The new Home Minister hopes to make the country among the safest in the world.
Priorities:
- Set up independent commission to monitor police misconduct, enable public to complain about the force
- Review or abolish laws such as Sedition Act, mandatory death sentence, Sosma
- Reduce red tape delaying registration of citizens
- Reduce crime rate
- Prevent drug abuse
New Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin says he wants to restore the image of the police to enable the force to regain public trust and confidence.
An independent commission will be set up to monitor alleged police misconduct and enable the public to air complaints about the force, he said at a press conference on his first day reporting for duty at the Home Ministry.
In 2005, a Royal Commission of Inquiry had recommended the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
However, then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi shelved the proposal following opposition by the police and other parties.
Instead, the government subsequently set up the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) but it proved ineffective as it has to respond to complaints from 18 different government agencies and departments and does not have prosecuting powers.
Muhyiddin also reiterated the pledge in the Pakatan Harapan election manifesto to review several laws that are deemed unnecessary or inappropriate.
These include the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, Sedition Act 1948, Prevention of Crime Act 1959, mandatory death sentence, Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 and Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015.
“We will look into these laws and evaluate if there is a need to review or abolish them,” he said.
He also said he would give priority to reduce bureaucratic red tape delaying the registration of citizens, especially in rural areas.
“This will reduce the problems faced, especially by stateless Indians, who still have only red identification cards.
“Our focus will include those in Sarawak and Sabah. We will conduct an in-depth study to solve citizenship problems,” he said.
Another area that would receive priority would be measures to reduce the crime rate and prevent drug abuse, he added.
He said he hoped to make Malaysia among the safest in the world, like Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
“We can emulate the measures taken by these countries, even though the state of our nation is different from theirs.
“But I hope that one day, we will be able to achieve a status where Malaysia will be a nation free from the fear of being harassed or harmed when we move around,” he said.