I refer to the reports Where are the 17 Suhakam commissioners? and Sipaun in the dark over missing commissioners.

I also wish to draw attention to the report 'Wife in the dark over Simpang Renggam inmate's condition' where it was revealed that family members of several Simpang Renggam detainees who were on a hunger strike had come to Suhakam's office to submit a memorandum only to find no one there.

In the light of these reports, I am not at all surprised that some social activists are becoming increasingly frustrated. Some have even demanded that commissioners who are unwilling to contribute their time and energy to human rights causes should resign.

The level of commitment displayed by the Suhakam commissioners has come into serious question in recent years. Many of them come from high-profile backgrounds and this has somewhat affected the public's perception of their commitment to solving grassroots issues.

It is also public knowledge that some of the commissioners also hold important positions in other organisations and even corporate bodies. To a certain extent, I am of the opinion that these duties in other bodies, are a huge obstacle to a better quality of service by Suhakam commissioners.

Their extra portfolios, to me, are a major distraction to their work in Suhakam. With the huge amount of allowance that Suhakam commissioners are paid for their part-time service there, I cannot fathom the reason for them to hold on to their external positions.

In fact, I would assume the workload in Suhakam itself is already heavy enough to occupy all their time. In this respect, I agree with ERA Consumer and other NGOs which questioned the huge allocation of money for part-time commissioners (derived from public funds) during the Suhakam Consultation in July.

If I am not mistaken, human rights commissioners in other countries such as India and the Philippines are paid even less for full-time service. With such a handsome allowance, it is irresponsible of the commissioners if they do not give their 100 percent commitment to the rakyat (even if it is only a few days after Hari Raya).

Things are made even worse when I observe that the commissioners interviewed by the media on the Simpang Renggam issue failed to corroborate each other's response but rather, formulated very individualistic answers.

I am concerned with the affairs of Suhakam as firstly, this body has been made possible by taxpayers' money of which I have contributed to.

Secondly, as a citizen, I have put my utmost trust in Suhakam as a legitimate body that will effectively confront, protect and promote human rights issues in the country.

Thirdly, I want people (not necessarily VIPs) who are passionate about human rights to help me and society to confront and deal with our human rights problems whenever we are facing one (not just whenever Suhakams feels like helping us).

To me, commissioners who work for Suhakam must be ever ready to serve the public and be always willing to sacrifice time, money and effort in the interest of the people's rights.

If they only find their jobs at Suhakam a stepping stone to solidify their reputation or influence in the public eye, then I would like to urge our Yang Di Pertuan Agong to consider carefully when extending the tenures.

The King may want to consider new appointments who are more willing to do the job. I would also urge the Suhakam chairman, Abu Talib Othman, to be more concerned with the on-goings of the commissioners and not to simply ignore the problem of their non-performance.

Becoming appointed commissioner of Suhakam, in my personal opinion, is not about getting into the limelight, having lofty allowances or going on free trips to human rights conferences abroad.

It is about being sincere, transparent and committed to your duty in order to do your best to protect the rights of the people and to strive for justice 24 hours a day, seven days a week.