chairman’s message Police Act 1967. The Commission has warmly welcomed the Prime Minister’s bold and historic decision, consistent with his desire to see the nation mature into a fully functioning and vibrant democracy. In fulfilling its advisory role, the Commission hopes to be able to work closely with the relevant government agencies in ensuring that those obsolete laws are quickly abolished or replaced by legislation that is consistent with universally accepted human rights and democratic principles. Another welcome development was the Government’s positive response to the Commission’s proposal to develop a National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP), as a mechanism and roadmap for more effective and systematic promotion and protection of human rights, which will be monitored and audited like a national development plan. The Commission looks forward to working with the Government and other stakeholders in completing the much-awaited NHRAP, and to subsequent independent monitoring of the implementation of the action plan. It is pertinent to recall that the Government set up the Commission to assist the State in promoting human rights by monitoring infringements of these rights wherever they occur; and to advise the Government on the improvement of laws, regulations and practices. The Commission has no enforcement or executive power and, in carrying out its work as a ‘watchdog’, it often finds itself compelled to make critical comments about certain policies and practices of government agencies as well as other parties. In speaking out on what it perceives to be non-compliance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), it seeks to enhance the human rights record of the nation. The Commission, which considers its work to be an important aspect of public service, is committed to carrying out its tasks, even if this draws criticism from certain quarters who fail, or refuse, to understand the raison d’être of its existence. The Commission has continued with, and benefitted from, its programmes of dialogues and engagement with various stakeholders – government departments and agencies such as the Royal Malaysian Police, Prison Department and other enforcement bodies, NGOs, academicians and the media. These programmes and activities are essential not only in creating awareness and promoting understanding of human rights, but also in obtaining important feedback from our interlocutors. These will be pursued even more actively in the future, with particular emphasis on policy- and lawmakers for the important roles that they play and the influence they exert on the future direction of the country in the area of human rights. In this regard, we look forward to more active engagement with parliamentarians and members of the State Legislatures with a view to generating increased interest in human rights issues, and to encourage them to establish an appropriate mechanism or forum for deliberations, such as a Parliamentary Standing or Select Committe, and a similar committee in State Legislatures. After all, human rights is an overarching subject that affects the people from the cradle to the grave. A more focused and informed consideration of basic rights issues among legislators would not only be good for the electorate whose rights issues would have a high forum for discussion, but would also bolster parliamentary democracy; for, in a thriving democracy, policies and laws formulated in 3