Bar wants new govt to amend IPCC Act before it takes effect

 

Bar president Karen Cheah said the police carried a great amount of power, and therefore it was only logical that a proportionate amount of responsibility and accountability must follow.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Bar has called on Putrajaya to amend the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) Act to incorporate provisions found in a similar Bill aimed at improving the transparency and accountability of the police force.

Bar president Karen Cheah said the IPCC in its current form failed to live up to expectations of a more transparent and better regulated police force.

The Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill, which the Bar had always advocated, provided for disciplinary action against errant police officers, Cheah said.

“The police wield a great amount of power, and therefore it is only logical that a proportionate amount of responsibility and accountability must follow.

“The Malaysian Bar therefore calls upon the government to substantially amend the IPCC Act to incorporate the necessary provisions, as those found in the IPCMC Bill, to bring about police accountability, including granting disciplinary powers to the IPCC, before implementing the IPCC Act,” she said in a statement.

The IPCMC, meant to replace the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission, to improve transparency and accountability of the police force, was mooted in 2005.

The IPCMC Bill was tabled in Parliament by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2019.

In 2020, the IPCC Bill was introduced to replace the IPCMC Bill. The IPCC Bill – which critics describe as a watered-down version of the IPCMC Bill – was passed in July this year when the Ismail Sabri Yaakob government was in power.

Cheah went on to say that they were disheartened by the government’s decision to forge ahead with enforcing the IPCC Act, adding it was a step backward in creating a police force that operated effectively and transparently. The Act will come into force in June 2023.

The IPCC Act, she said, “entrenches impunity and turns a blind eye to the very real problems that the institution faces”.

“Our newly minted government that has repeatedly emphasised the importance of good governance should reconsider its position in allowing the IPCC Act to be brought into force.” - FMT