Suhakam chair declares 'nothing to hide' after fresh allegations surface

 

EXCLUSIVE | Suhakam chairperson Rahmat Mohamad declared that he has “nothing to hide” and is prepared to be investigated by the Prime Minister's Department's Legal Affairs Division.

He was responding to the allegations against him, ranging from racism to abuse of power, which sources brought to Malaysiakini’s attention.

To emphasise his preparedness to face a probe, Rahmat revealed he had withdrawn his defamation suit against Suhakam's former deputy secretary Shahizad Sulaiman, who had filed an internal complaint against the chairperson.

"I retracted the suit to give way for this independent investigation.

"I want to make it as a gesture that I have nothing to hide. Let it be open. Let them investigate whether what has been said against me is true or otherwise," he told Malaysiakini.

At the same time, Rahmat is hoping the probe would also focus on “other matters” which did not implicate him. However, he preferred not to elaborate on these “other matters”.

“Suhakam commissioners have agreed to raise these matters, not only the allegations against me, but also other matters with the Prime Minister's Department's Legal Affairs Division,” he said.

‘Bypassing internal procedures’

Among others, the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity had accused Rahmat of bypassing certain internal procedures.

They claimed that he appointed a special officer despite objections from Suhakam’s senior management based on the individual’s appraisal for a separate position within the commission.

However, the chairperson refuted the allegation, claiming that all decisions were made with the agreement of Suhakam commissioners and later communicated to the senior management.

“It was not only my decision. We (commissioners) discussed and agreed (on the appointment). It has nothing to do with my personal decision to appoint (a special officer). I brought it to the (commissioners) meeting, and the panel agreed on the appointment.

“We did not do anything secretly. It was not like that. Everything was approved,” he said.

Rahmat’s move to appoint a special officer had come into question as the role was not provided under Suhakam’s organisational chart.

It is learnt that at least three other Suhakam chairpersons before Rahmat did not have a special officer but worked with a personal assistant together with the commission’s senior management.

Rahmat’s move had raised concerns that the Suhakam senior management comprising a secretary and three deputies, was being sidelined.

Sources alleged that it was a “systemic boycott” of the existing management team as commissioners were making decisions without their involvement.

Quizzed on his engagement with the senior management, Rahmat cited the commissioners’ monthly meetings.

“We have our monthly commissioners meeting. That is mandatory. Because there are many issues.

“There are issues on policies and administration. Our meeting is not only among commissioners, we have the senior management with us as well. We have the secretary and the deputies.

“This is also where we (commissioners) air our concerns over the management of Suhakam. This is a regular thing,” he said.

Aside from that, Rahmat said he also holds engagements with Suhakam’s staff.

“I take the initiative to see them, hold discussions, and ask them ‘what are their concerns?’ That happens regularly and there are no problems there,” he added.

Trip to Berlin

While Rahmat said the meetings had discussed administrative matters, Malaysiakini learnt there were unanswered questions surrounding reimbursement claims filed after his official trip to Berlin, Germany, last year.

The chairperson was said to have requested reimbursement for four one-way flight tickets to Kuala Lumpur purchased using his personal credit card.

Sources told Malaysiakini the claims were made without providing the required verifications, including the identities of two individuals for whom Rahmat had bought the tickets, other than a Suhakam staff he was travelling with.

Responding to this, Rahmat said the four of them missed a connecting flight from Istanbul, Turkey, so he used his own money to pay for their overnight accommodation and new flight tickets to Kuala Lumpur.

“I actually helped the two who were stranded… These two were Indians, actually. So If I am racist, I would have left them high and dry in Istanbul.

“It was not our fault the plane left. They over-subscribed, so when we arrived, we were told the flight was full. We had to pay. I paid for the hotel as well. So I used my own money, RM20,000, for four people.

"I could have left them there, but I didn't have the heart. Those claims were already paid (to me), and I received the money. This was put before the commissioners. So it is not really an abuse of power. None," he explained.

According to Rahmat, the two individuals he assisted were from NGOs, and this prompted one of the sources to question why Suhakam should reimburse him when the two are unrelated to the commission.

Alleged racial bias

The Suhakam commissioner also denied claims that he was not satisfied with the racial composition of the senior management.

Addressing talks of “factionalism” within Suhakam, including alleged attempts to remove him as chairperson, Rahmat said he was unaware of the situation as reported by online portal Malaysia Now on June 16.

Three days after the report was published, a group of pro-Islamic NGOs held a press conference to defend Suhakam against “certain quarters who allegedly want to assert their own agenda through the commission.”

The group’s spokesperson Lukman Sheriff Alias had linked the alleged power struggle to differences in opinion over how it would utilise the RM2.3 million in financial assistance received from the European Union (EU).

This led to more questions on internal issues within Suhakam.

Malaysiakini understands that specific allegations against Rahmat with regard to the appointment of the EU grant manager were included in the internal complaint against him.

This includes alleged racial bias in his choice of candidate versus another individual recommended by a selection committee, including members from Suhakam’s senior management.

Commenting on this, Rahmat acknowledged the complaint against him but said the matter no longer arose as all commissioners had agreed to hold another round of interviews for the position.

The Suhakam chairperson said he is willing to meet with all quarters to discuss matters related to the commission.

“I am open and transparent… We take it if you have anything to discuss, you can come over. That is my stand, open and transparent.

“If there are any attempts (from within Suhakam) to remove me, I don’t know,” he added.

As for his detractors, Rahmat said he has not ordered internal actions to be taken against them.

“As a lawyer, I believe in justice, everyone must get their justice, too,” he added. - Mkini