Suhakam should be doing practical and useful work to promote and protect human rights, in particular in the area of press freedom.

It should not avoid substantive issues about freedom of speech, expression and information by getting lost in the forest of workshops, seminars and conferences.

Last week, Suhakam secretary Kamaruddin Mohd Baria announced that a press freedom workshop would be held early next month with editors from major news organisations and government officials as participants.

When I met Suhakam chairman Abu Talib Othmad in May, I expressed my concern that Suhakam was organising a workshop on press freedom in Malaysia when it should be holding inquiries into the various complaints of infringement of press freedom and violations against free speech.

I told Abu Talib that it was a matter of concern and even consternation that Suhakam seems to regard itself as an organiser of workshops rather than a body established by statute with specific powers to inquire into violations of press freedom.

There have been umpteen workshops on press freedom in the country in recent years, whether organised by journalists or the Bar Council, without any appreciable improvement in press freedom. Even Suhakam had organised two such workshops previously.

Be that as it may, Suhakam should monitor daily media coverage, both electronic and print, of the Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections and submit a special report at its proposed workshop, on the fairness of such coverage.

Over the past few days, TV1 and TV3 have degenerated into blatant Barisan Nasional by-election TV channels, displacing virtually all (other) news coverage during prime time.

These national television channels have been turned into a propaganda blitzkrieg to sell the Barisan Nasional candidates to voters in the two constituencies.

Suhakam should also set up a special team to monitor the by-elections, dealing not only with abuse of the mass media, but also the other two of the 3M electoral abuses — money politics and use of government machinery and public funds.