Attorney-General Gani Patail should give top priority to ensure enabling legislation for IPCMC could be made public before  Parliament reconvenes on March 13 for it to be debated and enacted

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Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Saturday): The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had made an unequivocal  government commitment on January 24 after the publication of the Squatgate Royal Police Commission that the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) “to review public complaints involving police actions” would be set up “as soon as possible” and that the Attorney-General’s chambers had been directed to study the draft Bill on setting up the commission as outlined by the Royal Commission in its report which was made public in May last year.

Twelve days later in Kepala Batas  for a Chinese New Year open house function on 4^th February, Abdullah reiterated the government’s commitment to set up the IPCMC, with  the front-page headline “PDRM perlu terima – PM – Sebarang keputusan kerajaan berhubung syor tubuh suruhanjaya”  in Utusan Malaysia the next day.

Although the Prime Minister had asked for patience and  the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail asked the public including the media to give him room  to examine all issues concerning legislative changes before any announcement is made, the Attorney-General should give top priority to ensure that enabling legislation for the establishment of the IPCMC  could be made public before  Parliament reconvenes on March 13, so that it could be debated and enacted at the next parliamentary meeting.

This is because the Attorney-General had been studying  the draft IPCMC Bill proposed by the Royal Police Commission since June last year when he headed one of the five  Cabinet subcommittees on Laws and Procedures set up to study the 125 Police Commission  recommendations.

As the Police Commission has taken the pains to prepare a draft IPCMC Bill, there can be no excuse why the Attorney-General could not submit a final report on the IPCMC proposal to the Prime Minister in time for enabling legislation to be presented for enactment by Parliament at its next meeting.

Government sources have estimated that crime is bleeding the country of billions annually, with losses of RM15.3 billion estimated for 2004, or averaging a loss of RM600 a year to crime for every Malaysian.

The creation of a clean, efficient, accountable, professional and world-class police service, which should be one of the primary objectives of the IPCMC, should go a long way to save billions of ringgit lost to crime every year apart from restoring to Malaysians the fundamental right to freedom from crime and to be free from the fear of crime.

The establishment of the IPCMC is  to protect the good name, image  and integrity of good and conscientious police officers who are in the majority so that the tiny minority of the “black sheep” in the police force are exposed and not allowed to continue to  tarnish police reputation and undermine public confidence.

Malaysians who want a  world-class police service must not remain apathetic to mounting  pressures to nullify the Prime Minister’s commitment to set up the IPCMC, not only from some quarters in the police force, but also in ruling political circles  now that such opposition has found a champion in the UMNO Youth leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin and UMNO Youth.

It is most regrettable that at the Barisan Nasional Youth meeting yesterday, the other Barisan Nasional party youth wings did not dissociate themselves from the UMNO youth opposition to the establishment of the IPCMC.

Does this mean that the MCA Youth, Gerakan Youth, MIC Youth as well as the youth wings of the other Barisan Nasional parties are tacitly in support of UMNO Youths’ rejection of the IPCMC proposal?

Are they aware that the rejection of the IPCMC will make a complete mockery of the two Police Royal Commissions established to create a clean, accountable, efficient, professional and world-class police service as this proposal is the most important recommendation of the two commissions?

(11/02/2006)