KUALA LUMPUR – Political parties are pressing the government to establish the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) following an alleged assault on a disabled e-hailing driver by a police escort linked to Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
PKR Youth and Muda, in separate statements, highlighted the need for the IPCMC due to the incident involving the police escort of a VIP, which has raised concerns about the integrity of the police and eroded public trust.
PKR Youth central committee member Farah Ariana said that such cases compromise the police force’s credibility and its duty to protect vulnerable individuals.
She criticised the treatment of the victim, who reported feeling pressured to settle the case and accept compensation under threat of having his phone confiscated, despite needing it for his job as a Grab driver.
“Victims, especially persons with disabilities, who file a police report alleging assault should not be treated as if they are suspects,” she said.
“The victim in this case also reportedly felt pressured by authorities to ‘settle’ the case and accept compensation if he did not want his phone to be confiscated.
“The options given (by the police to the victim) are illogical as the victim relied on his phone to continue his job as a Grab driver.”
Muda urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to leverage the unity government’s two-thirds majority in Parliament to pass legislation establishing the IPCMC.
The party argued that the incident highlighted flaws in police operations and governance, given the “intimidation” against the victim reported by the media.
“If this issue wasn’t leaked to or exposed by the media, this injustice would have gone under the radar. This implies there is a possibility that the public was not made aware of similar cases.
“It is hoped that the prime minister will come up with actual solutions, instead of only issuing statements or holding press conferences to boldly claim he will not compromise (in combating such issues).”
The party also assured that its sole parliamentary representative, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, will support the tabling of a bill on the IPCMC.
In January, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced the appointment of five out of seven members of the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC).
The commission was enforced in July last year after the Dewan Rakyat passed the IPCC Act 2020 in July 2022 under former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s tenure.
The IPCC Act has been criticised as being a toothless replacement for the IPCMC Bill, which the first Pakatan Harapan administration put forward in 2019.
Earlier today, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng called on the police to clarify the circumstances under which they can seize an individual’s phone or device.
It is understood that Ong’s dashboard camera was also seized and footage of the incident was erased.
The DAP lawmaker’s call for clarity comes after the victim, Ong Ing Keong, previously claimed that he felt pressured into dropping his initial police report on the May 28 incident in exchange for RM800 in compensation.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husan has since said that police will thoroughly investigate the alleged assault, saying: “The officers involved in this incident will be called to Bukit Aman to facilitate the investigation”.
The alleged assault by an escort of “a VIP” was confirmed on Tuesday by Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.
However, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa later said the victim had lodged a second police report to state that the matter had been settled and that he did not wish to prolong the issue.
Following Rusdi’s statement, legal rights group Lawyers for Liberty yesterday said that even if the victim had lodged a second police report to state that the matter had been resolved, police have a statutory duty to continue investigating the alleged offence because of its criminal nature. – June 1, 2024