The failure for Parliament to debate Suhakam's 2003 annual report would be an injustice to human rights, says Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang today.

"Parliament will be doing a triple injustice, to Suhakam, human rights and the institution of Parliament itself, if MPs do not give serious attention to the 2003 Suhakam Report by holding a special debate on its views and recommendations in the discharge of its statutory duty to promote and protect human rights," said Lim.

The government has consistently been turning down the request for a parliamentary debate on the annual reports of the Human Rights Commission, which is popularly known by its Malay acronym Suhakam, over the past three years.

The commission released its fourth annual report today with its 342-page document tabled in Parliament in the morning.

Parliament has rejected the debate of previous Suhakam reports - its annual reports of 2000, 2001 and 2002, which contained recommendations on improving human rights in the country - because they were "not urgent".

This has led to Suhakam chairperson Abu Talib Othman ticking off the government for "not seeing fit" to debate the commission's annual report.

Under Section 21(1) of the Suhakam Act, an annual report of the commission's work must be submitted to Parliament within the first sitting of the following year.

Extra day sought

This current parliamentary session, which has already been extended for three days, will end on June 14. Monday.

However, Lim is seeking another extra day despite the government's decision not to debate the matter.

Last week, minister in charge of parliamentary affairs Nazri Aziz said the cabinet had ruled out a debate on the report.

He also told malaysiakini that Suhakam's reports were "never meant to be debated in Parliament".

However, Nazri said members of parliament can broach the subject during the forthcoming debate relating to the budget's first 2004 supplementary estimates.

According to Lim, the first 2004 supplementary estimates is not a proper venue to discuss the Suhakam report.

He said not be enough time has been allocated in this session to debate both issues.

"Furthermore... there will be no proper reply as there is no provision for the other ministers apart from the finance minister or his representative to reply in the winding up of the policy debate on the supplementary estimates even though their portfolios are the subject of debate," said Lim.