Tuesday 18 December 2007

SSC delay: Is this another disappointment in the making?

I read this with much trepidation as well as relief. I am relieved the Government decided to postpone the tabling of this controversial Special Complaints Commission ("SSC") bill to next parliament sitting in March 2008 as this bill, in the words of ex-Transparency International Malaysia head Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, fraudulent in the sense that it utterly lacks independence and powerless to act as guarantor of a first-class, incorruptible and accountable police force. Well, Tunku this is not surprising since our beloved PM has come out with a new slogan, "Support me and I will not disappoint you" now that most, if not all, of his other slogans ring hollow.

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Why the trepidation? My fear is primarily founded on timing. Now that we have time to scrutinise it, perhaps, the civil society (including you and I) can make comments about this mutated SSC bill. This is supposed to be good but why must it be postponed further given that it took the Government almost 2 years ago (since agreeing in principle to set up a commission to deal with abuse of power by the police) to come out with a mutated SSC bill that has neither the power, transparency nor independence envisioned by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police ("Royal Commission"). Is the Government's decision to postpone the SSC bill founded only on the fact they listen to the concerns of the rakyat or that in fact, there are other hidden agendas? Is this another political spin merely to lull the rakyat to believe that somehow their concerns will be addressed? If that is the case, why didn't the Government do the same when it rushed through the recent constitutional amendment which have wide implications?

I somehow don't believe the sponsors of SSC bill will barge on the aspect where the SSC commissioners are appointed by the PM instead of by Yang Dipertuan Agong on the advice of the PM or the other concern that the members of SSC consist of present chief enforcers of the law from the respective agencies. Why can't the sponsors just change the whole darn SSC bill to an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission ("IPCMC") bill per the recommendations of Royal Commission to tackle complaints of abuse of power by the police force? Why waste more of the public time and resources to demand the Government put the IPCMC bill into place instead of the mutated SSC bill?

I hope to be proven wrong of course and that some measure of faith in the police force can be restored (with what little left the rakyat have in them). For the sake of this nation, we need check and balance and we certainly need strong unbiased righteous enforcers. If they can't be trusted, who then can? If the PM wants to prove his point and not disappoint us, just sponsor the IPCMC bill and put it into effect.

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