Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang is ready to table the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) draft bill as a Private Member's Bill at the next sitting of Parliament.

"...it is urgent and imperative that the draft IPCMC bill prepared by the Royal police commission as an annexure in its report should be tabled in the forthcoming parliamentary meeting starting on June 20 for deliberation despite its inadequacies and shortcomings to ensure a truly independent and effective IPCMC," he said today in a statement.

Lim has submitted a notice to the Parliament to table the IPCMC draft bill as a Private Member's Bill but he is prepared to withdraw it if the government tables one instead.

"If the government is not prepared to present any IPCMC bill, I will propose to (Mohd) Nazri (Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department) that the government accepts the Private Member's Bill as the basis for the establishment of the IPCMC," he said.

The commission proposed the IPCMC as an independent agency to oversee public complaints against the police force and called for it to be set up by May next year.

Its principal functions will be to hold inquiries into public complaints, curb police corruption and formulate mechanisms to detect, investigate and prevent serious misconduct.

The IPCMC will have a maximum of seven members including a chairperson and two deputies for a term to be specified in the appointment letter.

The commission, headed by former chief justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, made 125 recommendations in a 607-page report released earlier this month on ways to improve the police force.

Limited powers

Lim said the recommendation to establish an independent oversight mechanism in the form of IPCMC is the "most important of all its recommendations".

However, he noted that there were weaknesses in the draft IPCMC bill that would undermine its independence and effectiveness.

He said the IPCMC has limited powers to call for public prosecutor to account for failure to prosecute police officers for misconduct such as police brutality, deaths in custody, mistreatment and abuse of detainees and prisoners including torture and rape of inmates.

Lim also proposed that a parliamentary select committee on the IPCMC bill be set up to receive public feedback and to make recommendations on the final form of the bill for parliamentary debate within a period of three months.

In another statement, he said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should prove that he is ready to make tough decisions in his all-out war against corruption.

"Malaysians and the world are now waiting to see whether he is prepared to make a second tough decision - to declare zero tolerance for corruption..." he said.

On another matter, Lim said the government should accept former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamed's suggestion to make public the full list of those who have been given approved permits (APs) to import cars. He said this move would allow for transparency and integrity.

Mahathir had made the call in response to allegations that the government has been unfair in issuing APs.