The annual report of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) will be submitted to Parliament when Foreign Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar whose portfolio the commission falls under gives the go-ahead.
Suhakam commissioner Zainah Anwar said today the annual report was still with the Foreign Affairs Ministry but did not elaborate on the reasons why the report presentation in Parliament was held back.
The commissions secretary Kamaruddin Mohd Baria declined to reveal when the report was submitted to the ministry.
DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang said last weekend Suhakam may have contravened the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act for failing to submit its second annual report to last months parliamentary sitting.
Lim urged Hamid to clarify if he had unlawfully hijacked the annual report and whether former commissioners Anuar Zainal Abidin and Mehrun Siraj were not reappointed because of certain contents in the report.
Working groups
Zainah who is also executive director of Sisters in Islam told malaysiakini she is to remain in the law reform working group but will be joined by commissioners Harun Hashim, chairperson of the group, and Dr Abdul Monir Yaacob.
Harun was formerly chairperson of the complaints and inquiries working group while Monir, who is also the director-general of the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim), is a new Suhakam appointee.
The two commissioners will replace Mehrun and the late K Pathmanaban in the group. The latter passed away in June last year.
The education working group chaired by Prof Chiam Heng Keng maintains its status quo with commissioners Simon Sipaun, Lee Lam Thye and Prof Mohd Hamdan Adnan.
The assignees to two working groups treaties and international instruments, and complaints and inquiries have not been finalised as several commissioners are out of the country.
The lineup is expected to be finalised when the commissioners return before the second meeting scheduled on May 20.
ISA inquiry
When asked if Suhakam would launch an inquiry into the detention of six opposition leaders under the Internal Security Act, Zainah said the commission would first hear a report by Hamdan on the matter.
We are waiting for Hamdan to present his report which will be on several issues such as the conditions of detention, she said.
Hamdan led a delegation earlier this month to the Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping, Perak, where the six ISA detainees are being held.
The six recently staged a hunger strike that lasted about 11 days to protest their continued detention without charge. Suhakam announced plans April 17 to launch an inquiry into their detention.
The commission, which was then chaired by Musa Hitam, said the inquiry would be carried out by the new team, led by former attorney-general Abu Talib Othman.
Suhakams new line-up of commissioners was announced last week following the end of its maiden two-year term.
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 and Monir, the new commissioners are retired Treasury deputy secretary-general Ramon Navaratnam, permanent representative to the United Nations Hasmy Agam, retired Education director-general Asiah Abu Samah and retired National Population and Family Development Board director-general Dr Raj Abdul Karim.
