“The status of Suhakam will be elevated if the appointment of members is sanctioned by the legislature instead of the head of the executive arm of the government,” its president George Varughese said.
He also said that the current three-year term of Suhakam members was too short and should be extended.
“Suhakam members should then be made accountable to the legislature and this includes presenting its annual report for debate in Parliament,” he told FMT.
Varughese said this in response to Suhakam chairman Razali Ismail’s statement yesterday that the former Barisan Nasional administration only viewed the body as an “ornament”.
Razali, who has been chairman since 2016, said he found it difficult working with the former administration as its ministers and even the deputy prime minister never wanted to meet with them.
Varughese said Parliament should approve Suhakam’s annual budget to carry out its activities instead of being at the mercy of the government of the day.
He said reforms to improve the local human rights body could be done with amendments to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act 1999 with a simple majority vote.
In conjunction with Human Rights Day which falls today, Varughese said the definition of human rights as stated in the Malaysian Act should also be expanded.
“The legislation only confined human rights to fundamental liberties enshrined in the Federal Constitution,” he said, adding that other aspects in the national charter like citizenship, the right to vote, the establishment of Parliament and the special positions of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak had been ignored.
He said the scope and power of Suhakam ought to be expanded and this included intervention in the judicial process where there were human rights transgressions.
“In all fairness, the courts have allowed Suhakam to hold watching brief but we want them to institute action against individuals and organisations for human rights violations,” Varughese added.
Meanwhile, lawyer and activist Syahredzan Johan said Suhakam could be a beacon of hope in this region only if the government effectively engaged the human rights commissioners.
“The government must consult Suhakam whenever it wants to table bills that touched on fundamental liberties,” he said.
Syahredzan said Suhakam’s annual report must be tabled and debated in the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara instead of merely laying them in both chambers.
“Its contents are only discussed by civil society members and published in the media,” he added.
The lawyer said action must be taken on Suhakam’s recommendations after inquiries on human rights abuses.
“It is also my hope that the newly installed government will see Suhakam as a stakeholder in shaping and implementing human rights policies and legislation,” he added.