DEWAN Negara has room for diversity, said prominent women’s rights activist Ivy Josiah, who is tipped for possible appointment to the upper house next month.

“It would be great to have a senate with space for civil society and good gender representation,” said Josiah to The Malaysian Insight on the sidelines of Suhakam’s 20th anniversary forum, where she delivered a speech.

“They don’t necessarily need to come from party nominations… to be representative of different constituencies and different issues,” said the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) secretary-general.

Malaysiakini, citing government sources last month, said Josiah was a candidate for senator.

“If I am chosen, it would be a tremendous honour,” she said today.

There are currently three vacant seats. By October 6, a day before the next parliamentary meeting begins, a further three seats will be vacated after Khairuddin ES Abdul Samad, Megat Zulkarnain Omardin and Yahya Mat Ghani complete their three-year term.

All three were appointed to represent Umno. Khairuddin has since defected to Bersatu.

The Dewan Negara has 70 seats. Pakatan Harapan controls 26 seats while BN has 27 seats and PAS four seats. The remaining seats belong to independents or non-aligned senators.

Meanwhile, Josiah said Suhakam, or the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, has come far since it was established in 2000.

“There was a lot of scepticism on the part of the public, given the fact that it was formed during the time after the Anwar Ibrahim Reformasi period,” she said during her speech.

Also present was Suhakam chairman Othman Hashim.

“There was a lot of doubt whether the government was sincere and to our surprise, the commissioners rose to the occasion and embraced the human rights principles,” said Josiah, who was former executive director of the Women’s Aid Organisation.

“They were not echo chambers, they challenged the government and were brave enough to come up with the public inquiries,” she added.

Josiah said the milestone public inquiries were the Kesas Highway Incident in 2000, Kundasang in 2004, the mass protest at KLCC in 2006, Bandar Mahkota Cheras in 2008 and Land Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2013.

She added the recently concluded inquiry into the disappearance of pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat will keep the issue of enforced disappearances alive. – September 12, 2019.