Suhakam commissioner: Judge us on our work, not political links

 

The National Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) said its new line-up of commissioners should be judged on what they do during their time at the commission instead of their past or present political affiliations.

This comes after civil societies raised concern over the appointment of legal expert Rahmat Mohamad, who co-authored a paper that convinced the Conference of Rulers to reject the Rome Statute, as well as Umno-linked lawyers Hasnal Rezua Merican Habib Merican and Nazira Abdul Rahim as Suhakam chair and commissioners respectively.

“I think we should be judged by what we do in Suhakam, not be held to what has happened in the past.

“I think it is unfair to single out any person because of political affiliations or the background of the person or the fact that a person has no human rights record, which is extremely unfair because human rights work should be open to everyone.

“Let us do our jobs, let us settle in because it has only been two months, and judge us by what we do,” said newly minted commissioner K Ragunath.

He responded to all questions related to this issue at a press conference that featured the new line-up of commissioners at the Suhakam headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Ragunath, who is a former Malaysian Bar president, said Rahmat co-authored the paper on the Rome Statute in his capacity as a law professor and it has nothing to do with his new role as Suhakam’s chief commissioner.

Suhakam chief commissioner Rahmat Mohamad

He also defended the appointments of his two fellow commissioners, Hasnal and Nazira, whom he said he knows very well and described as “very good lawyers” who have “always upheld the rule of law”.

Hasnal is the Selayang Umno deputy division chief while Nazira is the women’s chief at the Kulim-Bandar Baharu Umno division.

Better access to government?

Ragunath also pointed out that the Suhakam Act does not preclude anyone with political affiliations from becoming a commissioner.

“So I do not think there’s any issue of anyone who has served or is serving in a political party being restricted from doing human rights work,” he said.

On the contrary, he said the commission views it as a positive thing to have such a “diverse” group of people in their line-up.

“It helps us with grassroots work and perhaps (getting) easier access with the government as well and agencies, so for us, we look at it as something positive as well,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rahmat said they are new to their role and would need some time to learn about Suhakam’s affairs in detail.

However, he said, they remain committed to Suhakam’s agenda and will continue to pursue ongoing initiatives.

Among the important issues he vowed they will continue to focus on are the economic and social aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the prolonged inflation spike, climate change, business and human rights, statelessness, lack of education access, prison reforms, and custodial deaths.