A section of the Bar Council today contradicted the legal bodys chairperson, adding that any congratulatory messages to former attorney-general Abu Talib Othmans appointment as Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) chief should be put on hold.

The councils human rights sub-committee chairperson Cecil Rajendra, when contacted in Penang, said any such message would be rather premature in the light of Abu Talibs past track record.

The former AG has been accused of being embroiled in a number of controversies, including the destruction of vital evidence of the 1989 sex scandal involving DP Vijandran, the then Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker and parliamentary secretary in the Industry and International Trade Ministry.

The police, much to the shock of various quarters, said the case had been closed and that the 11 videocassettes, 2,000 photographs and negatives depicting Vijandrans sexual escapades with numerous women, have been destroyed at Abu Talibs directive.

Abu Talib was also tarnished by the RM2.5 billion Bumiputra Malaysia Finance scandal, in which he had allegedly failed to initiate any prosecution despite claims that senior cabinet members and high-ranking government officials were involved.

Good work done

The former AG was also criticised for his defence of the Internal Security Act — which Suhakam has strongly opposed over the last two years — and the 1987 crackdown on dissidents, better known as Ops Lalang.

Yesterday, Bar Council chairperson Mah Weng Kwai told malaysiakini that he endorsed Abu Talibs appointment as the countrys human rights chief.

We hope he can continue with the good work already done by Suhakam as well as improve the standard of human rights in the country, he said.

He added that the council would send a congratulatory message to Abu Talib.

Rajendra however conceded that Abu Talib might have redeemed his reputation as a member of the royal commission investigating into Anwar Ibrahims infamous black eye which the former deputy prime minister obtained from being beaten by ex-police chief Abdul Rahim Noor while in custody.

But we will have to wait and see how he performs as Suhakam chief in the next two years.

The Bar Council is expected to discuss the matter at its next full council meeting.

Human rights experience crucial

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee chairperson K Ragunath said the more important issue was whether the new Suhakam commissioners had any human rights background.

It is important that Suhakam is made up of people who have some human rights background, otherwise it defeats the whole purpose of having such a body.

That is why its important for the government to reveal what criteria was used to select the commissioners, he said, adding that the line-up should have included members from non-governmental organisations and the academia who are familiar with human rights.

On Monday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced Abu Talibs appointment to succeed Musa Hitam whose two-year term expired today. Musa, a former deputy prime minister, declined serving for another term.

The other outgoing commissioners are Anuar Zainal Abidin, Prof Mehrun Siraj, Malaysian Nature Society president Dr Salleh Mohd Noor and former judge Mahadev Shankar. The latter declined to serve another term for health reasons.

Anuar, a former chief judge of Malaya, and Mehrun, a law lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, were hailed for their report concerning the Nov 5, 2000 mass gathering, which found the police guilty of using excessive force against the participants.