The open 'uprising' within the police force and a peaceful demonstration that turned bloody on Sunday has renewed calls to implement the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) immediately.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must act quickly and decisively to quell the open 'revolt'.

"Only the IPCMC can stop the crisis of authority and discipline," he said in a statement today.

"Abdullah (must) act quickly to regain the initiative over his agenda of anti-corruption, transparency, accountability and good governance by ending the open police 'revolt' so as to regain control of the police force."

When contacted for clarification, he remarked that the "right hand doesn't seem to know what the left is doing."

Last March, Inspector-General of Police Mohd Bakri Omar had publicly objected to the proposed independent police watchdog.

Such an open rejection, said Lim, has caused embarrassment to the PM who is in favour of establishing the IPCMC to curb police excesses and corruption as well as human rights abuses.

"Instead of publicly reprimanding the IGP, (Abdullah) appeared to back down by asking the attorney-general to study the best alternative," he said.

On Saturday, malaysiakini ran an exclusive report on the 'attack' against the IPCMC by the Royal Malaysia Police's internal bulletin, and which was posted on its website tagged as a special edition.

The IPCMC is among the 24 recommendations openly rejected by the police out of the 125 made by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police two years ago.

Fierce opposition

Lim said IGP's denial of consenting to the posting of the internal report "only highlights the extent of the police revolt against civilian control and authority". The document has since been taken off the website.

The posting entitled IPCMC Kuasa yang tidak boleh dicabar? (IPCMC - The ultimate authority?) emphasised the rationale for rejecting the body and contained explicit threats in the event it is established.

Lim described the 12-page as containing "ferocious criticisms" by senior personnel including Senior Police Officers' Gazetted Association chairperson ACP Jamaludin Khalid and the police chiefs of Kuala Lumpur, Pahang and Sabah.

"By threatening to allow crime to rise is utterly irresponsible and a complete surrender of the moral and legal authority of the police.

"Those who can even entertain allowing crime to rise and put property and public safety at risk as a mark of protest should either resign or be sacked for such selfish and anti-national interests attitude."

Jamaludin could not be reached for comments.

Even the PM, he said, was not spared from the stinging criticism with a suggestion that he be replaced as the internal security minister.

"Such disrespect, defiance and insubordination cannot be allowed to go unpunished or it will blur the legal authority established since Merdeka of civilian and political control over the police force."

He said instructing for the bulletin's removal from the website was insufficient because "such criticisms would have been part of the democratic process were it not for the explicit threats made".

DAP pledged its full support for the IPCMC and hoped that Abdullah will not back down from his determination to establish it.

"The IPCMC is the only alternative to cleaning up the police force to serve the larger national interest as a protector of the people to fight crime and maintain order in an efficient and trustworthy manner," Lim added.

Is PAS for or against IPCMC?

Meanwhile, parliamentary Opposition Leader and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang, in a blog statement in London on Saturday, noted PAS' shaky stand in relation to the IPCMC.

"Is PAS for or against (it)?"

Referring to the controversial internal bulletin, he said the police had implicitly opposed the principle of cabinet government and parliamentary democracy by posing "an unprecedented threat" to support the opposition in the 2009 general election.

"The question is, which opposition would the police throw their votes in support if the IPCMC is set up, if all opposition parties are clear and categorical in their support for the IPCMC?

"Is this the reason why recently, PAS' stand on the IPCMC seemed to have become quite wobbly in the hope of benefitting from a police swing against the PM, Barisan Nasional and Umno over the issue?"

He said all opposition parties, PAS in particular, must take "a clear and unequivocal stand" on the issue and prevent the police to "flex its political muscles" to hold the police beyond accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance principles.

Contacted today, PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa declined to comment except to promise a response later after referring to party officials.

"We are currently very busy entertaining the (Hamas) foreign minister , who has boycotted all official functions after being treated badly at Non-Aligned Movement talks (in Kuala Lumpur) yesterday."

Lim is in London on a study tour of, among others, of the UK Independent Police Complaints Commission, the ombudsman system, and the parliamentary reform/modernisation and information policy.

Describing the website posting as "mind-boggling", he said the move has "taken the police insurbordination and revolt against Abdullah to another brazen and completely unacceptable level".

Lim also dismissed the 10 reasons why the police are opposed to the IPCMC as being unable to "stand up to any public scrutiny and debate".

Meanwhile, a Bukit Aman statement said today that the police will abide and adhere to any decision made on the IPCMC by the attorney-general or the government.