In conjunction with International Human Rights Day today, Suhakam chairman Razali Ismail raised several issues related to the state of human rights in the country and said that monitoring the election would be one of its roles to fulfil the people’s rights.
“Suhakam will be monitoring closely how it (the elections) will be conducted on the premise that democracy must exist with election integrity,” he said in a statement.
The commission urged the government to meet the many challenges to human rights that had yet to be addressed in the country.
“While the government believes that it has come a long way since committing internationally to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the reality is that it has not lived up to the declaration’s vision and objectives,” Razali said.
He cited the problems faced by the Orang Asli who continued to be victims of uncontrolled logging and aggressive deforestation by developers.
Razali said the indigenous people who erected blockades to protect their lands against these activities were not only arrested by the authorities but were often threatened by thugs.
The commission also noted that the abuse of land rights issues were not exclusive to indigenous peoples.
It highlighted the plight of fish farmers in Bota and Lumut, Perak, whose rights to land were being denied. These included the right to access, use, possess and occupy fertile land and sea which the fish farmers claimed have been used for many years for aquaculture and coastal fishing.
“Many of these farms are being acquired for construction purposes and the farms relocated to barren land,” it said.
The commission also expressed its concern about laws passed and used in the name of national security, which are being increasingly looked at as repressive.
“Some of these laws neither have the benefit of judicial oversight nor were formulated in consultation with important stakeholders, including Suhakam.
“We regret instances where Malaysians have been prosecuted for expressing dissenting views or for peacefully protesting and this, in our view, undermines the rule of law in the country,” the statement said.
Suhakam said peaceful expression of disagreement should never be criminalised under any circumstances in our democracy, where the freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression are cardinal values enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
The commission also expressed its concern over the spread of bigotry and prejudice in the country.
“Normalising attitudes towards intolerance, racism and the open expression of hate speech must never be seen to be tolerated.
“The government must take appropriate action to stop incidents of polarisation and the spreading of fanaticism among Malaysians through the adoption of national harmony legislation,” it said.
On the Rohingya issue, the commision was pleased that Malaysia had displayed the political will, and to a certain extent shaped international response authoritatively.
“However, at home, we continue to hold refugee children in detention; often in prison-like conditions, and they are discriminated in the employment and education sectors, with their right to livelihood denied,” it said.
The commission also expressed its concern over migrant workers in the country who remained vulnerable due to violations of their fundamental rights, particularly the lack of enforcement of labour standards, resulting in opportunities for exploitation, forced and child labour in certain industries.
Suhakam urged the government to take appropriate action to address these issues in a humane and sustainable manner.