Human rights watchdog Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) has given the country and the Najib Administration a great big 'F' for its human rights record.

On a scale of 1 to 10, Suaram awarded Malaysia the failing grade of 4 under the premiership of Najib Abdul Razak.

suaram human rights report 091209 kua kia song Suaram founder Kua Kia Soong likened Malaysia to an authoritarian 'Banana Republic'.

"Even this, is putting it mildly," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today, during which he discussed the main points of the Suaram annual report on human rights in Malaysia.

He quipped that, the year has been marked by the fact that all Suaram staff have been arrested "at one time or other".

Kua reckoned that, as far as human rights and democracy are concerned, Malaysia fared better during colonial times.

"We are actually going backwards," he said, recounting how in colonial times, there were local government elections, political rallies, peaceful public assemblies and more Chinese and Tamil schools.

All of these are sorely lacking today, he noted.

'Signs of authoritarianism'

Suaram activist John Liu echoed this view when describing Malaysia's deplorable track record, especially in detentions without trial and curtailing freedom of assembly.

"Najib is clearly showing signs of authoritarianism. The government has displayed intolerance to civil disobedience and dissent," he said.

He mentioned the slew of arrests under ISA and other preventive laws such as the Emergency Ordinance and Dangerous Drugs Act, which have continued to see almost 1,000 people detained without trial.

suaram human rights report 091209 john liu More worryingly, according to Liu, is "the culture of impunity which is pervasive in the police and other enforcement agencies", as proven by the worrying trend of extrajudicial deaths and custodial deaths.

Worse, this culture is seeping into other state institutions, he said, leading to the questionable independence and impartiality of institutions like the civil service, judiciary and monarchy. He singled out the chaos in Perak as a prime example.

Liu also voiced doubts that the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia can alleviate the deplorable human rights situation.

"They are good at churning out reports, but are not much good beyond that," he said.

List of demands

Based on its observations, Suaram issued a 10-point demand calling on the government to:

• Release all those detained without trial

• Hold inquests into the deaths in custody

• Release a report on the compliance or non-compliance of the government with the recommendations of the royal commission on the police

• Repeal all laws that infringe on freedom of expression like the Sedition Act and the Official Secrets Act, and enact a Freedom of Information Act

• Repeal Section 27 of the Police Act to allow for peaceful assemblies

• Recognise the status of refugees and ratify the 1951 Convention on Refugees

• Enact a Race Relations Act and create a Race Relations Commission

• Restore the independence of the judiciary

• Allow United Nations Special Procedures Mandate Holders to visit the country and perform evaluations

• Ratify all core United Nations human rights treaties

Asked if Suaram expects to see the government agreeing to any of these demands, Kua responded: "We would be lucky if they respond to even one."

Suaram's full report will be published in June next year.