CHAIRMAN’S REVIEW V iolations of human rights stem from the breakdown of governance, rise of authoritarianism, turmoil resulting from power struggles, messianic brutality by terrorism and extremism and the phenomenon of human trafficking - or modern day slavery. The cataclysm of Syria resulted in total catastrophe and in Aleppo, human rights violations reached new depths. In the case of Palestine, failure of contemporary politics and the United Nations (UN) have set the processes of statelessness for the Palestinian people. Statelessness violates the right of people to a nationality, and “citizenship is a man’s basic right for it is nothing less than the right to have rights1.” In South East Asia, the Rohingya community are being dispossessed and robbed of their rights. They have been forced to flee their homeland and are losing status and rights as human communities, eking out desperately in parts of South East Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. 2016 was a difficult year for the promotion and protection of civil liberties and fundamental freedoms in Malaysia, and this has expanded the responsibility of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (referred hereafter as “the Commission” or “SUHAKAM”) to promote and protect the human rights of all persons. Since its functioning in 2000, SUHAKAM has undertaken work across a broad range of human rights issues. This includes the rights of women and children, persons with disabilities, refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers, 1 U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, dissenting, Perez v. Brownell (1958) SUHAKAM ANNUAL REPORT 2016 1 suhakam 2new.indd 1 3/23/17 5:54 PM