This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on July 1, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: The lack of balanced representation in the task force to investigate the enforced disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and activist Amri Che Mat gives rise to grave doubts about its impartiality, said a human rights group and a government member of parliament (MP).

Referring to the home ministry’s announcement of the special task force last week, Klang MP Charles Santiago said it is ridiculous that it is made up of police officers or those who have worked with the police, when the Malaysian Human Rights Commission, Suhakam, had found after months of careful investigations that the police had played a role in the enforced disappearances.

“It’s a conflict of interest and insults the family members who have suffered for years,” Charles said in a statement yesterday.

Human rights group Hakam expressed deep concern over the unbalanced composition of the task force, noting in particular that there is no representative from civil society organisations or the Bar Council, the lack of racial, religious and gender balance and that persons associated with the police force are over-represented on the task force.

“We are particularly disturbed by the appointment of a police personnel who also participated actively on behalf of the police in the Suhakam inquiry,” it said in a statement on Saturday, referring to the former head of the police legal department Datuk Mokhtar Mohd Noor.

The composition has also been criticised by other civil society groups including the Gabungan Tindak Malaysia coalition and the families of the missing persons.

Last Thursday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad  promised to make improvements.