Suhakam should pull up its socks, recharge and rediscover a new sense of
purpose to protect and promote human rights if it is not to
be completely marginalized and made irrelevant by the September
11 syndrome
Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang
(Petaling Jaya, Sunday): The Human
Rights Commission (Suhakam) rode on the hopes of many Malaysians in its
first year of establishment that it might prove wrong the skeptics
and demonstrate that it could make a difference to protect
and promote human rights in the country.
When it started its second year, however, Suhakam was losing
steam and momentum. The past five months after the September
11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington could not be worse times
for Suhakam, which seems to have lost all sense of direction and purpose.
In the past five months, Suhakam had been a mere onlooker to the
catalogue of human rights breaches and violations, without its refreshing
first-year verve, vim and vigour in dealing with any human right
infraction or complaint.
Suhakam should pull up its socks, recharge and rediscover a new sense
of purpose to protect and promote human rights if it is not
to be completely marginalized and made irrelevant by the September
11 syndrome. This would be a sad end to the first two-year appointment
of Suhakam to carry out the statutory responsibility and mandate to promote
and protect human rights.
The latest examples of the recent legion of human rights breaches
and violations in the past few months which Suhakam had failed to respond
sensitively and sensibly include:
-
the re-arrest of Parti Keadilan Nasional leader, Badrul Amin Bahron under
the Internal Security Act and being sent back to the Kamunting detention
camp three months after his conditional release;
-
The widest use for over a decade of the draconian Internal Security
Act against Malaysians instead charging them under the ample laws of the
land, affording them the opportunity of a public trial in conformity with
the rule of law;
-
the undemocratic ban on political ceramahs by Opposition parties;
-
the suspension of four USM final-year students and fine of two other students
for legitimate student activities;
-
the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s last-minute withdrawal of approval
for the holding of a Chinese cultural exhibition and performance
by a group of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia students;
-
the further clampdown on academic freedom of lecturers in the universities
as in the latest move requiring all academic staff to sign the pledge of
good conduct or surat akujanji;
-
misuse of public broadcasting as in the nightly broadcast of 90-second
Barisan Nasional political propaganda footage camouflaged as prime-time
news in the three weeks leading up to the Indera Kayangan by-election;
-
Erosion of freedom of expression, opinion and a free press, latest
instance being deliberate delays to hold up public release of Far
Eastern Economic Review because of reports which upset the Barisan Nasional
government; and
-
The undemocratic denial of freedom of movement in the Sarawak State Government’s
refusal to allow 23-year Sarawak resident Tan Seng Hin to be re-united
with his family in Sarawak
Suhakam must conduct an urgent review to resolve the
crisis of confidence which it has suddenly been confronted with, after
having acquitted fairly creditably in its first year of existence, to decide
whether it is to accept its fate to be marginalised and a casualty
of the September 11 syndrome or whether it could make itself relevant
to fulfil its statutory responsibility and mandate to protect and
promote human rights in Malaysia in the post-911 scenario where human
rights is under retreat all over the globe.
(3/2/2002)
*Lim Kit Siang - DAP National Chairman