Muslim NGOs back current Suhakam lineup, warn against foreign funding

 

A group of pro-Islamic NGOs today came to the defence of the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), particularly its current line-up of commissioners.

In a press conference held this afternoon, the NGOs said Suhakam leadership had been under attack from certain quarters who allegedly want to assert their own agenda through the commission.

They also claimed that a power struggle within Suhakam was due to foreign funding it received from the European Union, and warned the commission against accepting such assistance for fear of being used to inject foreign ideologies.

Spokesperson Lukman Sheriff Alias, who is from the Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations (MACSA), told the press conference that the new Suhakam leadership appointed last year had been fair and more inclusive to Islamic NGOs compared to its previous line-ups.

"Since the new Suhakam line-up for 2022-2025 was appointed, we could see in the past year a concerted effort from certain quarters who want to control Suhakam for their own agenda.

"They have issued many statements to portray the wrong and confusing image (of Suhakam) to the public. And thus we wish to correct some of the wrong perceptions, based on our perspective.

"Firstly, we want to say that Suhakam has been more inclusive now. Suhakam does not only engage the left-wing civil society organisations (CSOs) that carry liberal aspirations, but it has now become more open and inclusive to Islamic CSOs that are involved in human rights advocacy," said Lukman, who read the group's statement.

Among the other Islamic NGOs were the Muslim Defenders Front (Pembela), Muslim Lawyers Association, and Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM).

Suhakam chairperson Rahmat Mohamad

The press conference was held days after Suhakam and its chairperson Rahmat Mohamad came under fire over a lawsuit that Rahmat filed against the commission’s deputy secretary Shahizad Sulaiman last month.

Suhakam was also recently slammed by some NGOs for allegedly being "quiet".

‘Power struggle’ in Suhakam

Lukman said the situation has been very different today when it comes to engagement with Suhakam, which he claimed used to sideline Islamic NGOs.

Suhakam today, he said, has also shifted its human rights policies to be more aligned with Malaysian values instead of "blindly" taking in Western templates.

According to Lukman, an ongoing power struggle in Suhakam was allegedly caused by the RM2.3 million in financial assistance it received from the EU, where certain quarters allegedly wanted to control how it is used.

The group also urged Suhakam to return the funds to the EU to maintain its neutrality and impartiality.

"Even if the funding is meant for education and awareness programmes, in our opinion, it is better that the funds are returned to ensure Suhakam's independence.

"Because human rights awareness and education programmes that come from the West are usually linked to acceptance of values that are not in line with our country and its constitution," said Lukman.

Adding further, MACSA co-chairperson Dr Rafidah Hanim Mokhtar claimed that they found some studies conducted using foreign funds channelled through Suhakam were not independent and had allegedly been laced with Western values.

"There were many research concepts or topics conducted for awareness that had brought in contexts from outside.

"We are not sure if anyone has reviewed or filtered foreign influence (in programmes) funded by foreign entities," she said. - Mkini