IPCMC now: Don’t play dumb and deaf

Suaram is dissatisfied with the way top political leaders respond when questioned about the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). It is  disgraceful how the government and the Royal Malaysian Police continually refuse to set up the IPCMC.

The rhetoric employed is weak and simplistic and framing their arguments in such a narrow context only serves to compound the Rakyat’s ignorance on the importance of an oversight body such as the IPCMC.

Suaram would like to again highlight the urgent need for reform in the Royal Malaysian Police, starting with the formation of the IPCMC, which would go a long way in ensuring that the police are held accountable for their actions when discharging their duties.

In the wake of C Sugumaran’s death in police custody, with all evidence pointing to police brutality as the cause of death, setting up the IPCMC is the right thing to do. Continual refusal to do so could be seen as tacit approval by the government of the police’s apparent tactic of choice, torture to extract confessions.

Why is the IPCMC so crucial?

The IPCMC is modeled on international best practices. The reality is that the Malaysian police force is viewed as corrupt, inefficient and abusive. The deaths in custody, police shootings and ongoing police misuse of power still continue and the government has no political will to reform the police force. The IPCMC will ensure that the reputation of the police will no longer be tainted by improper conduct or false accusations.

Thus the IPCMC should be viewed as the greatest opportunity for the police to regain the trust and confidence of the Malaysian people. It is necessary to set up the IPCMC to ensure that complaints against police could be addressed with independence and impartiality.

It is high time for the government to implement its own findings initiated through the Royal Commission and make a stand in reforming its police force by implementing IPCMC without any further delay. This nine years pending implementation would restore public confidence and trust in the police force.