Tuesday, July 29, 2008

We do not need pro-government HR Commissioners

What do you want SUHAKAM to become a more effective Human Rights Commission and institution?

Reasonably, the Chairperson of SUHAKAM and SUHAKAM commissioners should be pushing for more and more reforms so that SUHAKAM will become a more effective Human Rights Commission - but alas this is not the case.

The very 'not-vocal' Chairperson, a former Attorney General of Malaysia, who served the government well during the 1987 Operation Lallang period, the Judicial Crisis of 1988 .... the person who really lakes the requisite credentials to even be appointed as Human Rights Commissioner, finally speaks.....

When met at the Asia Pacific Forum, Suhakam chairperson Abu Talib Othman said the government must study the concerns raised "very seriously" because amending the Act was outside the scope of Suhakam. - Malaysiakini, 29/7/2008 "Najib: Review of Suhakam Act will have repercussions"
And he sounds so much like a GOVERNMENT spokesperson - certainly not like a Human Rights Commissioners.

SUHAKAM, get to it and start working out what should be amended and how should it be amended. Then, tell it to the government....in fact, go ahead and draft the Bill as well. Do not wait for the government to do it...

What do we need to improve SUHAKAM?

1) Definitely a longer term for Human Rights Commissioner - at least 5-6 years, and maybe a maximum of 2 terms only.

2) Definitely full-time Human Rights Commissioners - not part-timers. Take Shafee Abdullah, the prominent lawyer, he is is certainly too bousy in court and with his work - I do not see how he will have time to even attend to his work a an effective HR Commissioner.

3) So many complaints have been made - yet how many have been investigated and a public inquiry held... (If we had an effective HR Commission, we need not be setting up new Royal Commissions for this and that....)

4) Today, many do not see the SUHAKAM as a venue where they can get justice...so what can be done. SUHAKAM is quick to avoid any inquiry citing that there is a court case pending. What about the allegation that surfaced in PI Balasubramaniam's 1st Statutory Declaration - that the police consciously left from his statement matters refering to Najib...or that the prosecutors also did not ask any questions that would bring out the name of Najib (hence keeping the full truth away from the courts..).Should not an INDEPENDENT Human Rights Commission on its own motion start an inquiry into this...for surely it is wrong to say we cannot because there is a pending case. There is NO pending case concerning these allegations - which are very very serious matters of Human Rights.

5) We only hear of SUHAKAM when some groups send some memorandum or other - and then nothing. We should be having several public inquiries being done at the same time given the number of HR Commissioners we have - so why do we not have that happening. Well, because we need to get a certain number of HR Commissioners voting in favour of a public inquiry before we can have one....and guess what busy 'pro-governmnent' HR Commissioners would not vote for public inquiries...we definitely need more transparency. Maybe open to the public SUHAKAM meetings....mmm.

6) What about prosecution powers for SUHAKAM...

7) What about the powers of making orders with regard to damages and compensations to victims.

so many many things could be done to make our SUHAKAM a better Human Rights commission .... but first, we need real Human Rights persons appointed as Human Rights Commissioners. (Or better still, maybe they should be elected in....)

We do not need pro-government persons sitting as HR Commissioners - we need independent persons who have a passion for Human Rights sitting as Human Rights Commissioners..

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Yo bro.

Definitely agree with all your remarks about SUHAKAM. To tell you the truth, i didn't even know there is such a human right body (i.e. SUHAKAM) exists in Malaysia. You may call me naive but who can blame me because they are not so outspoken and pro-active in fighting for the Rakyat's rights. Even the name looks so weird, SUHAKAM (i.e. SUE = MAKAM).

In this country, we really need a effective human right body to look after us. So many brutality and abuse by our PDRM and no one is taking the effort to control their actions.

No wonder the USA keep critising us for our human right records. Just wonder if SUHAKAM is really doing its job, we might not get so many "black eyes" in the international arena.

Unknown said...

Yo bro.

Definitely agree with all your remarks about SUHAKAM. To tell you the truth, i didn't even know there is such a human right body (i.e. SUHAKAM) exists in Malaysia. You may call me naive but who can blame me because they are not so outspoken and pro-active in fighting for the Rakyat's rights. Even the name looks so weird, SUHAKAM (i.e. SUE = MAKAM).

In this country, we really need a effective human right body to look after us. So many brutality and abuse by our PDRM and no one is taking the effort to control their actions.

No wonder the USA keep critising us for our human right records. Just wonder if SUHAKAM is really doing its job, we might not get so many "black eyes" in the international arena.

Anonymous said...

Their high level official already has a badly tainted record. How can we trust them? Even their track records has NOT been convincing, at best a toothless tiger, or shall I say, a mere pussycat.

raj raman said...

Suhakam- for people to cari makan.

rajraman666.The bloggers can shout better than SUHAKAM.

DK said...

The real resons for setting up of or letting the setup of SUHAKAM was just to appease the masses at a time when they are press to do so, hense there is no reason that they at SUHAKAM should actually persue any of the issues, they are but a puppet for show only. As is a lot of issues that I have posted on my blog.
By the way, I have decided to add your blog link to my blog at dksdreamworld.blogspot.com, if you don't mind, but if you do then please let me know.

Anonymous said...

"""""""""""Umno Perak offers to merge with PAS

IPOH - UMNO in Perak has offered to merge with Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and together rule the northern state, upping the ante in the so-called Malay unity talks.
Umno's Perak chief Tajol Rosli Ghazali said that the merged parties in the state could continue to have a PAS leader as Menteri Besar.

Datuk Seri Tajol said the Umno-PAS Perak government would be more stable than the current one made up of the Pakatan Rakyat, New Straits Times reported yesterday.

'To develop and achieve Vision 2020, we must have political stability. And it cannot exist without cooperation between Umno and PAS,' Mr Tajol said. Malaysia plans to become a developed nation by 2020.

The offer, although immediately spurned by PAS leaders in Perak, is sure to add to worries in Pakatan about the strength of their alliance.

'As far as PAS in Perak is concerned, we will be in Pakatan forever and ever. There is no way we will pair with them,' said Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, who is from PAS.

Pakatan is made up of the multi-racial Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party and Islamic party PAS.

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi two weeks ago surprised many Pakatan leaders, including those in PAS, when he said he had held low-key meetings with PAS chiefs to talk about Malay unity and the future role of Islam in the country.

Leaders of PAS have since been split over the issue of working with Umno, seen by many as a bitter opponent for Malay votes.

Influential PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat last week said that the two parties should disband and form a new party for all Malays. This was rejected by most central Umno leaders, but seemed to have found support in Umno Perak.

Mr Tajol, who was Menteri Besar in the previous administration, added another sweetener for PAS: that the party would get 'three or four' state executive councillor posts, the equivalent of state ministerial posts.

He said recently that the Pakatan government in Perak would fall by Aug 31, hinting at defections from Pakatan assemblymen. """""""""""""""""



Now, heres what i dont understand. If UMNO were really sincere, why dont they offer to merge with PAS in the states where they control! and give up the Mentri Besar-ship to PAS. Say in Johor, Melaka or Pahang?

Why does it have to be in states held by Pakatan? states like Perak and Selangor Why?

You can tell here its because they want to create a backdoor opening back into power

they will never give up their own states, wake UP PAS!!!!!