Has Hishammuddin broken ranks?
Published: Feb 6, 2006 7:29 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
Why is Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi not getting the 'full and unequivocal support' from a key cabinet minister and the Umno Youth leader for the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)?
That's the question being asked after it was reported that Umno Youth was "not likely to support" the setting up of IPCMC.
Why is Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi not getting the 'full and unequivocal support' from a key cabinet minister and the Umno Youth leader for the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)?
That's the question Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang is asking after it was reported that Umno Youth was "not likely to support" the all-powerful police watchdog body.
The Star reported today that Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein Onn, who is also Umno Youth chief, as saying that Umno Youth was unlikely to back the IPCMC.
"The commission is not going to solve our problems. There are many mechanisms already in place for checks and balances in the police force," Hishammuddin was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
However, New Straits Times published a different version of what Hishammuddin had said in Penang's Kepala Batas yesterday.
According to the newspaper, Umno Youth planned to meet the police top brass before deciding whether to support the formation of IPCMC.
"Hishammuddin should be given the opportunity to clarify his position, although his ambivalent stand is nonetheless a matter of grave concern as he presents the spectacle of the first and a key cabinet minister openly breaking ranks with the prime minister on the issue of IPCMC," said Lim in a statement today.
Opposition to powerful watchdog
Three police organisations - the Senior Police Officers Association Inspector Branch, Senior Police Officers Association (Gazetted Branch) and Lower Rank Police Association - have all publicly expressed their opposition to the IPCMC.
This was despite that Abdullah had repeatedly vowed that IPCMC would be established and the police force must accept the decision made by the government.
The IPCMC bill, which was drafted by the Royal Police Commission, is currently being examined by the Attorney-General's Chambers before it is sent to Parliament for debate.
The IPCMC, which is the major plank of the Police Royal Commission's 125 recommendations to enhance the operations of the police force, is arguably the most powerful watchdog ever proposed in Malaysia.
Unlike existing agencies, it reports not to the prime minister but directly to Parliament, which ensures its investigations are made public.
The IPCMC, which will be a permanent body, exercises wide powers to probe the wrongdoings of the police force.
That's the question Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang is asking after it was reported that Umno Youth was "not likely to support" the all-powerful police watchdog body.
The Star reported today that Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein Onn, who is also Umno Youth chief, as saying that Umno Youth was unlikely to back the IPCMC. "The commission is not going to solve our problems. There are many mechanisms already in place for checks and balances in the police force," Hishammuddin was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
However, New Straits Times published a different version of what Hishammuddin had said in Penang's Kepala Batas yesterday.
According to the newspaper, Umno Youth planned to meet the police top brass before deciding whether to support the formation of IPCMC.
"Hishammuddin should be given the opportunity to clarify his position, although his ambivalent stand is nonetheless a matter of grave concern as he presents the spectacle of the first and a key cabinet minister openly breaking ranks with the prime minister on the issue of IPCMC," said Lim in a statement today. Opposition to powerful watchdog
Three police organisations - the Senior Police Officers Association Inspector Branch, Senior Police Officers Association (Gazetted Branch) and Lower Rank Police Association - have all publicly expressed their opposition to the IPCMC.
This was despite that Abdullah had repeatedly vowed that IPCMC would be established and the police force must accept the decision made by the government.
The IPCMC bill, which was drafted by the Royal Police Commission, is currently being examined by the Attorney-General's Chambers before it is sent to Parliament for debate. The IPCMC, which is the major plank of the Police Royal Commission's 125 recommendations to enhance the operations of the police force, is arguably the most powerful watchdog ever proposed in Malaysia.
Unlike existing agencies, it reports not to the prime minister but directly to Parliament, which ensures its investigations are made public.
The IPCMC, which will be a permanent body, exercises wide powers to probe the wrongdoings of the police force.
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