by Lim Guan Eng

(Petaling Jaya, Tuesday): The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar surprising revelation yesterday that he had not consented to the internal report criticizing the Prime Minster Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the Royal Police Commission for suggesting the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), being made public in the police website only highlights the extent of the police revolt against civilian control and authority.

The IGP claimed that he had no knowledge that it was put up on the Police website Berita Bukit Aman, “IPCMC – Kuasa yang tidak boleh dicabar”,  emphasizing on the rationale for the police rejection of the IPCMC. Prepared by the Cawangan Perhubungan Awam, Polis Diraja Malaysia, based in Bukit Aman, the articles made explicit threats should the IPCMC be established.

Clearly only the IPCMC can stop the crisis of authority and discipline within the police force where the open police “revolt” against the Prime Minister The 12-page report contained ferocious criticisms by senior police personnel such as ACP Jamaludin bin Hj Khalid, the CPO of Kuala Lumpur, Pahang and Sabah  against the ICPMC.

The document stated that the establishment of the IPCMC was "unconstitutional, prejudicial to national security and public order, victimised the people, and could cause a state of anarchy which would undermine the ruling coalition’s power". Worse the police even called on the IGP and senior police personnel to resign, expressed disappointment to the Internal Security Ministry for remaining silent, threatened that loyalty once lost was difficult to regain and even to allow crime to rise.

By threatening to allow crime to rise is utterly irresponsible and a complete surrender of the moral and legal authority of the police. Those who can even entertain of allowing crime to rise and put property and public safety at risk as a mark of protest should either resign or be sacked for such selfish and anti-national interests attitude.

Even the Prime Minister was not spared criticism when he was asked to allow another person to take over the Ministry overseeing the police. Such disrespect, defiance and insubordination can not be allowed to go unpunished or it will blur the legal authority established since Merdeka of civilian and political control over the police force.

Even though the IGP instructed that the articles be taken down from the webpage, this is not sufficient. Such criticisms would have been part of the democratic process were it not for the explicit threats made by the Chairman of the  PERSATUAN  PEGAWAI-PEGAWAI KANAN POLIS YANG DIWARTAKAN (PPKP/CPW) ACP JAMALUDIN BIN HJ. KHALID.

DAP urges the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to act quickly to regain the initiative over his agenda of anti-corruption, transparency, accountability and good governance by quickly ending the open police “revolt” so as to regain control of the police force. In March this year Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar had publicly declared his opposition to the proposed Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), an unprecedented act of open defiance and insurbodination to the Prime Minister and Ministerial authority over the police force.

Such open rejection has caused embarrassment to the Prime Minister who had expressed his support for the RPC’s suggestion of establishing the IPCMC to curb police excesses and corruption as well as human rights abuses. Instead of publicly reprimanding the IGP, the Prime Minister has appeared to back down by asking the Attorney-general to study the best alternative to the proposal to establish the IPCMC.  

DAP pledges full support for the IPCMC and hopes that Abdullah will not back down from his determination to establish the IPCMC. The National Mission to establish a first-class mentality, a First World civil service and a developed country can not succeed if the police is unwilling to reform itself to a clean, incorruptible, efficient, human rights-sensitive, professional world-class police service. The IPCMC is the only alternative to cleaning up the police force to serve the larger national interest as a protector of the people to fight crime and maintain order in an efficient and trustworthy manner.