Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he must be 'careful' regarding the proposal to set-up an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

According to him, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail was still studying the proposal put forward by the Royal Police Commission.

"It is not that I want to dillydally (the formation of IPCMC) but I have to be careful... It is not something that I want to ignore," he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

The premier added that he would need to take into consideration all the views regarding the matter.

Abdullah was in the House to answer questions raised by MPs during their debates on the 9th Malaysia Plan (9MP) in his ministerial winding-up.

Despite being given the green light by the premier, the IPCMC proposal was opposed by the police and several Umno backbenchers while the opposition and civil society groups pushed for it.

The government later revealed that it was also considering the possibility of setting-up an ombudsman to monitor all enforcement agencies.

Fighting corruption

Meanwhile, Abdullah also stressed his administration's seriousness and commitment in fighting corruption.

He said although the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) fell under the purview of the Prime Minister's Department, it has been given a free hand to conduct its investigations.

"The positioning of the ACA under the PM's Department is meant for administrative purposes, logistic, budget and its staff, it does involve the agency's daily operations," he told the House.

Moving to another matter, Abdullah denied that Islam Hadhari (or civilisational Islam) - mooted by him - has become the 'directive' of the country under the 9MP.

He was responding to Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang's argument on the matter.

"The principles of Islam Hadhari do not go against the Rukunegara in any way and are accepted well by society whether Muslims or non-Muslims.

"The Islam Hadhari approach has obtained the consensus and support from each level of society, including cabinet members and Barisan Nasional component parties. The announcement that Malaysia is an Islamic country is no longer a matter that needs to be questioned.

"The position of Islam as the official religion and freedom of religion will continue to be defended in this country," he stressed.