GEORGE TOWN: The Pakatan Harapan federal government must demonstrate strong political will in handling the case of missing Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat, a DAP lawmaker said today.
Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament Ramkarpal Singh said the government must take the necessary steps to suspend Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun in the event he does not resign and prioritise efforts to secure the release of Koh and Amri.
"Those responsible must be held accountable and no stone left unturned in the investigations which must be immediately commenced.
"Such investigations cannot possibly be free from suspicion of bias if Fuzi continues helming the force and any perception of a cover up must be avoided at all costs," he said today.
The DAP national legal bureau chairman said the findings of the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) today, that the Special Branch was involved in the ‘enforced disappearances’ of Koh and Amri after hearing various witnesses over the matter, was most serious and must be addressed immediately.
Ramkarpal added that as the Special Branch itself had been named the party responsible, Fuzi ought to resign honourably or alternatively, be suspended pending investigations into the said findings of Suhakam.
"Although he might not be personally responsible, as head of the Special Branch at the time, Fuzi should be magnanimous enough to step aside and allow investigations to be commenced independently into the Special Branch.
"There can be no doubt that such investigations must commence as the credibility of the entire police force has seriously been compromised as a result of the matter, particularly having all this while denied any knowledge of the disappearance of the duo,” he added.
Suhakam, which announced their final findings of the public inquiry into Koh and Amri's disappearance today, concluded that both were the victims of enforced disappearance.
Its panel chairman Datuk Mah Weng Kwai had disclosed that state agents namely the Special Branch from Bukit Aman were allegedly involved in the abductions.
In August last year, Suhakam conducted a public inquiry into the disappearance of the missing persons.
On April 21, 2017, the commission's chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail had called on the authorities to use all means at their disposal to discover the fate of these missing persons, to take all necessary steps to alleviate concerns and unease among the public and to bring to justice those responsible for the disappearance.
Until today, the missing persons case has remained unsolved.