AMRI CHE MAT the person who has disappeared, and the need to provide a simple and prompt recourse in the case, with due guarantees." Public Inquiry What is a Public Inquiry? 44. Generally, a public inquiry is an official review of events or ac�ons ordered by a government body. A public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its open hearings in a more public forum and focuses on a more specific occurrence. 45. Interested members of the public and organisa�ons may not only submit wri�en submissions as is the case with most inquiries, but may also be present to listen to the oral evidence given by the witnesses during the hearing.17 46. A public inquiry is a mechanism that can be used to achieve SUHAKAM’s mandate to look into systemic human rights issues with a view to solving them through systema�c means. By adop�ng a broad-based human rights approach, it can examine a large number of situa�ons as opposed to an individual complaint. A public inquiry has a dual focus, fulfilling both fact-finding and educa�onal roles. An effec�ve public inquiry is one that is supported by the exercise of powers to subpoena witnesses, to order the produc�on of documents at its hearings, and to produce a report that will be made public containing recommenda�ons to all relevant par�es.18 Powers of Inquiry of SUHAKAM 47. As men�oned above, SUHAKAM’s authority to conduct an inquiry is s�pulated in Sec�on 12 of the SUHAKAM Act which reads: “Commission may inquire on its own mo�on or on complaint 12(1) The Commission may, on its own mo�on or on a complaint made to it by an aggrieved person or group of persons or a person ac�ng on behalf of an aggrieved person or a group of persons, inquire into an allega�on of the infringement of the human rights of such person or group of persons. 17 Public Inquiry h�ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_inquiry (2013, May 7). Report of the Na�onal Inquiry into the Land Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Rep.). Retrieved from h�ps://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6FQ7SONa3PRbUlnUGcxdzdEWU0/preview 18 94