Klang MP Charles Santiago said the government should instead give enforcement powers to several commissions.
“It is a step forward but it should not be a PR exercise, especially as the general election is approaching,” he told FMT.
According to Santiago, some of the commissions that need empowering are the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) and the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC).
“In addition, the government should implement the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
“All these enforcement bodies should be independent and have powers to tackle human rights violations.
“Currently, Suhakam and EAIC can only investigate but do not have the powers to prosecute, with their findings and recommendations just being passed along to Putrajaya,” he said.
Santiago was asked to comment on the NHRAP launched by Prime Minister Najib Razak in Putrajaya yesterday.
Najib had said the plan was to demonstrate Malaysia’s commitment to guarantee and safeguard human rights in the country.
“The action plan will help transform government efforts to strengthen human rights in the country.
“It is also in line with the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) initiative, which gathered the people’s views, feedback and aspirations to ensure the success of its implementation,” Najib said at the launch.
Santiago suggested that the committee appointed to run the action plan comprise human rights proponents, adding however that they should not undermine the work of Suhakam.
“If the committee only ends up explaining what the government’s view is, then it would be a waste of time. We need people who will make things work and who will improve on human rights.
“The plan should look at the rights of the Orang Asli who are having disagreements with the state governments of Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak, respectively.”
He added that any human rights action plan should also look into the plight of refugees, migrant workers as well as members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community.
“Some of those in the committee may not support the LGBT but this group of Malaysians needs to be included too. It is, after all, a national human rights action plan.”