How does the IPCMC affect police votes?

The Independent Police Complaints & Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is a hot button topic that has been opposed by police and Muafakat Nasional lawmakers alike.

The police argue that the commission is an unwarranted intrusion into their affairs, while politicians opposing it claim the IPCMC victimises the force.

However, there appears to be another consideration at play for politicians, that is police votes.

A review of early voting results from the 2018 general election shows that 76.1 percent of police ballots went to BN, compared to 13.6 percent for Pakatan Harapan and 9.5 percent for PAS.

By comparison, only 53 percent of military votes went to the ruling BN government at the time.

The figures do not include postal votes, which are a mix of ballots from police, military, and overseas civilians, among others.

When contacted, several police officers told Malaysiakini that the IPCMC would indeed influence who the force would cast their ballots for.

"Yes," said one officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity when asked whether the IPCMC would influence who he would vote for.

The officer was against the IPCMC, saying not all police were problematic and that they should not be singled out by a commission.

Another officer, who also did not wish to be named, was supportive of the IPCMC but acknowledged the political cost it had.

"The decision on IPCMC might not affect my voting decision. But it will definitely affect many other police personnel's votes," he said.

In 2006, an internal police bulletin had the force threatening to vote for the opposition if the then-BN government proceeded with the IPCMC,

With a few exceptions, police voters usually make up only a small demographic of any Parliamentary constituency.

However, political scientist Wong Chin Huat said that in closely fought elections, every vote mattered.

"Where the fight is close, the wider police votes - including their families - would matter. BN/PN which was never keen on IPCMC would want to scrap it to appease this specific constituency," Wong told Malaysiakini.

Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin is expected to table a revised version of the commission, now dubbed the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in the next few days.

Hamzah Zainudin

According to a Perikatan Nasional MP with knowledge of the bill, the IPCC can only investigate police misconduct, and any further action would have to be recommended to the Police Force Commission.

The MP told Malaysiakini that the police had been receptive to this new bill.

This is different from the IPCMC proposed by Harapan last year, which would have allowed the commission to take action ranging from warnings and pay cuts to dismissal of officers found guilty of misconduct.

The IPCMC was first proposed by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police in 2005.

It was watered down to the EAIC after fierce objections by the police force under then inspector-general of police Musa Hassan. - Mkini