The new Suhakam under the helm of Abu Talib Othman is showing its 'authoritarian' grip on human rights. This is reflected in the new policy directive reportedly engineered by the deputy chief Harun Hashim.

Harun in his younger days at the bench was reputedly a judge who explored the limits of the law. But obviously this is now a thing of the past as he gets into dotage.

At least two of the said directives so far reported run contrary to the precedent laid down by Suhakam under Musa Hitam. This relates to commissioners not 'soiling their hands' by meeting with the complaining masses and having its foot soldiers à la 'kami yang menurut perintah (those who follow orders) to face the people.

Harun and the new company, possibly under Abu Talib's guidance, have also contravened precedent by restricting the rule as to who has the right to complain.

In your report on the runaround on the students' Akujanji (good conduct pledge) protest memorandum protest (July 5) Suhakam's insistence that a complainant must first be deprived of his rights before a complaint can be lodged is even more draconian than police reporting procedures.

Suhakam by going down this road has refused to investigate first and has instead assumed that no right has been infringed.

This is unfortunately due to the 'legal' perspective developed by straight-laced lawyers like Abu Talib and Harun Hashim who are really lagging behind human rights principles (as opposed to law), as understood and developed in the last century!

If I may say it in a line, it is not more lawyers we need in Suhakam, it is more alternative lawyers and human rights defenders that we are sorely lacking whether in Suhakam or the justice system and in the law schools.

The 100-day boycott of Suhakam organised by non-governmental organisations is well founded. NGOs should explore instruments on human rights defenders and relate infringements of these by Suhakam.