Sunday, April 13, 2014

‘Take action against Izwan’

Maria Chin dan Kulasegaran
PETALING JAYA: Women rights activist, Maria Chin Abdullah took the police to task today for not taking action on the abduction of S Deepa’s son, saying it was a criminal act.

“It is nothing short of kidnapping, especially after the Seremban High Court granted the right of custody to the wife,” she told FMT today, adding that the police should take action on the matter.
On Wednesday, Deepa’s ex-husband Izwan Abdullah forcefully snatched away their son from her workplace after the high court granted custody to the mother.

Izwan had also assaulted Deepa in the scuffle.
Despite a police report lodged on the matter, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said yesterday that the police would not act against the husband and urged the couple to sort out the matter privately.
He also said that the high court order’s clashed with a Syariah court’s ruling last year that gave Izwan right of custody to both his children.
Deepa has since gone into hiding, fearing that Izwan may abduct their daughter too.
Maria, who heads a community empowerment NGO, Empower, said that action should be taken against Izwan for violating the high court order.
She also said it was irresponsible of the police to say that they can’t act on the matter when they were supposed to protect public safety.
Earlier today, former law minister Nazri Aziz had also criticised the police for their response, saying it was a clear cut case of kidnapping.
He also said the Cabinet had decided in 2009 that the children be raised in the common religion at the time of marriage, should one of their parent convert to Islam.
“This is not a question of Izwan being right under Syariah law.It is a civil law marriage, it is the civil court, we must respect the civil court’s ruling. They have the jurisdiction.
““The high court ruling was correct. The police should not allow him to get away with kidnapping the child,” he told English daily The Star.
DAP MP M Kulasegaran echoed Nazri’s sentiments, saying that Khalid response to the kidnapping was irresponsible and unprofessional.
“The IGP must act on this. If he is not prepared to do his job, Khalid might as well resign from his post.” he said, in a statement.