Minor changes have been made to the working groups within the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) since the new line-up was announced last week, said the commissions secretary Kamaruddin Mohd Baria.

Kamaruddin, when contacted today, said the new commissioners were assigned their groups during the inaugural meeting of the new Suhakam team last Friday.

However, he declined to reveal the new assignment list beyond stating that most of the first-term commissioners will be retained in their assigned groups.

Based on the structure established since the inception of the human rights body, all commissioners are appointed to at least one of four working groups: on education; law reform; treaties and international instruments; and complaints and inquiries.

When asked if the commission now led by former Attorney-General Abu Talib Othman had decided on how to proceed on the outstanding obligation to carry out an inquiry of the Internal Security Act, Kamaruddin said discussions on the subject will take place next month.

According to him, the first meeting of the commissioners was chiefly a get to know each other meeting.

On April 17, Suhakam announced plans to launch an inquiry into the detention of six opposition leaders under the ISA and a review of the Act itself, but added that the exercises would be carried out by the new team.

Ominous signs

Meanwhile, DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang said the silence following Suhakams first meeting of its commissioners in contrast to a similar inaugural meeting two years ago, bode ill for its future as a credible human rights body.

The least the new Suhakam [team could] have done was to inform the Malaysian public of the new composition of the working groups, bearing in mind the crisis of confidence afflicting Suhakam as a result of the axing of the most industrious, conscientious and committed commissioners, said Lim in a press statement yesterday.

He was referring specifically to former commissioners Anuar Zainal Abidin and Prof Mehrun Siraj whose terms have not been extended.

According to him, another ominous sign concerning Suhakams legitimacy is its failure to submit its second annual report to the last parliamentary sitting, as stipulated under Section 21(1) of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act.

I understand that the second Suhakam annual report for last year was ready to be submitted to the last meeting of Parliament but Suhakam was not allowed to present its report directly to Parliament and had to submit it to the Foreign Affairs Ministry instead, added Lim.

The opposition leader urged Foreign Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who is also the minister in charge of Suhakam, to clarify if the report had been unlawfully hijacked by the ministry and whether the dropping of Anuar and Mehrun was in relation to the contents of the report.

Nobody would have confidence in [Suhakams] credibility, legitimacy and authority to protect and promote human rights when it has [compromised] its statutory power to submit, without fear or favour, without hindrance from the government or bureaucracy, its annual report to Parliament, Lim stressed.

No comment

In response to this, Kamaruddin today said the commissioners are well aware of the issues raised by Lim. However, he refused to comment further as to the reasons for the delay in the submission of the annual report.

Suhakam commissioners were also unavailable for comment.

The new Suhakam team started its two-year term last Wednesday with the official handover of duties by Musa Hitam to Abu Talib.

In addition to former chief judge Anuar and law lecturer Mehrun, the two other commissioners who have left are Malaysian Nature Society president Dr Salleh Mohd Noor and former judge Mahadev Shankar. The latter declined to serve a second term for health reasons.

Besides Abu Talib, the new commissioners are retired Treasury deputy secretary-general Ramon Navaratnam, permanent representative to the United Nations Hasmy Agam, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) director-general Dr Abdul Monir Yaacob, retired Education director-general Asiah Abu Samah and retired National Population and Family Development Board director-general Dr Raj Abdul Karim.