THE government has been asked to reconsider the appointment of former inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor as a mediator in southern Thailand peace talks.

Senator Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff said the appointment was inappropriate as Rahim did not have a good track record.

“Rahim does not have integrity, and he was even convicted of a serious crime – beating up a (former) top country leader.

“To ensure effective peace talks, the one appointed as facilitator must be someone with indisputable credibility,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

He said he agreed with PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, who described Rahim as “a brutal assaulter of an innocent man”.

She was referring to the “black eye” incident involving her father, Anwar Ibrahim, who was beaten while in police custody after being detained on sodomy and corruption charges in 1998.

Rahim, 75, replaces Ahmad Zamzamin Hashim as a mediator in peace talks between the Thai government and Mara Patani, an umbrella body representing militant groups in southern Thailand.

Yusmadi, who was sworn in as senator yesterday, proposed several names to replace Rahim, among them being PKR president-elect Anwar and former tourism and culture minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz. – Bernama, August 28, 2018.