Is something seriously not right in Suhakam?

 

 I started on this article initially with the intention of telling Suhakam that it must be seen and heard regularly, instead of doing things on the quiet now, unlike in the past.

I thought such a simple and normal call suffices as what I knew then a few days ago was the little hiccup in this premier human rights organisation in Malaysia.

It was as I understood then that the new Suhakam leadership preferred to lead the organisation in a more quiet fashion, doing their work away from the spotlight.

I see nothing wrong with that, to be honest, in that every new leader at the helm has the right to exert his or her leadership style as they think fit.

However, I can also understand those who disagree with Suhakam’s “quiet approach” as the nature and job scope of the organisation warrants a vibrant and active engagement with many public groups.

Not that simple

Such a difference of opinion in administrative or leadership styles and the disagreement over the rules of engagement are perfectly okay and should not in any way disable the effective functions and role of Suhakam, or so we all thought just a few days ago.

But things are not that simple and straightforward as we have witnessed in Suhakam today. I feel the necessity to change the objective of this piece to not just requesting that Suhakam must be seen and heard regularly to posing whether something is seriously not right in Suhakam.

So, is there something very wrong in Suhakam? From the many negative reports about recent developments in the organisation, one can gauge that something is definitely not right in Suhakam.

Suhakam chairperson Rahmat Mohamad

According to a Malaysiakini report on June 20, Suaram has reiterated its stand in calling for Suhakam chairperson, Rahmat Mohamad, to take garden leave pending the completion of a probe into allegations levelled against him.

What is disturbing is that this demand follows a complaint lodged by Suhakam deputy secretary Shahizad Sulaiman, accusing Rahmat of racial discrimination and abuse of power.

In response, the chairperson filed a defamation suit against Shahizad, which was later dropped after it courted backlash.

I’m not sure I’ve heard of a senior staff making such a serious complaint against his boss in Suhakam before. Hello, what is happening; is the boss unable to control his people? Or that there is little respect for the chairperson? Bad if this is the case.

Leading role

When the issues are about racial discrimination and abuse of power within an organisation dealing in human rights, it does not speak well for Suhakam and its leadership.

I concede I do not know Rahmat personally, so it would not be fair to comment on his work ethics and whether he is fit to helm Suhakam.

What I do know is that Rahmat is an academician and hence, professionally qualified and acceptable to play a leading role in any organisation.

When Rahmat’s detractors started hurling allegations regarding his competence in the job, his supporters also came to his defence.

One wrote to Malaysiakini stating that “I see no basis for the complaint since the new chair is a qualified person with vast experience and has fulfilled all the necessary criteria or requirements including being a person of high integrity".

“Given the opportunity, I am confident that he would be able to discharge his duties in his new role without fear or favour”, he added.

That’s a fair statement of support. Credit should be given where and when it is due.

But there is an issue which I find worrying.

Last Monday, a group of pro-Islamic NGOs came to the defence of Suhakam and its current line-up of commissioners. This is perfectly fine.

However, when the NGOs started to allege that a power struggle was in place in Suhakam, that certain quarters allegedly want to assert their own agenda and casting aspersions on a purported funding from the European Union, the ‘problems’ in Suhakam took on another dimension.

The NGOs also warned the commission against accepting such assistance for fear of being used to inject foreign ideologies.

Now, where did all these unwarranted issues come from? These are alien to Suhakam in the past. The human rights body can certainly do without such nonsense from within, if indeed there is some truth to it.

The irony of it all is that Suhakam was established to help resolve human rights issues in Malaysia and now, it seems that Suhakam needs help urgently to resolve its internal issues which should not be there in the first place.

Sense of responsibility

Now, I think I have to join the chorus to urge the Suhakam chair to take garden leave amid the probe taking place.

Seriously, Rahmat might also wish to consider stepping down voluntarily if he feels that the Suhakam job might not be up his alley.

Stepping down from a position when a person realises he or she is not capable of fulfilling the duties or meeting the expectations required demonstrates a sense of responsibility and respect for the role itself.

It shows a commitment to the greater good and acknowledges that the best interests of the organisation or community may be better served by someone more qualified or suited for the task.

All’s said and done, let me leave these thoughts for Rahmat and all the Suhakam commissioners to ponder upon.

Bear this in mind – Suhakam is bigger than Rahmat, you or me. - Mkini

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FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a veteran Sarawak editor and heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS). He can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.