Human rights group Suaram today criticised the government over a proposal to set guidelines for the Human Rights Commission to streamline its inquiry procedures and reports.

Suaram said in a statement that the government's proposal appeared as an attempt "to lord over" the commission, known in its Malay acronym as Suhakam.

"Suaram believes that any further interference by the executive would further result in a serious erosion on the commission's impartial function in protecting and promoting human rights in Malaysia," said Suaram documentation and monitoring officer K S Nathan.

"The integrity and independence of Suhakam must be preserved at all costs," he added.

Yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Suhakam may have to follow rules and guidelines set by the government to streamline its investigation procedures and reports.

The minister said this was necessary to avoid any confusion that could arise. He cited an earlier incident in which Suhakam had tabled a report in Parliament without his ministry's knowledge. Suhakam falls under the ministry's purview.

Relating to that incident, Syed Hamid said that although his ministry was given a copy of the report earlier, it was not informed of the date it would be tabled.

Since the ministry was responsible for answering the questions on Suhakam's reports in Parliament, it was caught off-guard, lamented the foreign minister.

Suhakam reports

Suhakam has to date released three reports since its inception last April. This April the commission presented to the Parliament its annual report for 2000.

Following that report, two other reports - on the freedom of assembly, and the police high-handedness in crowd control during the Kesas Highway incident after the aborted 100,000 Keadilan gathering in November last year - were released in August.

The freedom of assembly report was tabled in the Parliament yesterday.

"At present, we have not made the rules but we're looking into making the rules, pursuant to the (1999 Suhakam) Act. Our legal side is working on it. Once we've got the rules, it will be easier," said Syed Hamid.

Suaram said that any attempts by the government to include further provisions to the Suhakam Act will run contrary to the spirit of establishing the independent commission.

"In any event, any changes to the Act must go through a genuine process of consultation with human rights groups and civil society initiatives."

"It is certainly not consistent with the spirit of democracy for the government to make changes to the Act purely to protect its own interest."