19/12/2025

FRIDAY | DEC 19, 2025

10 Keep peace, not police morality O VER recent years, a quietly worrying trend has been taking shape across Malaysia: police stations, once understood as civic institutions clear thresholds for harm. Third is the discretionary culture within any bureaucracy – when rules are vague, individual officers often fill the gaps with personal values. Finally, public pressure and media attention around high-profile moral controversies can encourage enforcement personnel to take a moralising posture to signal responsiveness in securing justice. COMMENT by K.T. Maran

dedicated to law enforcement and public safety, are increasingly being treated – and treating themselves – as moral arbiters. In practice, this shift means that matters of private conscience, personal identity and

The consequences can be harmful, especially for individuals subjected to moral assessment at a police station. It can be humiliating, frightening and damaging to their livelihoods and reputation. It also discourages

cultural expression are being policed in ways that belong neither to criminal law nor to plural, democratic governance. The result is an erosion of public trust, a chilling effect on marginalised communities and a blurring of the line between the state’s legitimate role and the realm of conscience. At its best, policing is about protecting life, preventing harm and upholding the rule of law. At its worst, it can become an instrument of social control exercised according to majority tastes, moral panics or political convenience. When a place charged with enforcing statutes becomes a venue for adjudicating morality – whether around dressing, sexual orientation, religious practice or lifestyle – we must ask: Whom does the state answer to and whose dignity is sacrificed in the name of order? Many Malaysians will recognise the scenario when a

people from reporting crimes, seeking help or cooperating with law enforcement. Women, LGBTQ+ people, religious minorities and the economically marginalised are especially vulnerable to these dynamics. For institutions, it corrodes the legitimacy of policing. A police force that is seen as judging morality rather than protecting safety risks losing the consent of the governed. Once trust is lost, cooperation evaporates and effective policing becomes harder. For society, conflating legal enforcement with moral arbitration undermines pluralism. Malaysia’s Federal Constitution enshrines freedom of religion and certain liberties; the Rukun Negara calls for tolerance and harmony. A policing culture that overrides these principles in practice can weaken the social compact that holds a multiethnic and multireligious nation together. There is a thin line between law

“Malaysia’s strength lies in its ability to live with difference. Protecting that institutions that treat citizens as rights-bearing individuals, not as subjects to be moulded. strength requires

Policing is about protecting life, preventing harm and upholding the rule of law. – BERNAMAPIC

harmony and individual rights. For many citizens, policing that respects pluralism means procedural fairness, clear legal standards and accountability when officers exceed their remit. Public debates about morality are healthy when they take place in churches, mosques, temples, assemblies and the media. They are not healthy when the coercive apparatus of the state is the main forum for moral instruction. There must be practical reforms that address which is pertinent and overdue. Clearer operational guidelines must be in police manuals, and standard operating procedures must clearly distinguish between criminal conduct and private moral choices. Guidance should be given on when interviews are appropriate, how to treat vulnerable persons and when to refer matters to non-police agencies. Training in human rights and cultural competence will reduce discretionary mistakes and equip officers to handle sensitive encounters with dignity. Stronger oversight and complaints mechanisms must be activated. Independent civilian oversight bodies with accessible complaint procedures would deter moralising behaviour and provide redress when it occurs. Transparency about investigations into alleged misconduct will rebuild public confidence. Legal clarity and legislative reform in ambiguous or overly broad statutes that invite moral policing should be reviewed. Inter-agencies should create clearer referral pathways so that matters of social welfare, counselling or community mediation are handled by social services, religious bodies or NGOs. my ageing father? His senses aren’t as sharp as they used to be and the older he gets, the more responsible I feel to protect his safety. Focus on the Family Malaysia: You are in a delicate situation. Not only does it feel awkward to assume the unnatural role of parenting your dad but this situation poses a potentially devastating loss for him. After all, most seniors associate driving with mobility, freedom and human contact. Before jumping to worst-case scenarios, consider whether your dad’s driving is affected by a short-term emotional disturbance, such as a significant life change or stressful circumstance. If so, suggest that he let someone else do the driving until things settle down. You should also make sure your dad receives regular medical attention to discuss hearing and vision, medications and potential side-effects, possible chronic diseases and any physical and cognitive impairments. In some cases, deterioration in these areas can be compensated with treatment, modifications and education.

Police should hold community engagements to cultivate partnerships with diverse communities, such as dialogues, joint problem solving and community policing initiatives, to reduce the impulse to rely on coercion as the first response. Policing requires humility. Officers empowered with the state’s coercive force must exercise this power with restraint and respect for human dignity. When a police station starts to feel like a house of worship – a place where people are expected to conform to a single moral vision – everyone loses. The believer who expects sanctuary from the state is disappointed and the sceptic who expects impartiality is betrayed. Malaysia’s strength lies in its ability to live with difference. Protecting that strength requires institutions that treat citizens as rights-bearing individuals, not as subjects to be moulded. If Malaysia is to remain a society where debate is robust, institutions fair and citizens secure, then the public sphere must be reclaimed from moral policing. Police stations must be recast firmly as places that investigate harm and keep the peace – not as tribunals of taste. This recasting will take political will, institutional reform and a renewed commitment to constitutional principles. But the alternative – a persistent blurring of lines between law and morality – will only deepen division, erode trust and make all of us less safe. In a healthy democracy, houses of worship remain houses of worship and police stations remain places of public safety. The guardians of order must remember which is which. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com If it is clear that the time has come to suspend your dad’s driving privileges, do some research before broaching the subject. Offer alternative ways for him to get around. Gather information on public transport he can use and be prepared to ride along until he feels comfortable. When the moment of truth arrives, explain his options respectfully and let him turn over the keys on his own. If that doesn’t work, you may have to enlist the help of your dad’s doctor for the role. Your dad may protest and be angry but you are responsible for ensuring his safety and that of others on the road. Remember: The most loving action isn’t always the easiest. This article is contributed by Focus on the Family Malaysia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and strengthening the family unit. It provides a myriad of programmes and resources, including professional counselling services, to the community. For more information, visit family.org.my. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

member of the public is summoned or stopped because of how they present themselves, what they said on social media or whom they love. The encounter that follows is often not limited to checking paperwork or ensuring public safety. Instead, the person is questioned and lectured about morality or even pressured to conform to normative expectations. Sometimes, the matter escalates to investigations that leave no clear public-interest justification. Understandably, the police must investigate alleged offences but there is a difference between enforcing the law and acting as the nation’s moral rector. This phenomenon has several sources. First is the legacy of conservatism in public institutions, where cultural or religious norms find their way into formal procedures. Second is ambiguity in laws that criminalise certain kinds of conduct or expression without Q: My seven-year-old son came home teary eyed after watching a children’s movie at a friend’s house. Apparently, one of the characters was constantly teased and mistreated by the other children. It upset my son for the rest of the day. Is this level and display of emotion something I should be concerned about? Focus on the Family Malaysia: Perhaps this experience we relate can be of some value here. A boy’s mum died when he was nine. He still remembers what people told him over and over on the day of her funeral. They said, “Be a big boy and don’t cry”. These relatives and friends meant well but sent a skewed message to him. It taught him that real men don’t show emotion – that they are all strength but no heart. According to the adults around him, he should Under One Roof

and morals. Laws inevitably reflect moral judgements – societies legislate against violence because they consider it wrong. But good legal systems maintain a principled distinction between regulation of harm and enforcement of conformity. The latter should be minimised in democratic societies because it invites selective application and discriminatory outcomes. Consider the difference between a disturbance that endangers others and a private behaviour that offends some sensibilities. The former is a legitimate target for police action while the latter is usually a matter for social persuasion, religious counsel or civil remedies. When police intervene in the latter realm, they are stepping outside their institutional competence. Malaysia’s diversity is its strength, and the country’s legal and political architecture has to balance religious sensitivities, communal not shed a tear, even though the boy loved and missed his mum. So, he went through the whole funeral fighting and suppressing his emotions. He remembered looking into his mum’s casket and thinking, “I have to stay strong and be a man”. Not only is that a heavy burden for a young child to bear but it also communicates the wrong idea about how a real man should act. Strength is, without a doubt, a crucial aspect of masculinity; it’s about courage, integrity and character. It’s part of what makes men good husbands and fathers. But being a strong man does not mean guys should be unfeeling, analytical machines. Wives and children also need their husbands and fathers to feel. That means not only expressing their emotions freely and appropriately but being sensitive to theirs as well. Authentic masculinity isn’t a choice between strength or tenderness; it is about strength and tenderness – and as a parent, you should help your son cultivate both. Q: When should I take the car keys away from

Raising sons to be strong and sensitive