Sept 6, 2009, Sun - Suhakam may lack bite, but it has not stopped barking.

IN the 10 years since the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) was established by Parliament on Sept 9, 1999, the nation has seen a number of political and social changes, which ensure an on-going challenge for its commissioners.

Sun, 6th Sept 2009 - That’s the message NGOs have for Suhakam, whose powers are limited.

THERE were lofty expectations when Suhakam was formed on Sept 9, 1999. A decade on, many human rights advocates feel the commission has not lived up to them.

Wed, Sept 2 2009 - PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry will consider setting up an Internal Security Council to approve detentions under the Internal Security Act.

This will limit the power of the minister to direct a person to be detained for up to two years.

Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said this would increase the checks and balances when a person is detained under the ISA.

Setting up the council was one of the proposals by Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) in a memorandum handed to Hishammuddin yesterday.

Wed, Sept 2,2009 - PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s future development and economic competitiveness will require greater political maturity from its people.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Malaysians often resorted to using harsh words instead of rational debate.

Thu, August 20, 2009 - GEORGE TOWN: The proposal by the Cabinet to do away with the need to state ethnic origin in official forms got a strong nod of approval from various individuals and communities.

Penang Mental Health Association president Datuk Mary Ritchie said this would close the racial divide and give Malaysians – regardless of their origin – a sense of belonging to the country they were born in.