The Malaysian Bar is calling on the Sarawak government to immediately lift the long-standing ban on Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner Jannie Lasimbang, lest it jeopardises the commission’s ‘A’ standing in an upcoming international review.

“The fact that a commissioner of Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission is denied entry into Sarawak is, in principle, quite wrong,” said Lim Chee Wee, vice-president of the Malaysian Bar.

“There should not be any ‘no-go’ areas for Suhakam. The federal government, in exercising its rights under the federal constitution, has made a federal law to establish Suhakam and to define its terms of reference and scope of powers.

Jannie Lasimbang “The entry ban is a negative development, and one that Malaysia can ill afford,” said Lim in a statement today.

Sarawak’s entry ban on Lasimbang ( left ) has been in effect since 1994, when the Chief Minister’s Office imposed the immigration xx on the then activist who was on a Penan fact-finding mission.

The Sabahan was appointed to Suhakam on June 7 and is involved in Suhakam’s first-ever national inquiry into Malaysia’s indigenous rights issues.

On Sept 20 the Sarawak Immigration had informed Suhakam that they had referred their enquiry into Lasimbang’s status to the Chief Minister’s Office for a decision.

Bad news for M’sia’s rights record

Lim warns that this will not help Suhakam’s precarious ‘A’ status that is “already in jeopardy” when it is being reviewed by the sub-committee on Accreditation of the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions.

“The restrictions faced by Jannie Lasimbang may well kick Suhakam out of the ‘A’ status league,” says Lim.

“Malaysia is being closely observed by the international community for the manner in which the government is handling the issue of indigenous peoples’ rights and land reform.  

“Great focus has already been concentrated on Sarawak, what with the issue of the Penans, the illegal logging of native customary land, and other encroachment on the rights of the Orang Asal there,” he said.

He added that as one of the four persons of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, Lasimbang’s proven expertise in the field would have lent weight and credibility to Suhakam’s national enquiry.