PETALING JAYA: Two activist groups have called for the revival of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) until a new police watchdog agency is set up.

Speaking to FMT, spokesmen for the Citizen Action Group on Enforced Disappearances (CAGED) and National Human Rights Society (Hakam) told FMT they believed the government made an unwise decision in dismissing members of the commission last October.

Rama Ramanathan of CAGED said the government appeared to have been too confident that the senate would pass the bill allowing for the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

“It assumed the Dewan Rakyat would rubber stamp the proposal,” he said.

Last month, the senate decided to defer its consideration of the IPCMC bill to its next sitting in March.

Rama said Putrajaya should have maintained the appointments of the EAIC commissioners.

Six commissioners – Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim, Leong May Chan, Lee Sow Siong, Sabariah Hassan, James Nayagam and Abang Ekhsan Othman – had their three-year contracts cut short last October.

They received letters saying their contract had ended on Sept 30. One such letter was shown to FMT. It contained no explanation for the termination.

The EAIC is empowered to investigate and conduct hearings into complaints against the police force and other enforcement agencies. It has not been abolished, but Rama noted that it could not perform its functions without the commissioners.

He called for the appointment of new commissioners so that its work could continue.

Hakam secretary-general Lim Wei Jiet said he feared that the cessation of the commission’s work would result in a backlog of cases.

“The government needs to appoint suitable people as commissioners so that there is no delay in the EAIC’s work,” he said.

Sumber : Free Malaysia Today