PUTRAJAYA: For a long time, issues pertaining to human rights have not been properly addressed as there has not been any specific ministry to look into this. But now all this is going to change.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said that on June 20 the Cabinet decided to place human rights under his portfolio and he will be assisted by the Legal Affairs Division.
“There is no specific government body that is tasked to deal with human rights as a whole. Existing institutions have specific issues like anti-corruption or anti-trafficking in persons without an overarching mandate to administer human rights,“ he said.
“I hope the new development will pave a significant and positive way forward in the governance of human rights in Malaysia,“ he said in a keynote address at the National High-Level Dialogue on Business and Human Rights today.
The minister, who is in charge of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, said new commissioners for the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) will be appointed soon as a list of proposed names had been presented to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad last week.
“The list has been given to the prime minister for him to make the announcement,“ he said.
“The appointments have been done by the select committee of Suhakam,“ he told reporters after giving his address.
Suhakam has been without commissioners after its chairman, Tan Sri Razali Ismail, resigned on April 16, almost two weeks before the end of his term on April 27, and the terms of the other seven commissioners ended on April 25.
The seven commissioners were Datuk Mah Weng Kwai, Datuk Godfrey Gregory Joitol, Dr Nik Salida Suhaila Nik Salleh, Jerald Joseph, Datuk Lok Yim Pheng, Prof Datuk Dr Aishah Bidin and Francis Johen Adam.
A commissioner’s term runs for three years. The last round of appointments was made in July 2016 and backdated to April that year.
Liew said he expected a lot of bills to be introduced in the July session of Parliament.
“As you know, the transformation of law cannot be done overnight. It has to take a period of time and I have done quite a number of laws that I will introduce on the first day of Parliament,“ he said.
Among the bills expected to be tabled include constitutional amendments to lower the voting age to 18 and the abolition of the mandatory death sentence for murder.
On the dialogue, Liew said it would exchange views pertaining to business and human rights, as well as the government’s vision regarding the development of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
“The government is committed to ensuring that businesses and development projects are operated following the global market’s expectation of good governance, integrity, accountability and transparency, as well as corporate respect for human rights,“ he said.
