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PETALING JAYA: It is essential that the annual report of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) be debated in Parliament to allow parliamentarians to debate human rights issues and propose possible solutions.
Suhakam commissioners Mah Weng Kwai and Jerald Joseph said that one of the commission’s duties is to publish an annual report so that current human rights issues in the country can be debated in Parliament.
“It was debated last year, thanks to the late Liew Vui Keong. (Although) it was a short debate, it showed that the government at the time took these issues seriously enough to discuss them, ”Mah said yesterday.
Human rights issues concern the entire country and its people, and issues such as migrant workers and the treatment of Rohingya refugees have an impact on a global scale, he added.
Jerald expressed his hope that the current administration will take these issues seriously. He noted that there has been minimal conversation about human rights by the current government.
“I am disappointed because there was hope that parliament would take human rights issues more seriously after debating them last year. It’s heartbreaking and it feels like we’re going back to the old days, ”he said.
“Human rights do not seem to be at the top of his agenda, and I do not buy the excuse of lack of time, since these are issues that concern the people.”
De facto law minister Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan recently said that Suhakam’s 2019 annual report will not be debated in parliament this year.
“The government does not plan to present a motion to debate this report as government business is the priority, according to the standing order. There is not enough time either, ”Takiyuddin said.
This decision also left other non-governmental organizations disappointed.
All Women’s Action Society (Awam) said that a debate in Parliament would raise awareness of human rights issues, allow the government to be transparent about these issues and acknowledge their existence, and lay the groundwork for correcting human rights violations.
Awam’s program and operations manager, Nisha Sabanayagam, said human rights must always be a high priority, regardless of the government in office.
“When it comes to the human rights of women, priority must be given to the issue of child marriages. At a minimum, this issue must be debated and decisions must be made to implement the five-year national strategic action plan on child marriage, which is currently awaiting Cabinet approval, ”said Nisha.
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