IGP not exempted from IPCMC investigation, says deputy minister

PARLIAMENT | No police personnel, including the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), are exempted from investigations by the Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), the Dewan Rakyat was told.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Hanipa Maidin said any complaint received by IPCMC against the IGP could be investigated under Section 24 of its act, just like complaints against other police personnel.

"After IPCMC has completed its investigation, and if the findings show there is wrongdoing, then disciplinary action can be taken against the IGP via the formation of a special disciplinary board to be set up by the chief secretary to the government,” he said in his written reply posted on the Parliament website today.

He was replying to a question from Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor), who asked the prime minister to state the reason for exempting the IGP from an investigation by IPCMC as has been proposed in the IPCMC Bill 2019 which was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat recently.

The IPCMC Bill 2019, which was tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on July 18, is aimed at providing for IPCMC to replace the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) to enhance the integrity and capability of the Royal Malaysia Police.

IPCMC will serve as an independent monitoring body to receive complaints on and conduct investigations into wrongdoings by police personnel.

The bill, however, has been referred to Parliament's Special Select Committee for further study before it is tabled again in the Dewan Rakyat.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong, in a motion this morning, said the bill would be tabled again before the sitting ends in December.

Meanwhile, to a question from Zahidi Zainul Abidin (BN-Padang Besar) on the status of the proposed abolition of the Anti-Fake News Act (Act 803), Mohamed Hanipa said the Anti-Fake News (Abolition) Bill 2019 is expected to be debated in the Dewan Negara in December.

"The government is committed to abolishing the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 (Act 803) in line with the change in government policy that the dissemination of fake news can be tackled by using existing laws,” he said.

The government can only retable a bill to abolish the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 after mid-August, a year after the Anti-Fake News (Abolition) Bill 2018 was passed by the Dewan Rakyat on Aug 16, 2018.

Although the bill was passed by the Dewan Rakyat, it was rejected by Dewan Negara, triggering Article 68 of the Federal Constitution for a one-year cooling period before it could be retabled.

- Bernama