Letter to the Editor
Farewell to Suhakam?
For a change, Aliran agrees wholeheartedly with Dr Mahathir.
If mainstream media reports are to be believed, the BN government is about to alter Suhakam's composition. Malaysians can be sure that any alterations will not be made merely for the sake of change, probably not even to strengthen Suhakam.. Malaysians can be sure the changes will be made in order for the BN government to shackle the infant Commission of Human Rights (Suhakam).
When we read media reports of moves to terminate the tenure of serving Commissioners, such as Professor Mehrun Siraj and Tan Sri Anuar Zainal Abidin, for example, we sense ulterior motives.
If the BN government is serious about letting Suhakam carry out its work without let or hindrance, why would the BN government drop these two Commissioners whom the public remembers with respect?
That's not all. We hear of a move to appoint Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman, the former Attorney-General, to replace Tan Sri Musa Hitam as the chair of Suhakam.
Naturally a newspaper like the New Straits Times (12 April 2002) is quick to tell us that Abu Talib played a key role as the chairman of the 'Anwar's black eye' Commission of Inquiry. However, NST didn't clarify what Abu Talib's role in that Commission of Inquiry really amounted to.
Yes, the Commission of Inquiry found that former IGP Rahim Noor was guilty of a dastardly assault on Anwar. But wasn't that already evident to everyone other than fools who believed in Anwar's self-inflicted injury? Can Abu Talib be said to have done anything more than to give an official gloss to the BN's government's unwilling sacrifice of Rahim Noor in view of overwhelming public anger over the scandalous incident.
Of course, NST editors will never recall Abu Talib's 'key role' in something else. We mean the impeachment of Tun Salleh Abas, which was an absolutely retrograde step for civil liberties. Now, how does a former Attorney-General who helped Dr Mahathir wreak havoc on the integrity of the judiciary suddenly metamorphose into a stout defender of human rights?
Aliran remembers Abu Talib for yet another reason. In 1990, we demanded his resignation. Why? Simply, it was none other than Attorney-General Abu Talib who ordered the police to destroy 11 video tapes and four envelopes containing countless photographs and negatives -- critical evidence in the D P Vijandran 'sex tapes'case (AM, vol. 10, no. 1, 1990). Needless to say, Abu Talib, whose understanding of the rule of law differed from ours, didn't resign.
Think then what will happen to Suhakam's effectiveness in defending human rights and civil liberties in this country if courageous commissioners like Professor Mehrun Siraj and Tan Sri Anuar Zainal Abidin are dropped, while someone like Abu Talib becomes the Commission's chairman.
Right from Suhakam's beginning, Aliran, together with other organisations, regarded the establishment of the Commission for Human Rights to be the outcome of a long, popular and well supported struggle for the protection of human rights. While we were prepared to work with Suhakam to improve the situation of human rights, we never thought of Suhakam as a selfless gift from the BN government to a long suffering public.
While it was led by Tan Sri Musa, Suhakam faced difficulties and uncertainties. Sometimes Suhakam was even reluctanct to act decisively. For all that, Suhakam gave opportunities to its Commissioners -- or those among them who so desired -- to make Suhakam a meaningful institution.
Malaysians can be sure that the intended changes to Suhakam are not mindless changes planned by BN for the mere sake of change. They are perverse changes intended to make Suhakam toothless and meaningless.
We call upon Suhakam's present Commissioners as well as Malaysians who cherish every painfully won improvement in our human rights situation to reject such changes which are being plotted by a BN government that protects its own interests and NOT human rights and civil liberties.
Aliran Executive Committee
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Whenever people press for democratic reforms, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad likes to respond by saying that Malaysians should never seek change for the sake of change. He loves to repeat that changes to our systems, institutions and procedures should be rejected unless they bring significant improvement.
With courage and honesty, Professor Mehrun Siraj and Tan Sri Anuar Zainal Abidin (right) demonstrated their commitment to the protection of human rights and civil liberties in this nation by standing in the forefront of Suhakam's inquiry into the Kesas Highway incident. They were instrumental in directly criticizing the police for their use of excessive force that turned a peaceful protest into a chaotic incident.
We knew, as everyone else knew, that the BN government was forced to establish Suhakam in the face of a growing outcry over Anwar's maltreatment and the deteriorating human rights situation. We knew that at every turn the BN government would obstruct Suhakam should the latter strive to be a truly independent Commission of Human Rights.