Human rights group Suaram today expressed serious concern over the government's re-tabling of the Special Complaints Commission (SCC) Bill instead of the Independent Police Complaint and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill in this current session of the Parliament.

According to Minister in Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, the final version of the SCC bill has not been completed.

bad police officers It would be reviewed by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak dan Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar shortly.

"We welcome the government's effort in making amendments to the previous version of the SCC bill as it may be a good sign that the government is giving serious attention to the memorandum submitted by 44 civil society organisations last December.

"However, we would like to remind the government that the standard of this proposed SCC bill should not be lower than the IPCMC bill," said Suaram coordinator Moon Hui in a statement today.

Among others, he said, the drafted SCC bill should include the concern of the need for an independent complaints mechanism to make the police accountable to the public for their actions and omission to act on public complaints.

This was emphasised by the royal commission in its 2005 report, that the internal mechanisms currently governed by police themselves are inadequate, unreliable and frequently ineffective.

Powers to conduct investigations

Secondly, Moon Hui said, the bill should empower this complaint mechanism with powers to conduct independent investigations into public complaints against the police force.

"In the previous proposed SCC Bill, all public complaints will only be redirected to the police for investigation.

"It raises serious doubts in the public as to how the police force can effectively investigate complaints against themselves especially when it involves high ranking police officers," he added.

Thirdly, Moon Hui said this mechanism should have the power to impose punishment on police personnel found guilty after investigations are conducted, as recommended in the original IPCMC bill.

"We also urge the government to make the proposed SCC bill available for public comments and to initiate consultation with civil society to address public concerns with regards to the bill before tabling it in Parliament.

"The bill should not be devoid of public participation and consultation and the general public should not be kept in the dark. Prime Minister Abdullah should keep to the promise he made to the public in 2004 to ensure greater accountability and transparency.

"We are looking forward to an SCC bill that will be a powerful body that can realise the above wishes, as well as transform the police force to be more responsible, professional and accountable to the public for their actions," he added.

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