The silence emanating from the deputy prime minister's office on the status of the 12 Suhakam commissioners, whose term expires today, could be indicative of the government's regard, or lack thereof, for the human rights commission.

As tomorrow is not a working day, the four and a half year-old Suhakam will likely be without commissioners, as no appointment letters have yet arrived from either the deputy prime minister, who is now in charge of overseeing the body, or the prime minister.

"The existing commissioners do not know whether they have continuity or not," said commissioner Prof Hamdan Adnan, who chairs the complaints and inquiry working group.

He said the delay will ultimately reflect badly on the body, even though it is the "responsibility of the government to ensure that there is no lag."

He said this when asked to elaborate on how such silence over Suhakam's future will affect the work of the commissioners.

20 commissioners

"We have continued to do our work right until the expiry of our term. But if the government does not prioritise the appointments of commissioners, then it truly reflects their intention for Suhakam," Hamdan said.

According to him, the government's action attests to its regard for human rights.

"Whoever they elect will indicate how much weight they give to Suhakam," he said.

The law provides for a commission of up to 20 members. However, only 12 seats are currently filled.

This is down from 14 commissioners at the start of the latest two-year term, following the resignation of former parliamentarian Lee Lam Thye and the passing away of former Federal Court judge Harun Hashim in September.

However, a Suhakam insider told malaysiakini yesterday that the present commissioners, including chairperson Abu Talib Othman, are likely to retain their post.

Previously, Abu Talib was evasive when asked if he was likely to be reappointed as Suhakam chief. He said he will let the government make the announcement.

In 2002, the new Suhakam line-up was announced two days before they took office.

The delay this time is possibly due to the transfer of jurisdiction from the previous foreign affairs ministry to the prime minister's department under deputy premier Najib.