KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) received the lowest number of complaints in five years, its annual report 2013 revealed.
A total of 624 complaints were received compared with 911 the year before, 1,232 in 2011, 721 in 2010 and 941 in 2009.
Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam said the lower number of cases reported could be partly due to greater understanding of human rights while issues not related to human rights were directed elsewhere.
“There are other commissions that looked into various issues and other processes that could be done first and we will make sure those are done first,” he told a press conference.
Report chairman Datuk Dr Khaw Lake Tee said the figures were unusually high in 2011 due to the complaints received from the National Inquiry into the Land Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Hasmy said Suhakam handed over 13 annual reports to Parliament and none had been tabled and it welcomed the recommendation by the Government in 2012 to set up a Permanent Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights, which he hoped would subsequently lead to the tabling of the report in Parliament.
He said that currently, there seemed to be more collaborations on the issue between the two political coalitions at the committee level behind close doors, nevertheless, he hoped that the human rights issues would still be debated in Parliament.
Hasmy said he hoped the setting up of the committee would be expedited soon so that parliamentarians could give adequate attention to Suhakam’s future annual reports, as this was a normal process in other countries.
He also said that Suhakam had met Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the ministry’s officials, with the presence of Minister in the Prime Minister Datuk Paul Low recently to discuss several issues under the Home Ministry’s care.
"We are happy to know that Datuk Ahmad Zahid has given a positive response and expressed the ministry’s readiness to work with Suhakam on human rights issues,” he said.
Hasmy said they had pointed out the importance of the Government adhering to international human rights principles and portray a positive image for the country in the eyes of the international community.
Thirteen main issues were highlighted in the report, including amendments to the laws, Malaysia’s involvement in the international human rights treaties and rights to education for children with learning difficulties.
The report also highlighted the rights of care for senior citizens, freedom of assembly, challenges of human rights activists, issues on detention centres, Universal Periodic Review and the National Human Rights Action Plan.
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