Give timeline on IPCC amendments, Saifuddin told

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has been urged to provide a clear timeline for when the government plans to revise the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) Act 2020.

Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy made this call when he spoke at a forum titled “Hak Asasi Manusia Di Bawah Saifuddin Nasution - Apa Sudah Jadi?” organised by several NGOs at the Advance Tertiary College in Kuala Lumpur last night.

“Is there political will to do it (revise the Act)? Or is there intention to give the IPCC Act more power (in handling complaints about police officers)?

“If there is such will, where is the timeline and where are the issues that we (activists) have brought up?

“When will Saifuddin revise it?” Sevan questioned.

The current IPCC Act was passed by the BN-led Ismail Sabri Yaakob administration in July 2022 and is widely viewed by critics as a toothless replacement for the IPCMC Bill, which Pakatan Harapan mooted in 2019.

Last month, Saifuddin (above) told the Dewan Rakyat that the act will be revised for further empowerment when the time comes.

“We (Home Ministry) take the approach that if in the future there is a need for us to review the Act, we will examine it at that time,” he said in the august house.

Saifuddin, who is also PKR secretary-general, also called for critics to believe in the Act.

“The principle we have is that laws are dynamic by nature, not static, and the IPCC Act has only been in force for a year.

“I think a more reasonable approach is to give space and belief in the IPCC Act to perform,” he said.

In January, a group of 57 civil society organisations told the government that strengthening the IPCC Act through transparency and accountability are the sharp fangs the legislation needs to end police violence.

Don’t fail us, Saifuddin

Sevan reminded Saifuddin not to claim that he is a “new minister” when addressing pressing matters under his ministry, pointing out that the latter has been serving in the Madani government for over one and a half years.

“Issues like custodial deaths and torture in detention... Saifuddin is no longer a ‘new minister’.

“In two years’ time, he will be focusing on the (16th) general election.

“We hope that he will win and not fail as a minister. Although he has failed many times to emerge victorious as a senator, we hope he doesn’t fail as a minister,” Sevan said in a sarcastic tone.

Saifuddin lost the Kulim-Bandar Baharu parliamentary seat in GE15 to Perikatan Nasional in a four-way tussle.

Following his appointment as the home minister in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s cabinet line-up, Saifuddin was sworn in as a senator in the Dewan Negara on Dec 3, 2022.

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