Former police inspector general, Abdul Hamid Bador. He said a cartel was operating within Malaysia's police force. Photo: MOHD RASFAN / AFP
He noted that police findings and reports have never been made public either. “Punishment, for what we know, has never been enforced,” Santiago said.“There is zero transparency and a dangerous disconnect between the police and the law in Malaysia.”“No police officer in Malaysia has ever been held accountable for their actions.”
A policeman looks on at a roadblock during the nationwide lockdown in Malaysia. Photo: MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images
“The Malaysian police are untouchable and effectively have a license to kill.”
A police checkpoint in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Mohd RASFAN / AFP
“Custodial deaths in Malaysia are a manifestation of our nation’s problems: corruption, institutionalized discrimination and racism,” a former Malaysian youth minister said. Photo: iStock/Getty/Aleksandar Miljkovic
“Floyd had overwhelming support on the ground and that’s something we can learn from because we need our own awakening in Malaysia. We never see police officers charged or held accountable. This is an institutionalized problem that affects all Malaysians regardless of race.”
Critics also point to what they call draconian overreactions to any scrutiny of alleged police misconduct. In June, police raided the offices of a group of filmmakers who produced a critically-acclaimed animation titled “Chilli Powder and Thinner,” which was based on the true life story of a teenage detainee’s brush with police brutality. Local journalists who have reported on the deaths in custody have also been called in for police questioning.Watch the film Chilli Powder and Thinner“Floyd had overwhelming support on the ground and that’s something we can learn from because we need our own awakening in Malaysia.”