LETTER | Former IGP Abdul Rahim Noor was convicted under Section 323 of the Penal Code and pleaded guilty to causing bodily hurt to Anwar Ibrahim at the lock-up at the police headquarters in Bukit Aman at 10.45pm on Sept 20, 1998. He was sentenced to two months in jail for this.

Of significance, in his judgment, Court of Appeal Judge Shaik Daud Ismail described Rahim's action as "despicable and inhuman”.

The judge added that when the offence was committed, Rahim was holding the highest position in the police force, and thus failed to provide "a role model to the other police officers. Instead, he stood at the lowest level".

Justice Shaik Daud also contended that Rahim's action was the worst kind of indiscipline in a disciplined force such as the police. The Court of Appeal reminded the lower courts that the court should take the case of police officers assaulting members of the public very seriously.

It was obviously a case of public interest as the highest police officer had committed physical assault on a defenseless man while in police custody, and in this case, Anwar was handcuffed and blindfolded when he was assaulted.

By appointing Rahim as the special envoy for Malaysia for mediating the peace talk in Southern Thailand insurgency, it would inevitably reflect a failure of the government to set a standard of integrity for public officers and representatives, and also show a weak determination by the new government to forge institutional reforms by the new Pakatan Harapan government.

All cabinet members are urged to collectively reject the appointment of the former IGP who was convicted of a criminal charge, to represent Malaysia in an international peace talk. This is in order to prevent the country's positive image, as a nation determined for better changes, from deteriorating.

New Malaysia should be portrayed as a nation of great humanity, and any envoy or public officer who represents the country must be of utmost integrity and fine composure.

Certain quarters have attempted to brand the issue as an inter-personal feud between Anwar's family and Abdul Rahim Noor with an intention to divert from the actual issue of setting a more stringent standard of integrity upon public officers and representatives of the government.

I, therefore, as a faithful DAP and Pakatan Harapan member sincerely urge DAP secretary-general and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to bring the issue to the Cabinet meeting for an in-depth soul searching by the present Cabinet members in regards to where the new standard for Malaysian public officers' integrity shall lie.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.