With regards to the revelation of the video clip which shows a woman being dehumanised and degraded, I am reminded of the incident on Sept 20, 1998 which resulted in the then deputy prime minister being assaulted by the police.

If only the media had reacted then with the same headlines we are seeing today. And how many of our ministers then, who are still ministers now, expressed disgust and outrage? If only they had, we may today be seeing a better and more professional police force, mindful of the human rights of fellow humans they have sworn to serve and protect.

Instead what we have today in the police force are sadists, voyeurs and abusers of human rights.

Many would remember the reformasi supporter who complained that she was stripped naked and had to do ear squats a few years back. But most of us remained silent then. Did those in authority express utter disappointment and immediately request for a 'no cover-up' investigations into the incidents? Did they warn those perpetrators of abuse of dire consequences and that there will be no government protection for the guilty ones?

What we see today is different. The prime minister and his deputy appear to have awoken, late but that is better than never. Our present deputy IGP, who some six years ago was a major player in the Sept 20 incident, appears also to be a changed man and has promised to get to the bottom of the video clip episode.

The perpetrator of the 'Black eye for justice' must have carried out his deed in the presence of many of his fellow officers. But an internal inquiry failed to go anywhere. And it took five long months and a royal commission of inquiry to finally drag out the truth.

The nation, as a whole, appears to want to forget all those events and move on. But remember we must the events stemming from that fateful September night for it is because of the manner we responded to them that we are in the state we are today.