The 12 newly appointed Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) members were told by commission chairman Musa Hitam not to regard their assignment as a source of employment or income.

Musa told malaysiakini in an exclusive interview that he reminded his commissioners in their first meeting on April 24 that while it is possible that their two-year term could be extended, they should not be "pre-occupied of wanting to be re-employed and let other priorities fall by the wayside".

He confirmed that each commissioner will be paid an allowance of around RM5,000 to RM6,000 a month, and that the perks that come with the job included the provision of a car.

The commission members include three former judges, a number of NGO personalities as well as ex-politicians and civil servants.

Musa, who is former deputy prime minister, also vowed that his commission "will be independent in the sense that we are not trying to please anybody".

"We will be independent from the government as well as the NGOs. We are not going to be told by anybody what to do," he added.

Musa expressed hope in establishing recognition among Malaysians that Suhakam is "here to stay" in his first term as commission head.

In addition, he would also seek to instill the "maximum position of credibility and confidence from the people" toward the commission, and to create a proper system of reporting and investigations.

On the issue of Umno politics, Musa told malaysiakini that his controversial speech in Johor Baru on Feb 19 which lambasted the party leadership was prompted by the poor party performance in the November polls. ("[#1]Change yourself before you're changed[/#]" (May 6)).

He said that he was troubled by the fact that he was the only Umno member who dared to openly chastise party leaders.

"It bothers me very seriously. For months, I was hoping somebody would say the same. There was none," he lamented.

In the two-hour interview at his residence in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur, last Saturday, Musa also refuted criticisms of the commission over the choice of some appointees to Suhakam, the body's apparent lack of credibility, the problems afflicting Umno and his expectations on next week's Umno party polls.

The first two of the four-part series on the Musa interview appeared on Wednesday and yesterday.