I raised a crucial matter in Parliament yesterday that the Independent Police Conduct Commission Bill 2020 (IPCC) which was listed in the Parliament Order paper has not been debated over the last two years. 

The government keeps delaying and pushing it to future Parliament sittings. This has been done many times. 

This is a major concern to the public.

We have seen so many cases of police misconduct which makes this bill vital, yet the government does not have the will to debate it.

The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has said that there were at least 34 deaths in police custody in 2020 while recent reports have already indicated that there were at least 13 custodial deaths already this year.

There must be appropriate consultations with Pakatan Harapan so that the bill that is eventually passed encompasses the right traits and is not merely advisory in nature and under executive control.

I’d like to point out that the criticisms by the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) must be acknowledged; they urged the government to improve the bill, which it described as a “pale reflection” of recommendations by a 2005 royal commission on police reforms. It lacks the powers to prosecute.

The bill must be a strong one. Strong enough to serve as a check and balance to the police force.

We share the belief that 99% of the police force is competent and do their work diligently. We however cannot have even a single police personnel acting out of order because of the duty they play in society. All Malaysians must be able to trust the entire police force.

There is no reason for any more delay and I urge the government to find the political will to push this through.

M. Kula Segaran

MP Ipoh Barat