The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has expressed its disappointment with the  Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Human Rights Declaration (AHRD), which it claims is not consistent with the international standards on human rights.

NONE Suhakam chairperson Hasmy Agam ( left ) said the commission regrets that the declaration was drafted with limited openness and transparency, and with inadequate extended consultations with various stakeholders, including the national human rights institutions, which were keen to contribute and anxious to ensure that the AHRD would be on a par with other regional human rights declarations.

“While not downplaying the significance and usefulness of those general principles, the commission is disappointed that they (Asean) permit restrictions to be made on grounds wider than what are accepted internationally,” he said in a statement issued today.

The declaration was signed on Nov 18 during the Asean annual summit in Phnom Penh, which was said would help to protect the region’s 600 million citizens.

Despite Suhakam’s disappointment over the recently declared human rights pact, it welcomed the declaration as a positive development in the promotion and protection of human rights in the region.

Will still engage Asean gov’ts

Hasmy said the commission notes that the AHRD covers a wide range of rights categorised separately as civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, the rights to development and the rights to peace, all of which, while in consonance with international human rights standards, are subject to nine general principles.

The commission also stressed on Article 5 of the Vienna Declaration and program of action under which it is the duty of states to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems.

asean meeting Suhakam nonetheless affirmed they will continue to engage with the Asean governments, its Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) along with other members of the Southeast National Human Rights Institutions Forum (SEANF) in the process of the full and unimpeded implementation of the declaration.

Several regional NGOs were reported to have said that the declaration undermines the universal human rights agreements and that it should be postponed.

The United Nations rights chief Navi Pillay also urged the Asean leaders to take the necessary time to develop a declaration that fully conforms to international human rights standards.