Mahathir Appointees Criticize His Policies : Malaysian Panel Calls for Civil Rights Review 
International Herald Tribune
April 20, 2001
Thomas Fuller

A government-appointed commission took the rare step Thursday of contradicting the policies and directives of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad, issuing a report that called for a wide-ranging review of Malaysia's strict laws on freedom of assembly and expression.

The commission said the right to assemble peacefully had become an urgent issue and that there are "many laws in the country that restrict or infringe the basic human rights of its citizens."

The report listed a half-dozen laws, saying, "They need to be reviewed and examined in detail."

The demand for civil and political rights has become louder in Malaysia, the commission said, adding, "For increasingly larger segments of Malaysian society, a full stomach is no longer enough."

Opposition politicians have made similar calls for years, but the report by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia is perhaps a bolder challenge to Mr. Mahathir, who has been in power for 20 years and is facing a steady decline in support.

Membership of the high-profile commission is composed of a former deputy prime minister, retired senior judges and representatives of human rights groups, all of them appointed by Mr. Mahathir when the body was formed last year.

The commission's findings came as Mr. Mahathir announced that one of the most influential men in the country, Daim Zainuddin, would take a two-month leave of absence from his job as finance minister.

Although Mr. Mahathir said Mr. Daim took a leave because he was fatigued, any discord between the two men could have negative consequences for both the Malaysian economy and Mr. Mahathir's power.

Mr. Daim is the treasurer of Mr. Mahathir's political party and generally considered to be a key power broker.

Last week, Mr. Mahathir called for stricter controls on the press, saying that existing laws, which by Southeast Asian standards already are draconian, were not effective enough.

"We don't want to be like the press in other countries, the so-called liberal countries, who tell lies, fabricate stories, provoke people and don't give a fair picture," he said.

During Mr. Mahathir's 20 years in power, Malaysia has enforced some of the region's strictest laws on assembly, freedom of speech and sedition, inciting resistance to lawful authority. Any gathering of five or more people can be unlawful, a rule that the police use frequently to detain opposition supporters.

People judged to be endangering national security can be detained indefinitely without trial under the Internal Security Act, a law initially used to combat the communist insurgency of the 1950s and 1960s.

The Internal Security Act was used last week to detain seven opposition activists who were accused of seeking weapons in an attempt to topple the government. An opposition leader called the accusation "a fairy tale." The detention was criticized by many groups, including the country's Bar Council, which represents Malaysia's lawyers.

Among the recommendations made in the report:

Malaysia's police force, which has been accused of brutality at recent political demonstrations, should maintain a "discreet presence" at rallies and be "away from the assembly site."

The government should cease its "common practice" of declaring draft legislation to be an official secret until it is introduced in Parliament..

The judiciary should consider human rights to be an "integral part of the common law of Malaysia" and enforce them accordingly.

As soon as possible, Malaysia should ratify several international agreements on human rights, including the Convention Against Torture.

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