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One motion and one private member’s bill arising from the Police Royal Commission Report for next week’s Parliament

Media Conference Statement (2)
 by Lim Kit Siang

(Parliament, Monday): I have submitted two motions and one private member’s bill for the 14-day  parliamentary meeting  from June 20 to July 12. 

The two motions are: 

  1. That the House COMMENDS  the Chairman and members of the Royal Commission to enhance the operations and management of the Royal Malaysian Police for its Report and RESOLVES  to establish a Select Committee to oversee the implementation of its 125 recommendations to transform the Royal Malaysian Police into an efficient, clean, trustworthy,  world-class and  21st century police service which respects human rights.
  1. That the House TAKES NOTE  that the 20-month premiership of YAB Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has still to see major achievements to fulfill the pledges of a  clean, incorruptible, accountable, efficient, trustworthy, people-oriented, progressive and democratic administration, RESOLVES that a two-year report card on the premiership of YAB Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should be presented in Parliament by 1st November 2005 to be followed by a full parliamentary debate.

My private member’s bill is the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill, which is adopted in toto from the Police Royal Commission Report, which had drafted the bill for such a public oversight agency over police misconduct and complaints. 

It is most disappointing that although the Task Force set up by the Cabinet to implement the Police Royal Commission had held its first meeting last week, and it had commendably decided to give top priority to an allocation of RM2.5 billion to provide housing for 25,000 police personnel, it had not made any announcement on its core proposals to create a world-class police force and in particular, the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission.

I am prepared to withdraw  the private member’s bill on the IPCMC  to give way to any official IPCMC Bill by the Government. 

The  Police Royal Commission’s recommendation to establish the IPCMC is the most important of all its  125 recommendations as it  is key and critical in determining  whether the Police Royal Commission will end up as a wasted effort like the previous Athi Nahappan Royal Commission Inquiry on Local Government whose proposal for the restoration of elected local government was ignored by the government or whether it would be able to make a significant impact in the transformation of the Malaysian police into a a world-class, 21st-century people-centric service which keeps crime low, upholds human rights and is  imbued  with zero tolerance for corruption.

Parliament next week should address the issue of the hundreds of top SPM high-achievers who cannot get Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships if this problem is not resolved by the Cabinet on Wednesday. 

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has received nation-wide praise for his intervention resulting in five top SPM high-achievers getting Pubic Service Department (PSD) scholarships to study medicine or pharmacy overseas – the  five 13 A1 scorers, Ng Ee Liang, Desmond Chee and Teoh Wan Ying from Penang, Khaw Chok Tong from Pahang and  Chew Ying Dee from Perlis. 

There are however  hundreds of other SPM high achievers who are waiting to be recognized by the government and have legitimate aspirations to be treated with fairness and justice with regard to their higher education hopes and opportunities. 

I agree with the UMNO Youth education bureau chairman Ahmad lkmal Ismail that students honoured publicly as the country’s highest achievers should be given priority for scholarships, otherwise any recognition they had received would be meaningless. 

Ahmad Ikmal  highlighted the case of Ahmad Azim Abdul Rahim, who scored 12 A1s in last year’s Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia and one of 25 top performers who received a certificate of merit  signed by the Prime Minister and  the Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein last March, but who failed to get a PSD scholarship. 

If the government is serious in wanting to transform the nation into an knowledge-based economy giving top priority to human capital, in particular the “best and brightest”, the  Cabinet on Wednesday should take  the bold and innovative policy decision to award PSD scholarships to the top 200 SPM high-achievers, regardless of race or religion,  starting from this year. 

All the top 200 top SPM high-achievers  this year who have been unsuccessful in the application for PSD scholarships should automatically be made state scholars.  

Recently,  Malaysians have been shocked by  the revelation that Malaysia has become  a nation of APs, causing  the nation to lose some RM1 billion a year from the 50,000-60,000  APs a year  with some individuals getting hundreds of APs, as well as a nation of Class F contractors with the highest per capita of Class F contractors in the world with some families getting more than half a dozen licences. 

Can the Cabinet really say that the nation cannot afford to give PSD scholarships to the top 200 SPM high-achievers every year? 

It is better that Malaysia is known in the world as having the highest per capita PSD scholarships for top SPM high-achievers than having the highest per capita for APs or Class F contractors!

(13/06/2005)      

                                                       

*  Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission Chairman