The inquiry panel into the Bersih 3.0 rally that the government appointed will have a wider scope than the planned inquiry initiated by the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), says the government panel chief Mohd Hanif Omar.

"If we look at the terms of reference set out by Suhakam for its inquiry, it is only focused on human rights abuses.

NONE "Instead, our terms of reference include 10 areas, are much wider in scope and not only limited to issues of human rights only," said Hanif ( right ), a former inspector-general of police.

Therefore, he said, it would be inaccurate to say that the government panel would be doing a duplicate job, adding that "so, people cannot say that it is the same as Suhakam".

Suhakam had on May 21 announced that it will initiate its own inquiry into the Bersih 3.0 protest following several request from the public, despite the government having announced its own panel to probe the matter.

The commission had in the same month concluded its probe into the Bersih 2.0 protest which was held in July last year and published its report detailing violations of human rights by the police against protesters.

Hanif said that the panel he leads has invited to Suhakam to participate in its inquiry but the commission had responded that “it was more comfortable with its own inquiry” particularly concerning human rights.

Panel wants to meet Bar Council

He also invited the Bar Council to meet with the panel for the “good of the country”.

This is despite Bar Council deputy president Christopher Leong having announced that the legal body will snub the government appointed inquiry.

“That is up to them (Bar Council), but they’ve said that even though they do not agree with my appointment to lead this panel, they had said they are still willing to meet me personally,” he said.

He added that the Bar Council had passed resolutions concerning the April 28 protest which were  different from the police and the inquiry has to look at “other angles” as well.

The Malaysian Bar had on May 11 passed several resolutions condemning the “excessive, indiscriminate and wrongful” use of tear gas and water cannons by the police on Bersih 3.0 participants and demanded the government and police to issue a public apology.

The Bar Council, which had observers during the protest, had also produced an observation report which claimed that police brutality this time round had been worse.