KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 – Tun Abdullah Badawi rushed from Putrajaya and arrived in Parliament at 4.30pm.
Even though there was only an hour left to proceedings, the former prime minister wanted to see what MPs had to say in Dewan Rakyat.
They were, after all, debating the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (Siap) Bill, the last of the reform bills he had proposed when he was still premier.
Abdullah had been attending Parliament – his first since handing over power to Datuk Seri Najib Razak in April – quite regularly, earning praise from his fellow backbenchers in Barisan Nasional (BN).
An aide told The Malaysian Insider that he still wants to observe proceedings, especially the completion of the reform package that he had promised Malaysians last year.
Three other reform bills had been passed while he was still prime minister, namely the Judicial Appointments Commission and Witness Protection Bills along with the much-maligned Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Siap will cover complaints made against various enforcement agencies and is a modified version of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission that was first proposed by a Royal Commission in 2005.
Some say it is improved as it covers a wider range of agencies rather than just the police while critics say it has been watered down since it has no power to prosecute.
Abdullah will now get a chance to hear first-hand what MPs think of Siap.
But it remains to be seen if the commission will perform to expectations as opposed to how the MACC has blighted his final legacy.
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
