For those who are into numerology, Sept 9, 1999 was a portentous date. Perhaps they should be consulted on what they make of the Human Rights Commission. After all, the legislation which gave birth to this important institution was enacted on Sept 9, 1999.

For the not-so-superstitiously-inclined, however, the commission was greeted with a fair dose of scepticism. That was understandable. The good news came from, of all places, the Foreign Ministry. This, according to the cynics, showed that the commission was nothing more than a public-relations exercise, one meant for the consumption of foreigners, rather than the protection of Malaysians.

Indeed, with or without the reformasi movement, the Human Rights Commission is an idea that Malaysia can no longer ignore. Such bodies have already been in operation in neighbouring countries: the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. Even the generals in Burma are flirting with the idea, albeit being heavily nudged by aid donor Australia.

Clearly, commission head Musa Hitam has a great task ahead of him. Former opposition leader Lim Kit Siang has already spelled out his first duty - to investigate the widespread complaints of violations of freedom of expression which keep our press conveniently muzzled.

Important, too, is for him to urge the government - something which is within his powers - to do away with the litany of laws which violate human rights. This includes the infamous Internal Security Act.

There are also other pressing issues: The charges that the police have been trigger-happy in carrying out their duties, the unusually high number of deaths in custody, the horrendous treatment of detainees in our illegal immigrants detention camps and the high-handed manner of riot police in breaking up peaceful demonstrations.

Not only must Musa and his team examine the urgent issues of police brutality, they must also probe other less obvious forms of abuse.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his apologists are fond of portraying the human rights battle as one between individual rights against collective rights. Make no mistake. Human rights is not a choice between food and votes. It is about both.

It is not only about freedom from torture. It is also about freedom from starvation. It does not only mean the freedom to vote, but also the right to education. Nor does it only mean freedom of the press, but also the right to health.

The struggle for human rights is at once a struggle for freedom from fear and want - equitable development and democracy are inseparable. And in this, all governments around the world - both rich and poor, East and West - have much to answer for.

Clearly, Musa knows well that the commission has a credibility problem. Indonesia's Marzuki Darusman was much in the same boat when he and his colleagues were appointed human rights commissioners by then president Suharto. Like Musa, Marzuki is a key figure in the ruling party. Surely Suharto would keep him on a short leash.

Yet Marzuki proved that he can be his own man. Among the abuses he helped investigate included the military's "black hand" in the kidnapping and disappearances of student activists during the dying days of the Suharto regime.

But can Musa do a Marzuki? Can he ensure that the work of his commission be much more transparent than the much-maligned Anti-Corruption Agency? Can the commission bring about needed reforms in our police force? Can he remain resolute in face of pressures from the powers-that-be?

The Burmese, long obsessed with numerology, had hoped that the military junta would be booted out on Sept 9, 1999. After all, the current crop of generals came to power in the wake of the Aug 8, 1988 massacre. But 9.9.99 came and went without so much of a hiccup in Rangoon.

Will Malaysians suffer the same disappointment with our Human Rights Commission? Only time, and Musa, can tell.