Allow civil society a voice in choosing members of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), said human rights groups today.

Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel said human rights groups have been left out right from the very beginning when the Suhakam Act first came into being in 1999.

The procedure of choosing Suhakam commissioners needs to be opened up to include the voice of civil society.

It cannot be an exclusive process, then only will it be meaningful to those it will affect most, the people of Malaysia, she told malaysiakini .

With the term of present Suhakam commissioners ending next month, there has been strong speculation that four commissioners will be terminated from the current 12-member team.

According to commissioner Prof Hamdan Adnan, those slated to be dismissed are himself, colleagues Mehrun Siraj, Anuar Zainal Abidin and also chairperson Musa Hitam.

Hamdan, Mehrun and Anuar were instrumental in publishing reports critical of the governments human rights record, eliciting strong criticism from the powers that be. The trio have also been critical of the governments use of the detention-without-trial Internal Security Act.

Suhakam has also published ground breaking reports on Freedom of Assembly, a critical annual report, as well as an inquiry report accusing the police of human rights violation during the abortive 100,000 Peoples Gathering on Nov 5, 2000.

PMs call

The appointment of commissioners, according to the Suhakam Act 1999, is left largely in the hands of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who makes the recommendations and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong elects them.

This practice, according to Gabriel, would seriously effect the composition of the commission.

Asked to comment on the two-year term accorded to commissioners under the Suhakam Act, she said the period was not long enough.

The term is too short and it could be quite intimidating as the commissioners might not be able to carry out their duties effectively or efficiently. A five-year term is more realistic as it would give a longer period to assess their roles as protectors of human rights.

We just hope that the commissioners who have shown commitment will be maintained and the new ones would be serious and competent in carrying out their duties,she said.

Reform movement Aliran echoed Gabriels stance saying that the choice of commissioners should not rest only in the hands of the prime minister.

There should be a body where it can study recommendations of possible commissioners and after studying the matter then it can make a decision, said Aliran president P Ramakrishnan.

There are certain commissioners who have been pushing for certain things but it will be a tragedy if these commissioners are replaced. The commission may end up becoming irrelevant, he added.

Little regard

National Human Rights Society (Hakam), on the other hand, believes that while the 12-member body has set a path for the progress of human rights, the government seems to give little regard to Suhakams recommendations and reports.

I think the problem is the implementation of its recommendations. There needs to be a proper appraisal by the government as to how it should respect and recognise the recommendations made by Suhakam, said Hakam executive committee member Ramdas Tikamdas.

He also called on the body to continue with their work without fear or favour to gain the respect of the people.

I would say that the formation of Suhakam has been beneficial but we can always expect better, he added.

The Suhakam Act was gazetted in Sept 9 1999 and the commissioners had their first meeting in April 2000.

The current commissioners are chairperson Musa Hitam, 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.

A thirteenth commissioner, K Pathmanaban passed away last year.