KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — The Malaysian Human Rights Commission’s (Suhakam) reports on the disappearance of pastor Raymond Koh and activist Amri Che Mat have to be raised in the Dewan Rakyat before the parliamentary Defence and Home Affairs Committee can make recommendations to the government.
Its chairman Datuk Mansor Othman said the committee has one more week for the report to be referred to it.
“We have not received it yet… Usually the process is for it to be raised in Dewan Rakyat for the case to be referred to the committee.
“We have a few more days.… after we receive the report, then we can make recommendations and propose to the government,” he told Malay Mail when contacted today.
The Nipong Tebal MP said the committee is also currently hearing briefings from various agencies under the Defence and Home Affairs Ministries.
As for the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill, which was reported to be tabled in the current Parliament sitting, Mansor said he has not yet seen the said Bill.
“There is one more week to go, we will see if it will be tabled [next week],” he said.
Suhakam had suggested the setting up of the IPCMC as one of its recommendations in the two reports on Koh and Amri’s enforced disappearances.
The draft of the IPCMC Bill was completed last November before it was sent to the Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC).
Last September, Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad announced the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) would be replaced with the IPCMC in order for the police oversight body to act independently and to look into police complaints more holistically.
The replacement of the EAIC with the IPCMC was in line with Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto to enable investigations and the handling of matters concerning police integrity and misconduct.
