Home Ministry stubbornly refuses to implement the IPCMC as recommended by the Royal Police Commission back in 2005. The Home Minister has mooted the idea of an internal investigative body as an alternative for the widely supported IPCMC. 

SUARAM rejects this alternative mechanism which will end up like the toothless Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) which overlooked 19 government agencies including the Royal Malaysian Police.

Although the idea suggested seems to be independent, such an internal mechanism would be similar to the PDRM’s Disciplinary Board. All complaints or investigations would be internal and will not be transparent to the public on judging the manner of the investigation or the outcome of it. Have we heard of any feedback or outcome from an internal investigation by the police on its men in blue? What have happened to the report lodged by wife of custodial death victim, Dharmendran on KL CID Chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah? What has also happened to the report lodged by Socialist Party members whom were sexually harassed while under detention in Penang back in 2011? 

Models of an oversight mechanism from other countries should be studied and analyzed before implementing an internal investigation body. The Independent Police Complaint Council in Hong Kong (IPCC) works as a body which monitors, observes and reviews the investigations made by the police and deal with every complaint properly and impartially. This will ensure that the police force is made accountable for any misconduct and is being monitored by the oversight mechanisms.

 SUARAM reiterates the call for the setting up of an independent oversight mechanism to make sure the Royal Police of Malaysia respects human rights and performs its duties in accordance with the law. The Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) has been the ongoing call from civil society groups since it was first proposed by the Royal Police Commission back in 2005.

The Home Ministry and the Royal Malaysian Police should engage with civil society in order to get a better understanding of the situation before rushing into setting up an internal investigation body.