This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on January 4, 2016.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) may need to look for external sources of funding if the government goes ahead with plans to slash its operating budget by half this year.

This would not reflect well on Putrajaya if the human rights commission were to do that, its outgoing chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam said.

“Suhakam may be compelled to look at the possibility of funding of specific projects by international organisations or local sponsors that are permissible under the act.

“This may not reflect well on the state as it is the state’s responsibility to provide adequate funding for its national human rights institution,” said Hasmy in an interview with The Malaysian Insider ahead of the end of his term in April.

Hasmy was speaking about Putrajaya’s decision to slash Suhakam’s budget by almost 50% from RM10.97 million in 2015 to RM5.5 million this year. 

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low urged Suhakam to use its fixed deposits of RM4.5 million to make up for the shortfall. 

Low said the budget cut was not because of Suhakam’s criticism of the government, but that Putrajaya has to justify its expenditure in the face of declining oil revenues and a bleak world economy.

Hasmy said even if Suhakam were to use the savings, the commission would be operating on a deficit by the third quarter of 2016. — The Malaysian Insider