viii SUHAKAM CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE The year 2019 was a special year for SUHAKAM, as SUHAKAM celebrated its 20th Anniversary on 9 September and saw the debate of its annual report in Parliament for the first time, an important milestone for SUHAKAM. The national consciousness and awareness of human rights and the rule of law are higher than they have ever been. It is heartening to see that conversations on human rights laws, policies, customs and practices are being discussed in the open and transparently at every level of society. Such conversations would have been difficult a few years ago, and this could only have been made possible by the cooperation between the government and civil society. However, 2019 was also a year of many trials and tribulations. Malaysia bore witness to race-baiting statements by senior politicians, the detention of children, a moratorium on the mandatory death penalty only, raids on Shia followers, failure of authorities to stand up for the right to assemble and freedom of expression, as well as the rise of raciallycharged rhetoric in the media. Malaysians have high expectations of the government to advance human rights in the country after more than a year in power. While the people might be impatient for change, the truth is that real change takes time and effort. In this vein, SUHAKAM welcomes the constitutional amendments, including lowering the voting age and introducing automatic voter registration, as well as the increased momentum regarding the formation of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). Work that was suspended for the longest time without progress has finally begun to move, though it continues to experience flagging issues that delay its establishment. “ Since its establishment in 1999, SUHAKAM has consistently called for the debate of its annual report in Parliament. It took 20 years and a change of Government for this to become a reality ”