Govt Backbenchers Call For Ipcmc Bill To Be Withdrawn

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PARLIAMENT | The Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill 2019 has caught the attention of lawmakers at the Dewan Rakyat sitting yesterday, with several government backbenchers urging the matter to be withdrawn
The tabling of the IPCMC 2019 bill was adjourned at the Dewan Rakyat session in December last year to be referred to a special select committee for improvements and was included in the Standing Orders to be tabled during the current sitting
Government backbenchers who raised the matter during the debate on the Supplementary Supply Bill (2019) 2020, have urged for the IPCMC Bill to be withdrawn as they described it as persecution of the police force
However, those from the opposition bloc urged the government to continue with the establishment of the commission as it would protect the welfare of police personnel
Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (BN-Padang Rengas) said the motion was not the agenda of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government
“As an Umno MP, I have never agreed with the establishment of the IPCMC from the beginning
He also pointed out that the IPCMC Bill requires an amendment to the Federal Constitution, which requires a two-thirds majority and based on the current political landscape, it will be impossible to achieve
Nazri said the country already had a special commission to look into matters of enforcement, namely, the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) which has the power to investigate enforcement agencies such as the Immigration Department, Customs Department and Road Transport Department (RTD)
“This (bill) is a form of persecution against police, if we want to create a special commission for the police, then we should create a similar one for immigration, Customs and the RTD,” he said
Agreeing with Nazri, Shahidan Kassim (BN-Arau) was also of the view that the IPCMC should not be introduced as it may be chaired by MP with vested interest and inexperienced in the field of the police force
'Majority of police personnel do not agree with IPCMC'“Even though the Parliament is the highest legislative institution, we are worried that the IPCMC may be chaired by those with vested interests. The majority of police personnel do not agree with IPCMC as we have other authority to check any form of misconduct,” Shahidan said
Among the government supporters who stood up in support of the IPCMC Bill to be withdrawn were Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan); Noh Omar (BN-Tanjung Karang); and Mohd Salim Mohd Sharif (BN-Jempol)
Meanwhile, Salahuddin Ayub (Pakatan Harapan-Pulai) said there was a need to establish a commission or law that the police must comply with so that the integrity of the institution could be preserved
“If the current (Perikatan Nasional) government feels that the IPCMC is unfair... it must be improved and there must be a policy or law or commission,” Salahuddin said
He went on to agree with Nazri’s view that pressure should not be placed on the police force alone because other enforcement agencies are also vulnerable to incidents of misconduct
Salahuddin’s argument received support from Rusnah Aluai (Harapan-Tangga Batu), who said that the IPCMC was not to find fault or tarnish the reputation of the police, but to look after their welfare, including matters related to the police station infrastructure facilities
- Bernama

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