Panel questions IPCC's silence on police abuses

Summary

• A panel questions the IPCC's silence on cases of police officers perpetuating abuse.

• Malaysian Bar member Ramachelvam Manimuthu says the commission has not publicised any of its work since its formation.

• Another panellist, human rights activist and lawyer Firdaus Husni says the government doesn't have genuine intentions to promote police accountability.

A panel today questioned the Independent Police Conduct Commission's (IPCC) silence on matters of police officers perpetuating abuse.

During the panel organised by the Malaysian Bar, Ramachelvam Manimuthu said the commission has not publicised the work it has done since it was formed.

"We have not seen any reports coming out.

"We have not seen them taking a stand on the various police abuses that have taken place, on the various deaths in custody, on the various police shootings and deaths that have resulted from those police shootings or police encounters," the Bar Council committee for civil law and law reform co-chairperson said.

He called for the IPCC to engage with the public and civil society organisations (CSOs) to highlight its work.

The panel on the IPCC and police accountability was held at the Malaysian Bar in Kuala Lumpur this evening.

‘Toothless’

The IPCC has been operational since July 1, 2023, and was formed through the passing of the IPCC Act in 2022.

Several quarters have panned the commission since its establishment with the Malaysian Bar calling it “toothless” and “lacks authority” to uphold police accountability.

The organisation has been vocal over the past years on the enforcement of the Act, opting for the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to be established instead of the IPCC.

The IPCMC has similar functions to IPCC except it is conducted by an independent group that is not tied to the police force.

The IPCMC Bill was initially tabled in 2018 but it was replaced with the IPCC in 2020 when Perikatan Nasional became government.

During the panel, Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR) chief human rights strategist Firdaus Husni questioned the government's intentions to provide police accountability.

"I don’t actually see genuine intentions (from the government)," she said.

Government tool

Another panellist, Suhakam commissioner Ragunath Kesavan, explained this by saying intentions change when a political bloc takes power as the government.

Enforcement authorities become a political tool for the government to wield, he added.

Besides that, Firdaus said the IPCC is much weaker than the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) as it lacks a provision for public hearings.

Accountability can only be done through transparency, she explained.

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