I urge all Malaysians to ponder the seriousness of the proposed Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) which appears to have been bushwhacked by the very people it was meant to help exonerate - the hardworking, professional and decent policemen and women serving in the country.

Do not throw away the rare opportunity to make a change for the better in the country's all- important police force. In fact, every politician worth his salt should be standing behind it - not against it.

The failure of the inspector-general of police to welcome the proposed commission is disappointing and raises the question of his determination in improving the image and standard of the police force.

The IPCMC is too important to be politicised because it will serve as a safeguard for the integrity of the police force and ensure it operates to the highest standards. Surely this must be what every Malaysian and the police themselves want. It can only be a win-win outcome for everyone, except the black sheep in the police force. The IPCMC will weed them out.

Let the people decide if they want such a body or not, but certainly it is improper for the police to dictate to the government. It would only cause the public to think the police are afraid of transparency and accountability.

Those that have obstructed the establishment of the commission, such as certain members of parliament, prove they are more interested in following the dictates of their political masters than serving the higher interests of the rakyat, the people who put them into office. Perhaps there should be open debate why the police think the IPCMC is a bad idea. What was told to the MPs behind closed doors that the public does not know?

The implementation of the IPCMC would be a watershed achievement for all. Instead its future is bleak and those who know how to exploit inherent weaknesses in the system must be celebrating their victory.

But all is not lost. The rakyat must continue to peacefully but firmly work towards bringing the police force and every arm of the government into a proper system of checks and balances. The Royal Police Commission may have served its limited purpose but the rakyat should not give up its pursuit of good governance which requires a professional and independent police force.

I also read with grave concern the antics of Umno Youth who resorted to intimidating an elected member of parliament who was merely doing his job. The 50 individuals who delivered a letter to the MCA politician are setting a bad example for Malaysian youth. Such a hostile act was unbecoming and gratuitous. It is an attempt to silence a democratic voice. They owe the public an apology.

Surely such a hostile and provocative approach is un-Malaysian, especially when you consider that they and the affected member of parliament belongs to the ruling coalition. It is incredible that such people have the nerve to talk about sensitivity when they themselves are more blatant in their insensitive actions.

Law-abiding Malaysians ought not to be frightened by those who resort to mob tactics. Or politicians who threaten them. No elected politician has the power to unfairly ill-treat or intimidate a citizen unless he or she believes in the abuse of power or in breaking the law.

I encourage Abdullah Ahmad Badawi not to flinch in his fight to reform the government and the country. Good governance is not the province only of those in government but the people because only when the people's voice is heard, their anguish felt, their cries for relief and help responded to, then the function of government has meaning - it is a government of the people and for the people.

So bring on the IPCMC, it is the only decent apparatus to counter police abuses and enhance good governance, because nothing else has worked. To say the status quo is satisfactory is a denial of reality and an act against good governance. It is a betrayal of the country's efforts in becoming a developed, just and advanced nation. In good faith, we should all accept the IPCMC.