KUALA LUMPUR – Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa must address public concerns on privacy issues possibly arising from her ministry’s move to equip its enforcement officers with body cameras, said medical associations.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai said the benefits potentially derived from the initiative will depend on how the move is implemented.
“The concerns will be about privacy and the possible abuse of such devices. The Health Ministry must ensure that there is full accountability,” he told The Vibes.
The Health Ministry must guarantee that the videos captured by the body cameras be kept securely away from the public, and uphold the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ legal maxim.
He added that no engagement sessions were held with MMA prior to the decision to use body cameras and he is unaware of any upcoming stakeholder meetings on it.
“We hope that more details on the planned implementation can be revealed, and proper stakeholder discussions held before the ministry goes ahead with this move.”
Similarly, Malaysian Pharmacists Society president Amrahi Buang called for a stakeholder meeting to educate the public and healthcare practitioners on their rights, the enforcement officers’ powers, and other related rules.
He said while the pros of using body cameras outweigh the cons, the ministry must ensure that transparency be upheld to avoid compromising public rights.
“In line with the current government’s stance on transparency, the ministry should disclose the related standard operating procedures, policies, and legislation to increase public confidence in the body cameras not tampering with their rights,” he told The Vibes.
He added that faith in the initiative can be achieved if the ministry provides clarification on some matters, including who can access the footage recorded on the body cameras as well as how the data will be stored and protected.
“In cases of enforcement officers damaging property during raids or wrongful prosecution, can the footage be used by the public for compensation purposes?
'What happens to enforcement officers or members of the public who try to create liability, entrapment or other negative actions to spread inaccurate narratives?
On Monday, Dr Zaliha congratulated her ministry, particularly its public health and pharmacy programmes, for helping initiate the use of body cameras during enforcement activities.
It is understood that the body cameras will be used to overcome “threats and obstacles” from the public reportedly faced by the ministry’s enforcement officers including death threats, physical and verbal assault, and bribe offers.
The presence of body cameras is meant to ensure that there is sufficient evidence to protect enforcement officers from being slandered by their prosecution targets. – The Vibes, December 15, 2022
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