IPCMC: Blame Hisham, says Kit Siang

Veteran DAP chief Lim Kit Siang takes a swipe at Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein for still hindering the formation of IPCMC.

KUALA LUMPUR: Lim Kit Siang has castigated Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein for continuing to be a stumbling block in the formation of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

In his latest blog post, the DAP stalwart described Hishammuddin’s statement as the strongest proof of the continuing lack of political will to eradicate police abuses and corruption.

Hishammuddin recently confirmed that the door is still shut to IPCMC and maintained that the commission would not resolve police abuse cases.

He also said that “political will” to transform the police force was more crucial.

Responding to Hishammuddin’s statement, Lim wrote: “It was Hishammuddin who led the opposition to the establishment of the IPCMC when it was proposed by the Dzaiddin Royal Police Commission five years ago.

“The IPCMC was the most important of its 125 recommendations to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional and world-class police force.”

The Dzaiddin Royal Police Commission had even accompanied its recommendation with an enclosed draft legislation which detailed the IPCMC’s powers of investigation and inquiry to help fight corruption in the force and to investigate public complaints.

Almost immediately after the announcement, Umno Youth had shot down the recommendation over concerns that the IPCMC would be turned into an avenue by certain quarters to expose the weaknesses in the country’s administration.

Poor substitute

Two months later, the Bar Council launched a signature campaign in support of its establishment with the signatures handed over to then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In December 2007, Parliament unveiled the Special Complaints Commission (SCC) in place of the IPCMC which was aimed at addressing misconduct by all enforcement agencies.

Amnesty International Malaysia denounced the SCC as a poor substitute that lacked independence and failed to address the need for a mechanism that demanded police accountability for their actions.

“Hishammuddin even went against Abdullah who had publicly committed himself to accept and implement the IPCMC recommendation,” Lim said.

“The combined opposition of Umno and the police forced Abdullah to backtrack and finally scuttle the IPCMC proposal.”

In June 2009, the government also rejected the proposal on the basis that its powers were “too broad and unconstitutional”.

Lim said that the recent spate of high-profile police abuse cases and custodial deaths have once again highlighted the need for an IPCMC to address these cases with seriousness, authority, independence, impartiality and professionalism.

“With Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s ‘People First, Performance Now’ slogan, Hishammuddin should table a formal proposal to ask the Cabinet to revisit the IPCMC recommendation instead of continuing to spearhead its opposition,” he said. - FMT