The country has been without a Human Rights Commissioner for more than a week – which is an indictment of the cavalier and contemptuous attitude of the Najib administration to democracy and human rights.
The appointment of all the Suhakam Commissioners expired last Friday and the vacuum or even void in Suhakam for more than a week is not only a terrible reflection of inefficiency and incompetence of the Najib administration but it could not have come at a worse time as there were serious violations of human rights in this one-week period.
The most heinous human rights violation is undoubtedly the national furore over the trigger-happy police killing of 14-year-old Form III student Aminulrasyid Hamzah in the early hours of Monday some 100 metres from his Shah Alam Section 11 house and the shameful episode where the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan tried to hold the nation to ransom threatening to call off police off the streets and not to enforce the law in retaliation against widespread public criticisms over the Aminulrasyid killing.
The police is facing the worst crisis of public confidence its history – all because of police refusal to accept the key recommendation of the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commissionn in 2005 to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service.
If the IPCMC had been set up and had been able to command public confidence and support, the system of good governance for the police would have been put in place and the tragic case of the police shooting and killing of Aminulrasyid would be handled without causing an immediate plunge of public confidence – to the extent that Aminulrasyid’s neighbours shouted in protest against the trigger-happy police action: “This is not Manchester or Los Angeles, this is bloody Malaysia!”
Public confidence have plunged further with the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail sending back the police investigations papers on Aminulrasyid’s killing back to the police while the Inspector-General of Police is publicly canvassing for an inquest.
Why should there be an inquest when the PAS MP for Shah Alam Khalid Samad has produced a second witness on the trigger-happy police shooting of Aminulrasyid.
With the evidence quite clear-cut, why is there no immediate prosecution for murder or at least homicide charge?
These are grave human rights issues which should engage the attention of the Human Rights Commission – but unfortunately, there is not a single Human Rights Commissioner for this period until now, and Suhakam can only operate for house-keeping purposes by its staff.
It is a great disappointment and even grave dereliction duty that Suhakam has been silent on the Aminulrasyid killing – and the Suhakam commissioners cannot be blamed because there is not a single one of them.
This is a shame and an outrage for which the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak must bear full responsibility.
The vacuum and void in Suhakam has happened at a time when there is gross violation of media freedom as in NTV7 and RTM, which should be subjects for Suhakam action and rectification.
At present, Suhakam is only an empty shell as there is nobody empowered in it to protect human rights of Malaysians from these violations.
Najib should explain whether he is going to continue the Suhakam vacuum and void for some time and if not, when the new appointments would be made.