PETALING JAYA: Sime Darby Plantation (SDP) has dissolved its human rights panel a day after two experts resigned from the body citing a lack of transparency.
In a statement, SDP said its decision to do away with the Expert Stakeholder Human Rights Assessment Commission was to give more time for an independent evaluation of its labour practices to be carried out.
“Although SDP had hoped to complete the assessment by May 2021, strict movement and travel restrictions imposed throughout Malaysia as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic meant that Impactt Ltd has not yet been able to finish its assessment.”
Yesterday, migrant rights activist Andy Hall and human rights lawyer Justine Nolan announced that they were resigning from the panel with immediate effect.
“We have made this decision reluctantly due to continued failures of the board of SDP, in our opinion, to comply in good faith and transparently with the terms of reference agreed for the commission and binding on both parties,” they said.
The duo, who joined the panel six weeks ago were appointed to advise on an evaluation of the company’s labour practices and remediation plans carried out by Impactt.
SDP, the world’s largest producer of sustainable palm oil, set up the panel in March in the wake of the import ban by the US Customs and Border Protection, which said it had found forced labour indicators such as excessive hours, abusive living and working conditions, and physical and sexual violence.
SDP said its board’s Sustainability Committee will take over the panel’s oversight function. That committee is chaired by independent director Henry Barlow.
It also said despite Hall’s resignation, he will continue to work with SDP to review and improve the company’s foreign worker recruitment process.
“We would like to thank the commission, particularly Hall, for their work and support over the past months”, said SDP group managing director Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha.
Helmy said SDP will continue to work with Impactt and other key stakeholders to review its operations. - FMT
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