Suhakam commissioner Madeline Berma noted that there was a stark difference in the number of complaints lodged in the East Malaysian state and the peninsula in recent years.
“There are very little complaints in Sarawak to the point that the federal is quite worried,” Berma, an economist, told FMT, referring to the commission’s headquarters.
She said either there is nothing for Sarawakians to complain about, or they are not aware of Suhakam’s existence.
This is something she wants to change.
“We have two main responsibilities at Suhakam – to protect and to promote human rights. This is why I find it a bit disturbing because we have reports about land issues and so on but obviously they have not been reported to Suhakam Sarawak.”
Part of this could be due to the lack of awareness about Suhakam’s role as a commission to help in matters related to human rights.
She said the fact that there is only one Suhakam office in the whole of Sarawak – in Kuching – is also not helpful.
She said many did go and complain directly to the related agencies – such as the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) for land development issues or the National Registration Department (NRD) for identity card-related problems.
But while these problems did get settled, she said most of the time Sarawakians went to the wrong agency for the wrong problem.
This further delayed solutions to their problems, and complicated things in the long run, she added.
She cited as an example the case of dilapidated schools in Sarawak. Complainants can always air their grouses directly to the state education ministry or its federal counterpart on their own.
But she said if there were parents who thought their children had been denied the right to education simply because they were poor, then they could bring it up to Suhakam.
Berma said once a complaint is filed, Suhakam will initiate investigations and assign an officer within 14 days.
In contrast, she said, some agencies “just go quiet” after complaints are made.
Berma, 61, is well aware of comments that Suhakam is a “toothless tiger”.
“What can you do?” is something she has heard time and time again ever since she took on the role as Suhakam commissioner earlier this year.
She hopes to change this. “We need to be more aggressive in terms of promoting our role as Suhakam in the state.”
Berma suggested one-stop-centres throughout Sarawak, which is as large as the entire peninsular, to foster better connectivity with Sarawakians.
“We cannot establish more branches because it’s going to be costly, and we can’t justify it either,” she clarified, referring to the low number of complaints received by Suhakam Sarawak.
She wants a desk in each division in Sarawak in the Residents’ Office, which will be more practical for rural communities to reach out. But this will need more time and consultation before being introduced.
“It’s not impossible,” she said. “For me, the biggest challenge will be getting the collaboration of the state to work with us and not be seen as finding fault or going against the state.”
She hopes that decentralisation of powers for Suhakam Sarawak as well as Suhakam Sabah would become a reality soon, saying it was bothersome for some things such as claims and budget plans to be approved by the Suhakam headquarters.