This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 10, 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR: Despite advice from a minister to use its savings to cope with a nearly 50% cut in government funding, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) might not have enough money to cover its operations for next year, its chairman said.

Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam said even if it combined its fixed deposits and grants, the commission might only be able to sustain operations until the third quarter of 2016.

“We have to dip into the grants, plus what the government will give.

“According to our calculations, by the middle of next year or, at most, by the third quarter of next year, we will run out of funds. 

“Then maybe at that time we have to go around with a begging bowl, protest in the street, march to Parliament or otherwise close shop. Embarrassing!” he told The Malaysian Insider when asked to respond to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low.

On Monday, after an event to mark Human Rights Day 2015,  Low said Suhakam had fixed deposits of between RM4 million and RM4.5 million.

Given government budget cuts next year, Low said, 2016 would be the best time for Suhakam, as well as other government agencies facing cuts, to use their fixed deposits.

Under Budget 2016, Suhakam’s allocation has been cut by almost 50%, from RM10.97 million in 2015 to RM5.5 million next year.

“The government sometimes doesn’t give the full budget; it keeps some and we adjust our cut accordingly,” Hasmy said. 

He said the RM4.5 million was accumulated through years of saving.

“If you are a government department, the government will take back the money that you don’t spend … but because we are not a government department, what we save we keep.

“Suhakam has been in existence for 15 years [and] that’s why we have RM4.5 million,” he said of the commission that was established by Parliament under the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act 1999.

Hasmy said the commission could spend prudently on certain programmes by holding them at its office, but awareness programmes would require going to the field.

“We have more than 80 employees and we have rented premises.

“Of course, we can have some savings, like instead of organising [programmes] in hotels, we could do it in Suhakam’s building … It can be done to a certain extent.

“But [for] roadshows or raising awareness, we have to go out, we have to use the media.” — The Malaysian Insider