http://dapmalaysia.org  

DAP proposes amendment to  the name and  terms of reference of the Police Royal Commission to spell out clearly its objective to restore public confidence in a professional, effective and  trustworthy world-class police force to reduce crime,  the fear of crime and uphold democratic way of life Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Penang,  Friday): The Chairman of the Special Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police, Tun Dzaiddin Abdullah has fixed next Wednesday, February 11, for the first Commission meeting.  Next Wednesday, the Cabinet should also amend the name and the terms of reference of the Commission.  Calling it a Special Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police is not only quite a mouthful, but may be a misnomer as its objective should not be just to enhance police operations and management but to review its very raison d’etre, in particular as the custodian of a just law and order as well as to uphold the Rukunegara objective of a democratic Malaysian way of life.   When the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi first announced the formation of a Police Royal Commission, he spoke of the need for an effective, trustworthy and professional world-class police force to restore public confidence and  meet the challenges of the 21st century, and it is a great disappointment that such a mission statement had been completely omitted in the Commission’s six-point term of reference.   It would appear that a major battle about the Commission’s  terms of reference had been fought behind-the-scenes, and those who wanted it to have the widest remit to restore public confidence by having a professional world-class police service had lost out, while the winners were those who wanted to hem in  the commission to the narrow focus to “enhance police operations and management”.   The Cabinet should conduct a review and recommend that the Yang di Pertuan Agong amend the charter for the commission to make it very clear that it is a Royal Commission with the mission statement to restore public confidence in an effective, trustworthy and  professional world-class police force to reduce crime, the fear of crime and uphold the Rukunegara objective of maintaining a democratic way of life  as its major term of reference.  Alternatively, the Commission at its first meeting should give this proposal serious consideration and itself recommend to the Cabinet that a much  larger and more holistic term of reference would be more appropriate to the tasks which had been entrusted to it. (6/2/2004) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman