Despite the fact that the Commission has organised over 120 roadshows across
the Peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak, since 2001 to the present, it is still trapped in
this misperception by members of the public and some Government agencies.
The Commission attaches great importance to its educational and promotional
duties and will undertake greater efforts to overcome this challenge. The
Commission seeks to intensify its engagement with various groups in society
to promote better understanding among them on the role and functions
of the Commission. The Commission also deems it important to enhance the
effectiveness of its methods and approaches in reaching out to people in
various parts of the country.
CAMPUS PROGRAMMES
The Commission initiated the ‘SUHAKAM Bersama Mahasiswa’ (‘SUHAKAM and
University Students’) campus programme with the aim of raising awareness
among university students regarding the Commission and human rights. A total
of seven campus programmes were conducted by the Commission at the
following universities:
i)
Islamic Science University of Malaysia (USIM), 26 March
ii)
HELP University, 18 May
iii)
University of Selangor (UNISEL), 20 July
iv)
University of Malaya, 5 November
v)
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), 7 November
vi)
National University of Malaysia (UKM), 15 November
vii)
Multimedia University Malaysia (MMU), 5 December
CHAPTER 2
5.
Although such a programme was relatively new to those who attended the
sessions, the Commission observed that participants were generally very
receptive to the human rights knowledge imparted to them and participated
actively in the programme during both the question-and-answer session as
well as the group discussion. The Commission was also impressed by the group
presentations given by the students, which reflected their ability to relate the
international human rights framework to the domestic context.
Among the common questions raised by them were those pertaining to the
work of the Commission as well as the role of the Commission in addressing
contentious human rights issues in the country.
SUHAKAM ANNUAL REPORT 2016 85
suhakam 2new.indd 85
3/23/17 5:54 PM