YOURSAY | 'It's quite clear that the investigating officer was not interested in solving the case.'

Cop probing Pastor Koh's case accuses family of being 'uncooperative'

Odin Tajué: Investigating officer Supari Mohammad, the truth is that you all at the police force have no desire to solve this case. That has been plain to see.

Your former chief has already admitted at the same inquiry that the police could have acted faster. But you all have not. You sat on it for weeks before you reluctantly went into action - and that is, putting on a show of going into action.

As for you, Supari, your manner of questioning suggests an attempt to harass and intimidate the family members, rather than to seek from them the answers you needed in order to solve the case.

To wit, you said you had evidence, and asked the family members where Pastor Raymond Koh went on certain dates. They said they did not know. You said that was not an answer, and accused them of being uncooperative.

First, but that was an answer. If they had kept quiet, then there was no answer.

Second, if you were really interested in doing a proper job, you should have: 1) gently told them that you had evidence of Pastor Koh going to a named place on such and such a date for such a duration; and 2) politely asked them what he went there for or what he did at the place.

Instead, you asked them where he went. That can only mean that: 1) you actually did not have any evidence of the pastor leaving the house but based your question on what someone else had told you; and 2) that someone had been watching the pastor’s movements locally, but he did not have the resources to tail him all over the country.

Yes or no, Supari? I put it to you that that was, in fact, the case. Therefore, if you were really interested in solving the case and delivering the pastor to his family safe and sound, you should have investigated and grilled that someone instead.

I further put it to you that if the pastor’s family members had indeed been uncooperative, it was because they were sensing that you were attempting to make them admit that he had been proselytising Muslims when he had not, rather than to determine who had forcibly abducted him and where he might be held captive.

If the pastor's wife had really shouted at you, then that proves beyond all reasonable doubt that you questioned them in a harsh manner and tried to push them into a corner, rather than to elicit information that would help in a real, proper investigation into the enforced abduction.

Fairplayer: The abductors could be from a special elite squad. That explains why the police are trying to divert the core focus of the investigation by pointing fingers at the victim's family.

More importantly - what have the abductors done to Pastor Koh? Regardless of Pastor Koh's error, did it warrant that he be abducted and made to disappear? Please don't try to justify the abduction.

Does Islam teach that it is justifiable to kidnap a kind man just because he was assumed to be proselytising? What about Zakir Naik proselytising to the non-Muslims? Should he be abducted, too?

Vijay47: I doubt there is a single person in Malaysia who will give any credit to the complaints by Supari that the pastor's family refused to cooperate with his investigation team.

From the very start, the police inquiry into the abduction was remarkable for their disdain and total lack of interest in finding out the truth.

Their initial statement was that there was simply no clue as to who had carried out the operation, and this despite the act being done in broad daylight, in typical military-style and several video clips of the operation being handed over to them.

Then, sly attempts were made to blemish the pastor and the charity works he was engaged in, hinting that he deserved what was coming to him.

One of the most shameful features in his already shameful record was former inspector-general of police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar actually mocking Suhakam by suggesting that the kidnappers could have learned their skills from the movies.

And to add to that, Supari implies that in view of the numerous police reports made against the pastor, the abduction was understandable.

Koh’s family is totally justified in their grievance that the police seem committed to establishing whether the pastor had been indulging in any possible proselytisation activities, that Supari and friends appear the least bothered in finding out the entire truth behind the kidnappers and their supporters.

Perhaps the family should be glad that they have not been charged with “obstruction of justice”.

'Sex for favours': Accused faces axe from teaching profession if guilty

Hopelessly: The former MIC branch chairperson accused of soliciting sex in return for favours has been transferred to desk duties at the Education Department until the probe is completed.

The Tamil school teacher may be sacked from the teaching profession if found guilty, said Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan.

Why isn't he suspended from his duties? And if he is found guilty, he would be in jail, so sacking him is redundant.

P Dev Anand Pillai: The irony is that Indian women don't respond by revolting via the ballot box.

The highly educated ones are very vociferous when it comes to human rights and the law but even among this group, many are not registered voters.

Among the Tamil-educated, despite seeing this type of discrimination and abuse right before their eyes, many of these women still vote in the ruling regime without fail. This is one of the main reasons why the attitude never changes.

Vgeorgemy: Wanita MIC constituents should start a #metoo campaign to get rid of the ‘sex-for-favours’ culture in the party.

We have seen such a culture by the powerful in the community against the marginalised even in the 80s, in the infamous case of sexual allegations involving a former House deputy speaker.

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