The past year has been marked by the government’s dismal record of protecting human rights and the culture of impunity under the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

This was the sombre judgement of rights group Suaram in its Civil and Political Rights in Malaysia Report 2007.

The deterioration is made worse by the failure of the very institutions tasked with protecting human rights and upholding the integrity of government agencies in carrying out its functions, it said in a statement.

“The failing of institutions that are supposed to protect human rights is alarming,” said Suaram executive director Yap Swee Seng.

Of particular concern, said Suaram, both the judicial institution and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) have been of little help in redressing human rights violations.

“The judiciary, being the last bastion in defending the human rights, has heavily compromised its independence since the 1988 judicial crisis, a trend further confirmed by the explosive expose of the Lingam tape incident,” read Suaram’s statement.

“The national human rights commission continues to lack the political will to stand firm on human rights principles against the government as evident in its initial unwillingness to conduct a public inquiry on the Batu Buruk police shooting incident,” it added.

The Lingam tape refers to a video clip released mid-September which shows senior lawyer VK Lingam on the phone - purportedly with former Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim - fixing the appointment of senior judges. The latter has denied this.

The Batu Buruk incident, meanwhile, pertains to the clash between police and locals on Pantai Batu Buruk in Terengannu following the police’s refusal to allow a public forum on electoral reform to proceed.

Two PAS members, Suwandi Ab Ghani, 38, and Muhammad Azman Aziz, 21, were hospitalised after they sustained gunshot wounds to the chest and neck, respectively.

Credibility at stake

Suaram also said that the credibility of the police force, the Internal Security Ministry, and the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) have only plummeted following allegations of corruption against its heads.

Implicated in this is the Attorney General's Chambers, which has not only cleared some of the top officials of corruption, but also has its own credibility in question following the sudden change of the prosecution team in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case.

This is in addition to the charges of attempted murder on peaceful participants of the Hindraf rally as well as the acquittal of tycoon Eric Chia from corruption charges, said Suaram.

The failings of these institutions and the collapse of checks and balances mechanism in the government and the political system have led to the rise of impunity, with few being held accountable to human rights violations, it said.

Suaram said the other events over the past year that reflect the dismal situation are:

- the continuing use of detention without trial;

- the failure to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission;

- the decline in the world rankings on freedom of expression and the clampdown on dissent, especially of bloggers;

- the denial of the right to freedom of assembly exemplified by the suppression of the Bersih and Hindraf gatherings;

- the denial of the right to freedom of association, as exemplified by the denial to Parti Sosialis Malaysia to register as a political party;

- the violation of human rights in the name of and through the politisation of Islam as exemplified in the Lina Joy and Revathi cases; and

- the violation of rights of migrants and refugees and the use of civilian volunteers corps Rela as ‘bounty hunters’.

“If this trend is not reversed, human rights will further deteriorate in coming years. The people of all races will have to unite against this development that has grown out from the divide and rule tactics of the government, if we aspire for a better Malaysia in the future,” said Yap.