Malaysia Project Director talks to SUHAKAM

The Vice Chairman of SUHAKAM, Tan Sri Harun Hashim, stated in his keynote address that:

• SUHAKAM would continue to lobb the Malaysian government for ratifying the three most significant international human rights treaties on civil and political rights.
• SUHAKAM has always regarded arbitrary detntion under the Intrnal Security Act (ISA) as a threat to democracy.

Ramdas Tikamdas, the President of the National Human Rights Society (SUHAKAM), called for the Chairman of SUHAKAM, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman, to be invited by the Parliament to present;

• the three Annual Reports
• the special reports, and
• SUHAKAM's recommendations to protect and promote human rights in Malaysia.

The civil society groups in Malaysia carried this proposal forward as a campaign initiative.

The Project Director Malaysia of Friedrich Naumann Foundatio explained that the Foundation regards the freedom of the individual as its central value. The Foundation therefore emphasizes choice, tolerance, rule o law, civil and political rights, property, and entrepreneurship.

Moreover, it struggles for the notion that freedom is not be taken as an opinion, but rather as an absolute praradigm or truth.

In his opinion, SUHAKAM plays an important role in Malaysia. It acts as a watchdog, while it also sets the standard of human rights in the local political discourse

The responsibility of the civil society lies in cooperating with, and monitoring the performance of the Human Rights Commission. In the particular Malaysian context, it needs to put aside the sense of frustration stemming from the harshness of political discourse and it needs to engage with SUHAkAM beyond the polarized sphere of politics.

The civil society groups and individuals participating in the consultation called for more transparency in publicising the government's response to SUHAKAM's observations and recommendations.

As a follow up, ERA Consumer is currently in the process of drafting a memorandaum comprising the points of discussion and demands from the participants which will be submitted to SUHAKAM.

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