WHO POLICES THE POLICE?
Mr Bon said that the limited power of the IPCC makes it a challenge in winning over public support, but said that it may help if the remaining two members of the IPCC are from the civil society and those who work with communities.
“(Such people would be able to) understand the situation on the ground,” he said.
According to local media, the position of IPCC chairman will be taken up by former director-general of the implementation coordination unit of the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD) Zolkopli Dahlan.
The IPCC deputy chairman spot will be filled by former PMD advisory board chief director Mohamad Jazamuddin Ahmad Nawawi.
Other members of the commission include former senior director of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Tan Kang Sai, former Royal Malaysia Police logistics and technology department deputy director Shukri Abdullah and former national audit department (financial sector) director Martina @ Kartina Zamhari.
When questioned on Jan 10 over the decision to confirm five selected members first, Mr Saifuddin said that the ministry was still headhunting the right candidates with stellar records and appropriate expertise for the final two posts, according to Free Malaysia Today.
Dr Nik Ahmad noted that with the appointment of the five IPCC members, the commission can begin working on any complaints immediately.
However, with two spots yet to be filled in the commission, he said that the IPCC should appoint former judges as members in order to add credibility to the commission.
To improve public trust in the police, any IPCC recommendation to take stern action against police officers must be taken seriously by the police disciplinary committee, he said.
He added that the police must portray a friendly, clean, and progressive image.
“There are bad apples, and this is where the police must take stern action against the wayward officers,” he urged.
The controversial IPCC Bill was first tabled in August 2020 under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, following the “Sheraton Move” in February that year.
The “Sheraton Move” was a political manoeuvre which saw the fall of the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government that had proposed the IPCMC Bill in July 2019.
The IPCMC, unlike the IPCC, would have had the enforcement power to exert discipline authority over errant officers, according to the Malaysian Bar, a professional body tasked with regulating the legal profession.
The introduction of the IPCC Bill, in replacement of the IPCMC Bill, drew criticism from advocacy groups and cabinet members for failing to address police abuse of power.
The IPCC came into force on Jul 1. According to local media, Mr Saifuddin said in October last year that the process of selecting the seven commission members is underway.
He did not elaborate on why it had taken so long since the commission was first tabled to start the selection process.