YOURSAY 'Let's see if IGP Khalid Abu Bakar, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PM Najib will heed Waytha's urging.'

Waytha wants police quartet suspended

your say Cala: First, bravo Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia (Hindraf) chairperson P Waythamoorthy. After taking a hiatus, Waythamoorthy wakes up from his slumber and responds to a barrage of calls by demanding that the four suspects to N Dharmendran's death be suspended with immediate effect, pending further investigation.

I beg to differ from the viewpoint of Stop State Violence Movement on the plausible root cause of Indian custodial deaths. To me, if one were to study sociology, the root cause can be explained through Allport's (1958, cited in Kendall, 2011, p.320) theory of contact.

Until and unless state-sanctioned discriminatory policies are removed, and poor Indians are given better treatment in terms of housing, education, employment in every sector, health, etc, no improvement can be envisaged.

When a police officer is made to face an Indian suspect whom he has little understanding, how can there be respect?

IQ900: The police should stop beating and torturing police detainees. Beating and torturing are against the law, and the police are the protector of the law. So any police officer who has committed these crimes should be punished by a jail sentence and the rotan.

Any death caused should be punished by the mandatory death sentence because the detainee was defenceless - it is murder of the first degree.

Not Confused: Sorry Waythamoorthy, it's too little, far too late. This death in custody was some time ago and only now do you feel it necessary to open your mouth. You have absolutely zero credibility.

Ferdtan: Waythamoorthy, your call, though a bit late, is still a good call. We have been calling for the authorities to take swift action like the four police officers should be suspended and held in remand until investigations were completed, instead of merely being assigned to desk duties.

However, the task of a deputy minister like you, whose earliest cause was to fight for Indian minority rights, does not end there.

We shall wait to see whether his advice or ‘rebuke' of the police action has been taken seriously. We want to see whether he is what he projected himself to be or he is just a lame duck in the cabinet.

Waythamoorthy, the clock starts ticking. We shall give you a day to see whether the police follow your advice. If not, we recommend that you go on another hunger strike .

We are sure that you will be successful. After all, you had done it before and the end result was that you got even Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak running to you.

Odin: You dropped your demand for the cessation of Indian deaths while in police custody. That was a big mistake, no?

And mere days after the late Dharmendran had had - ahem - breathing difficulties, another Indian also suffered from the same affliction, no?

Get the police to put the four pariahs in their lock-up and to keep them in there until their trial is over. Can or not?

Dark Knight: Waythamoorthy's first ministerial statement lacks earnestness and sincerity.

More so, he opens his mouth only after many other civil society NGOs have expressed their disdain and anger at the increasing number of deaths in police custody. Has he sold his soul?

Abasir: Waythamoorthy is playing games here. He knows the public sentiment regarding his stealthy entry into the shadowy corridors of thieves and rogues, and he is merely doing this to act ministerial and to appease his gullible and ignorant supporters.

He knows full well that his opinion carries no weight but it had to be said for the record and nothing else. Waythamoorthy, like former MIC president S Samy Vellu before him, is a master of postures.

SS Dhaliwal: It is after all the NGOs and PKR have voiced their displeasure that Waythamoorthy decides that he too should join the fray after receiving advise from Hindraf adviser N Ganesan. Such an indecisive self-appointed leader you are.

Ann: Dhamendran died on May 21... and it took you how many days to come up with this pathetic statement? Nine days.

P Dev Anand Pillai: Good effort, let's see if inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PM Najib Razak will heed your urging.

See3: Waythamoorthy's statement will just be like spitting into the wind. Just take a look at the arrogant Zahid-Khalid duo and you know it will just fall on deaf ears. We definitely live in dangerous times, both within and out.

Wsoi: The Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is the only way towards police efficiency and accountability. If government rejects it, that means they are not sincere in resolving this national problem.

Then there will be no stop to custodial deaths and abuse of power by the police force. I don't like to say this, but I am really too upset at the stupid government.

Anak, Bangsa, Malaysia: Too late Waythamoorthy, you have caused too much damage. No one respects you.

You took out this section of police custodial deaths when you signed the memorandum of understanding with Najib. This particular part you omitted is now haunting you just within days of signing. What goes around comes around.

Psycho: Waythamoorthy you are on the right path. That's the way to find a concrete solution to end death in custody so that in future we can eliminate this once and for all and be a lesson to the police not to take things lightly anymore.

Your approach is laudable. You did not react like a bunch of monkeys to gain popularity or publicity.

You were prepared to receive criticisms and this did not distract your mind. This proves you mean serious business in handling custodial death, no matter of what race the person is. We have full confidence in your professionalism in handling the matter.

Fighting for Justice: Too late, Waythamoorthy. From Najib's office there is no volume to your voice. You are just a dummy planted there.

This is your challenge to the Indian people. If the police are not acting against those criminals, you better walk away from your deputy minister's post. Only then, we believe you.

Wira: Waytha, now that you are a deputy minister and having a direct line to the prime minister, go solve this problem with a stroke of the pen as Hindraf had so demanded of Penang CM Lim Guan Eng on Kampung Buah Pala.

H Amri: Would you resign if the four police officers are not suspended and held in remand by today? We'll wait and see.

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