Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) chairperson Abu Talib Othman criticised members of Parliament today for not debating its annual report which had been submitted to them earlier this year.

Abu Talib said Suhakam's Annual Report 2001 made recommendations to improve the country's human rights situation, but that the MPs "have not seen it fit to debate it".

"If there is a debate, it will help create awareness of the human rights situation," Abu Talib told reporters today after a two-hour dialogue session with civil society groups at the commission's head office in Kuala Lumpur.

"It was based on this annual report and silence of MPs that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) got together to evaluate the functions of Suhakam during this two-year period (since it was set up in 1999)."

In conjunction with World Human Rights Day today, civil society groups submitted an 11-page memorandum to Suhakam on the performance of the commission, priorities and pledges of the group and recommendations to the government.

In the document, the groups also expressed concern that MPs on the government bench "did not even consider the report worthy of debate...we see (this) as gross irresponsibility...because the issue here is the basic rights of Malaysians".

Others also blamed

Abu Talib also took a swipe at other groups for their failure to examine the human rights situation.

He chided government officers for their lack of attention on the commission's report, which has been submitted to all senior ministers.

"Senior members of (each) ministry do not seem to have time to study the recommendations. We hope they will appreciate it and submit the report to their political masters," he said.

"(Without this) Suhakam's work (becomes) very, very difficult. We need the co-operation of everyone NGOs, the public and government if we really want to have a clear, effective observance of human rights."

No media attention

The media, meanwhile, were taken to task for not giving enough coverage to human rights issues.

"We have made many recommendations to the minister but they was no follow-up publicity. Also, we do not get full co-operation from the press," Abu Talib said.

"If the media gives enough attention to human rights, the relevant government ministers would take notice and act on the situation."

When told by reporters that most of the news media agencies are controlled by the government, Abu Talib declined to comment beyond saying he did not have "evidence of the matter".

Grassroots consultation

Meanwhile, Param Cumaraswamy, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers who led the civil society delegation to Suhakam agreed with Abu Talib that the local media was not "human-rights active".

The newspapers here do not give as much space to human rights coverage as in other countries where such reports were highlighted, he said, adding that more investigative reports were needed.

The memorandum was drafted after the groups held the 2nd National Consultation on Suhakam in Ipoh, Perak, in September. About 250 grassroots leaders discussed the role played by the commission in promoting and protecting human rights.

The memorandum was endorsed by Cumaraswamy in his capacity as chairperson of the consultation session.

Other endorsers were ERA Consumer president Marimuthu Nadason, National Human Rights Society president Ramdas Tikamdas, Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez, Perak Consumers Association president Abdul Rahman Said Alli, Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan and Democratic Action Movement for Students representative Chang Lih Kang.