Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar crackdown on Malaysians who voiced their disagreement with the ruling government has reached a breaking point
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Pakatan Rakyat is now demanding for the Home Minister to sack the IGP for the mass arrests of politicians and social activists since the year started
"This august House must debate the conduct of the IGP and decide on sacking him for three reasons.
"An abuse of Sedition Act, arrests against civilians taking part in peaceful assemblies and a crackdown through the use of Twitter," Sim told reporters after reading the contents of the motion filed this morning.
"I am urging the home minister to sack the IGP to defend the good name of the police force," the PKR Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said.
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In Parliament, Pakatan Rakyat has filed a motion demanding for the censure and removal of Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar as IGP
Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar should be sacked for misusing the Sedition Act against members of Parliament and detaining participants of public assembly in addition to his penchant for using social microblogging site Twitter to order investigations.
The motion was submitted by PKR Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin to Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia under Section 18 (1) of the parliamentary standing orders.
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At the same time, the #KitaLawan initiative even launched the "Fire the IGP" subcampaign
Following the Royal Malaysian Police's actions against organisers and participants of the recent #KitaLawan rally in Kuala Lumpur on March 7 (and no doubt the arrest and overnight detention of PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar on Monday), the #KitaLawan initiative launched the "Fire the IGP" subcampaign at its secretariat office today.
#KitaLawan representative Chang Lih Kang told PKR's official newsportal Keadlilan Daily that the campaign aims to hold Khalid accountable for the actions of the police that it claims have "violated the people's basic rights" and it deemed "unprofessional and showed contempt to the judiciary".
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To make their point, the group hung a 4-meter banner with the words "Pecat IGP" nearby the police headquarters in Bukit Aman
The four meter by 1.8 metres banner with 'Pecat IGP' ('Sack the IGP') written on it was hung at a junction across the street from City Hall at Jalan Raja, a stone's throw away from police headquarter Bukit Aman.
It was put there as part of the #pecatigp campaign launched by Kita Lawan tonight. "Sack the IGP! Step down (Prime Minister) Najib (Abdul Razak)!" they cried as they hung up the banner at about 10 pm.
"**If the IGP doesn't step down, the country will be ruined and the police force's good name will be soiled**," PKR's Teja assemblyperson Chang Lih Kang told the crowd.
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The group has also called for Twitter users to flood the IGP's account with the message "Kita mahu #PecatIGP"
However, after multiple rallies against GST, the Anwar sodomy verdict and even Nurul Izzah's arrest, some are starting to question what these activists are really fighting for
The IGP has been said to be using the Sedition Act and the Peaceful Assembly Act unfairly and authoritatively to arrest politicians and activists who voiced their dissent
"We from #KitaLawan felt disappointed and unsatisfied over the IGP's unfair, unprofessional and bad intention in managing cases related to peaceful assembly," he said in a press conference here.
"Under his tenure, police have become an authoritative tool to eliminate political enemies."
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He has also been accused of double standards for not taking any action against BN leaders, namely Umno Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob
There has been a conspicuous lack of action by the police against BN leaders who have made racist comments on Facebook, like Umno minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who had called for Malays to boycott Chinese traders.
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In March alone, the police have arrested over 90 Malaysians, including Nurul Izzah Anwar
A peaceful sit-in protest turned rowdy with both sides calling each other "barbaric".
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Furthermore, he has been under fire locally and internationally for policing Twitter and stifling free speech online. His Twitter account is full of arrest orders to PDRM.
Twitter is not a safe space to criticise the government, the IGP is watching.
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The IGP is not the least bit worried about the #PecatIGP campaign. He says even he is removed, there will another 126,000 other policemen to check not only Twitter, but other social media sites as well.
Khalid said if his account was closed by the micro-blogging site operators, there were 126,000 police personnel who could still monitor the social media site and haul up wrongdoers.
"I have no problems if my Twitter account is closed. I don't care. They can report me, but police will continue to monitor. Not just Twitter, but Facebook and other social media sites," he said.
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In defence of his use of the Sedition Act, he says it is effective to prevent the people from being "influenced by untruths"
Last week, Bernama reported that Khalid also defended his use of Twitter, saying: "My aim in issuing the directive through Twitter is for fast action against sedition and untruths. "I think this method is effective to prevent society from being influenced by untruths which should be stopped."
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For a list of Malaysians who have been caught under the Sedition Act this year:
"This act will not only be maintained, but strengthened." PM Najib is keeping true to his words this time around. The Sedition Act is here to stay and these Malaysians are already feeling the heat.
Cover image via Malaysiakini
