and I think every Malaysian will be forgiven for their ongoing cynicism about the police if the wrong ones do or if nothing is seen to be done once again.

I have a few questions for all the professionals serving in the police force and those involved in legal services.

Besides the struggling Police Watch and Human Rights Committee, what have lawyers, judges and lawmakers been doing all along about abusive behavior by Malaysian policemen and women?

Why has there been ineffectual monitoring and intervention to halt the irregularities, the illegalities? Why does it have to take chance video recordings to unearth these practices? Who has been protecting the public?

Lest we forget, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the recent leader of the country for just too many years, must carry a large part of the responsibility for the present quality of corruption within the Malaysian public services.

Unfortunately, only when observers are able to get past his hypocritical tears of denial and remorse, will Malaysian historians be able to objectively examine his years in power and tell us the whole truth.