After serving for six years as commissioner for the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), its activist Jerald Joseph has left his post.
Jerald Joseph was appointed as Suhakam commissioner for the 2016-2019 term before being reappointed for the 2019-2022 term. Plus, he has served as a human rights defender and trainer consultant at both local and international levels for the past 20 years.
He remarked in a social media post that the last six years in Malaysia had exposed him to a variety of landscapes, including “prisons and immigration detention centres, stateless villages, indigenous villages, and urban poor housing, among others.”
“It has been an amazing experience of defending Malaysia’s good practices and pushing for change where we have failed. I have learnt so much. And there’s so much for us to do to ensure human rights belong to all, not just to some. It’s only possible if we continue working together for a better Malaysia,” he noted.
“It was my absolute privilege to give to our beautiful Malaysia. I look forward to continuing serving Malaysia and our world for human rights whenever needed,” he expressed.
This activist’s accomplishment was emphasised by the visits to Malaysia by the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance, as well as the UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues.
Even though Jerald’s post as Suhakam commissioner culminated yesterday, he is still a Board Member and Advisor of the Anti-racism and Non-Discrimination Programme of Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat Sdn Bhd (Pusat KOMAS).
