About one-third of the human rights commissioners could be dropped from the 13-member Suhakam when their two-year term expires at the end of next month.

According to Prof Hamdan Adnan, about four commissioners would not be reappointed to the two-year-old human rights body.

He said that those not reassigned for a further two-year term might include Anuar Zainal Abidin, Mehrun Siraj and himself.

In accordance with the Suhakam Act 1999, commissioners are appointed on a two-year basis by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the recommendations of the prime minister.

I have heard about this reappointment issue for two months now, and the speculations are becoming stronger and stronger, Hamdan told malaysiakini today.

I just hope the good people get reappointed and that good new commissioners are appointed, but ultimately it is up to the prime minister to decide, Hamdan said.

The Act also provides that the commission shall consist of not more than twenty commissioners.

Letters from Wisma Putra will be delivered to individual commissioners informing them of their future status next week.

Pro-active commissioners

Those on the list to be dropped are known to be pro-active in protecting human rights.

Both Anuar and Mehrun have served in the inquiry of the Nov 5, 2000 Keadilan-sponsored 100,000 Peoples Gathering culminating in a damning report which blamed the police for human rights violations.

Meanwhile, Hamdan is responsible for the Detention Centre Visitation working group which published several reports critical of detention centres around the country as well as the Kamunting detention camp where Internal Security Act detainees are being held without trial.

The trio have also maintained high-profile stands against the ISA, stating that detention without trial is a violation of human rights.

Hamdan also believed that Suhakam chairman Musa Hitam would also not be continuing as head of the human rights body.

He has always strongly hinted that he will only remain in the commission for one term, he said.

The current batch of 13 commissioners began their duties on April 2000, but their ranks dropped to 12 following the death of K Pathmanaban last year.

According to Hamdan, the new members might be former attorney-general Abu Talib Othman and Dr RS McCoy, a founding member of the Malaysian Physicians For the Prevention of Nuclear War and co-president of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.

Also on the list is a high-ranking Wisma Putra official based in New York, Hamdan said without elaborating.

However, he conceded that the new appointments would remain a matter of speculation until an official announcement was made.

Term too short

Hamdan, who is a university lecturer and a consumer advocate, lamented that the present term of service for human rights commissioners was too short compared to their fellow colleagues in the region.

The human rights commissions in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines have periods of appointments from four to five years but ours is only two.

The longer the term, the more stable the commission. This is because the commissioners dont have to worry about reappointment, and they can concentrate on the issue of human rights, Hamdan said.

When asked how he felt about the possibility of not being reappointed, Hamdan said that he would continue on with his duties until April and believed that he had fulfilled his role as a human rights commissioner fully.

Meanwhile, a source told malaysiakini that the upcoming annual Suhakam report to be presented to Parliament would include recommendations on lengthening the term of office of commissioners.

The commission has published several reports critical of the governments treatment of human rights prompting the authorities to hit back, saying that the human rights body was too idealistic and was Western-influenced.

Suhakam was created by an act of Parliament on Sept 9, 1999 and it was announced by chairman Musa last year that Malaysian Human Rights Day would be celebrated each year on that date.

The current commissioners are vice-chairperson Harun Hashim, Hamdan Adnan, Anuar Zainal Abidin, Mehrun Siraj, Lee Lam Thye, Dr Salleh Mohd Nor, Mahadev Shankar, Prof Chiam Heng Keng, Simon Sipaun, Dr Muhammad Hirman Ritom Abdullah and Zainah Anwar.