Sack the 'defiant' IGP, PM told
- From: fairplay <fairplay@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 08:34:13 -0600
Sack the 'defiant' IGP, PM told
Malaysiakini.com
Mar 30, 06 6:06pm
Inspector-General of Police Mohd Bakri Omar should be sacked if he continued to reject the proposal to set-up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
In a joint statement today, social reform movement Aliran and human rights groups Hakam and Suaram called on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to put his foot down.
“The IGP's position is in open defiance of the prime minister who had endorsed the IPCMC earlier to clean up the police force tainted by massive corruption and flagrant abuse of power.
"The premier must put a stop to this nonsensical stance of the IGP and sack him if he chooses to remain as IGP while continuing to oppose the IPCMC,” they said.
This is the only way for the premier to honour his pledge to Malaysians - that is to reform the police force, they added.
Describing the IGP’ stance as ‘appalling and unprofessional’, they called on Bakri to resign if he could not accept the proposal.
"His stance is also a reflection of a police force that is increasingly becoming uncontrollable and unaccountable to anyone in the country," they said.
Dangerous precedent
Echoing this, Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang also called for Bakri’s resignation.
The police chief's resistance to the proposal, which has been given the green light by the prime minister, should not be tolerated, he said.
In a statement today, he said Bakri's rejection was a disservice to the nation in undermining the premier’s reform pledge of a clean, efficient, accountable and transparent public service.
He urged the police chief to resign if he is not prepared to accept the authority of the premier, cabinet and parliament.
"The only honourable way out for him (Bakri) is to resign to express his opposition and not to be guilty of insubordination by wearing the uniform of the IGP to openly go against the authority of the prime minister and cabinet," he added.
He said Bakri (right) was setting a dangerous precedent undermining the important principle in a parliamentary democracy that the public service, including the police, must be subject to civilian oversight, accountability and authority.
The police chief should have exercised responsible leadership to help convince his personnel that the IPCMC was not a ‘police-bashing’ conspiracy, said the veteran politician.
"The IGP should convince his personnel that the IPCMC is an important formula to restore public confidence in the Malaysian police,” he added.
Ulterior agenda
Lim (left) also took Bakri to task for accusing proponents of the IPCMC as having an "ulterior agenda to humiliate and demoralise the police".
He said this accusations was not only baseless and misplaced, but also cast a most unworthy and dishonourable aspersion on the integrity, character and motives of members sitting in the Royal Police Commission who proposed the establishment of the IPCMC.
"Bakri and others can disagree with the IPCMC proposal but they should never impugn the integrity, honour and patriotism of the Royal Police ommissioners and Malaysians who support the IPCMC as such support is motivated by the best interests for the police force and the nation," he added.
Lim, who is also the deputy chair of the parliamentary caucus on human rights and good governance, said the caucus submitted a memorandum to the premier supporting his public commitment for the establishment of the IPCMC.
"The caucus is urging the prime minister to stand firm to implement the key recommendation of the Royal Police Commission to establish the IPCMC despite the various opposition which had surfaced recently," he added.
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