Cops should come clean on abuse of power, say NGOs

KUALA LUMPUR: Non-governmental organisations have urged police to come clean on any abuse of power to restore the public’s faith in the integrity of the force.

They called for the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to be sped up to safeguard the force’s reputation.

Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan and the Group of 25 (G25), in a joint statement yesterday, said IPCMC could serve as a watchdog on the functions of the police.

“Police forces in advanced countries have such a system of monitoring and verification to give confidence to the public that their interests against abuse of power are safeguarded,” it said.

The NGOs urged the police to be “magnanimous, open, truthful and to move on”.

“While serious criminal conduct by individuals has to be dealt with, protecting the integrity of the police force ranks supreme.

“They (police) must also be made accountable for miscar

riage of justice.

“This is in line with the institutional reforms for a responsible government as promised in the Pakatan Harapan election manifesto.”

The NGOs expressed concern about the Human Rights Commission’s (Suhakam) report on Pastor Raymond Koh and activist Amri Che Mat, which alleged that Bukit Aman’s Special Branch was involved in their disappearances.

“This would further erode the public confidence in the police force as past missteps and bad governance during the previous administration have yet to be redeemed,” they said, urging police to act on the commission’s claims.

Their views were echoed by Amnesty International Malaysia, which said the government must take seriously the results of the Suhakam inquiry instead of dismissing the findings as hearsay.

Its executive director, Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu, said allegations that the state, in particular Bukit Aman, was responsible for the disappearances was not to be dismissed lightly, and that the government had a responsibility to investigate the findings.

“Suhakam, in its year-long labour, should not be trivialised for its findings. Instead, the government needs to act in the interest of the families and the public.”

She said the two men’s disappearance underscored the need for the introduction of IPCMC. “Police accountability is a major issue, and the government needs to expedite the setting up of IPCMC, in line with Pakatan Harapan’s election promise to enable an independent oversight body to investigate police misconduct.”

The Bar Council said Suhakam’s findings were a “damning indictment” of the Special Branch, which it described as “privileged, and protected from scrutiny and accountability”.

Bar Council president Abdul Fareed Abdul Gafoor said it supported the Suhakam inquiry panel’s call for the establishment of a task force to reclassify, reopen and reinvestigate the cases.

“The Malaysian Bar strongly urges the government to take the decision of the inquiry panel with the utmost seriousness, and to adopt and immediately implement the inquiry panel’s recommendations.

This would further erode the public confidence in the police force as past missteps and bad governance during the previous administration have yet to be redeemed. PERSATUAN PATRIOT KEBANGSAAN AND GROUP OF 25

Non-governmental organisations