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Thursday, 3 May 2012

Govt mulling independent panel on Bersih 3.0

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says an independent committee may be set up to verify the findings of the police.

PUTRAJAYA: The government may set up an independent panel to investigate Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally and the members may be announced “in due time”, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.

“We discussed in the post-Cabinet, we have no objection at all in forming an independent panel to verify whatever findings made by the police, even against their own personnel,” he told a press conference after chairing the ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting here today.

“The Inspector-General of Police [Ismail Omar) also wants the matter to be transparent even if it involved the police. We want transparency. We want justice and everything will be done in accordance with the rule of law," he added.

He also said that the ministry and the police would air the recordings of Saturday's rally so that the incident would not be exploited by the opposition and the international media.

He said recordings of the rally which had been aired, especially by the international media, focused only on police action in firing tear gas and water cannons.

The incident where the protesters breached the police barricades at Dataran Merdeka was not shown, he added.

"The Cabinet has agreed to show the actual incident; the sequence of events on how the police acted will be aired. We will find a mechanism [to air the video recording],” he added.

Meanwhile, Cabinet has ordered the police and the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail to expedite investigations and prosecute those responsible for creating disorder in Kuala Lumpur during the Bersih 3.0 rally.

Hishammuddin said stern action would be taken against those found to have breached the country’s laws.

“The Cabinet unanimously agreed that the government has to take all necessary measures and action to maintain security and public order in the country.

“The Cabinet also gave its assurance that the security of the country and its people is above the political interest of any individual or group.”

Hishammuddin said the government regrets the action of some participants at the rally for turning violent and causing injury to policemen, as well as damage to public property.

Bernama

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