Forty-two Malaysian
non-governmental organisations, including FORUM-ASIA member, Suaram,
boycotted "Human Rights Day Event" by the Human Rights Commission of
Malaysia (SUHAKAM) on 9 September 2009. The commission celebrated its 10th
anniversary on that day, and the organisations said it cannot be
recognised as a human rights day because of the commission's failures. Below is
their statement on the day.
Forty-two Malaysian
non-governmental organisations, including FORUM-ASIA member, Suaram,
boycotted "Human Rights Day Event" by the Human Rights Commission of
Malaysia (SUHAKAM) on 9 September 2009. The commission celebrated its 10th
anniversary on that day, and the organisations said it cannot be
recognised as a human rights day because of the commission's failures. Below is
their statement on the day.

Our boycott of SUHAKAM's event on 9 September 2009 is to register our strongest protest and disapproval towards:

1. The failure of SUHAKAM to proactively protect and promote human rights 
 
The
lack of proactive efforts to protect human rights can be seen in its
seemingly selective nature of conducting public inquiries. In several
instances, SUHAKAM has failed to probe into serious cases of human
rights violations. For example, in 2008, in response to a fire incident
at the Lenggeng Immigration Detention Centre, a Commissioner made a
strong statement calling it "one of the worst incidents that have taken
place in Malaysia". However, despite such strong statements SUHAKAM
decided to reject civil society's call for a public inquiry to be held.
 
When
numerous individuals were arrested by the police for exercising their
right to assemble on various occasions this year, none of the SUHAKAM
Commissioners were present at police stations or lockups to try to
secure the releases of those detained or at least to ensure their
wellbeing in detention. The Commission also refused to send an official
monitoring team to the anti-ISA rally on 1 August 2009 despite requests
from civil society to do so, with the reason that the rally was held
without a police permit and therefore "illegal". This is contrary to
the positions that the Commission has taken in numerous of its annual
reports and reports of public inquiries.
 
We
are also seriously concerned about the performance of SUHAKAM Chairman
Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman. In 2008, the Chairman only made one press
statement out of the 23 released by SUHAKAM throughout the year. The
only press statement released by the Chairman was to
clarify that a press statement released by three Commissioners on the
previous day was not an official statement of SUHAKAM. The press
statement on the previous day condemned the ban of the Hindu Rights
Action Force (HINDRAF) by the government and called for the government
to uphold freedom of association. With
only one press statement released throughout the entire year – and even
that was to distance SUHAKAM from a human rights-based position – the
credibility and suitability of Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman as a public
defender of human rights can thus be seriously questioned.

To read the complete statement, please click here (Suaram website).