KOTA KINABALU: Two human rights groups have called for home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to take immediate action to advance human rights in the country.
Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) executive director Wathshlah G Naidu called for a restoration of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) bill proposed in 2019, which was binned in favour of the current Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) bill.
Wathshlah said the current IPCC bill had substantially watered down standards set by its predecessor, the IPCMC bill.
“The IPCMC bill must be put (back) in place,” Wathshlah said.
She also urged Saifuddin to repeal the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 as well as support the digital communications ministry’s goal of establishing an independent self-regulatory media council.
On the issue of asylum seekers and refugees, Wathshlah called for safeguards that will protect them and allow them opportunities for employment in Malaysia.
“The minister must also withdraw a proposal to shut down the UNHCR office,” she said, referring to the move made by the previous government.
Wathshlah added that the ministry should instead engage with the United Nations agency to implement durable solutions for refugees in Malaysia.
“The death penalty must also be abolished in its entirety,” she said.
“Ultimately, CIJ hopes that the home minister will not undermine human rights in the name of national security,” she said.
Prison reform
Meanwhile, Pusat Komas (Komas) director Jerald Joseph called for Saifuddin to reform repressive colonial laws so as to bring them on par with international law.
Like CIJ, Joseph said the current IPCC bill must be amended to restore standards previously set in the IPCMC bill.
He also urged Saifuddin to push ahead with prison reform.
Joseph said the minister should work to reduce overcrowding in prisons by transferring prisoners incarcerated for drug addiction offences to health centres where they can be treated for their addiction.
Komas also called for the minister to take steps to abolish the death penalty in its entirety.
In addition, the NGO is advocating a review of the powers vested in the immigration department and its officials.
“(The department) is simply too powerful and prone to abuse of powers. The immigration director-general must understand the difference between refugees and (illegal) foreign workers.
“The time has also come to have a national effort to resolve the problem of stateless and undocumented people, especially in Sabah,” he said.
Joseph also called for Saifuddin to follow through on reports issued by several royal commissions of inquiry and task forces set up.
These include probes into the Wang Kelian tragedy and the death penalty, as well as the committee set up to safeguard the rights of migrant workers.
“Make these reports, and the subsequent actions, public,” he said. - FMT
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