KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar supports the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the Inspector-General of Police's (IGP) recent "cartel within the police force" allegation.
IGP Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador recently revealed about the existence of a cartel seeking to bring him down and control the police force (PDRM) for its own purposes.
Malaysian Bar President A G Kalidas said such an allegation is shocking and would seriously erode public confidence in the police.
"The Malaysian Bar, therefore, calls for an urgent investigation into the IGP's assertions through the establishment of an independent RCI to get to the bottom of the matter.
"A transparent and independent investigation has to be instituted without delay to determine the veracity of the IGP's worrying claims, and to ensure that the integrity of the PDRM is preserved," he said in a statement today.
Kalidas said the failure to establish an RCI on the matter would leave many questions unanswered over the revelation from the nation's top cop.
"It may give rise to an inference that there are substantive problems within the PDRM or that those in power have something to hide".
He added that the allegation made by Abdul Hamid has the unfortunate effect of casting aspersions on all members of the police force, the vast majority of whom are law-abiding and doing their utmost to protect life and property.
Kalidas said only an RCI will help clear the air and help restore public confidence in the many men and women in the police force.
"An allegation of manoeuvrings within the most important agency trusted to uphold law and order re-ignites our long-held clarion call that this nation desperately needs a properly empowered, independent, and external oversight body to investigate complaints against the police force - the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission.
"We take the view that the mooted Independent Police Conduct Commission does not have sufficient disciplinary authority to handle complaints against misbehaving police officers and falls far short of the kind of independent and external oversight body that this nation deserves," he said.