Over the years after its official registration in 1991, HAKAM continued to be led by illustrious and capable individuals.
These are our past Presidents:
Tan Sri Ahmad Nordin was a veteran of UMNO, and served as an EXCO of the Malacca State Government, Deputy President of the Malaysian Council of Former Elected Representatives, and elected as as a Syariah Appeal Court Judge in 1999.
Raja Aziz Addruse was a giant in legal circles, serving 3 times as President of the Bar Council, including the crucial years where the Judicial Crisis happened. He was also a Commissioner for the International Commission of Jurists.
Ramdas Tikamdas is a prominent lawyer, mediator and arbitrator. Besides HAKAM, he held office at the Pahang Consumers Association, Selangor Consumers Association, FOMCA and ERA Consumer. He has written many articles on human rights in various publications and journals.
Cecil Rajendra is famous not only for his work as a lawyer-activist, but as a poet. In 2005, he was awarded the Malaysian Lifetime Humanitarian Award for his legal aid work and inspirational poetry. That same year, he was also nominated for the Noble Prize for Literature.
Datuk Malik Imtiaz Sarwar is a highly respected lawyer and has been at the forefront of Malaysia’s human rights cases. A tireless activist for the rule of law and liberties, he was awarded the Bindman’s Freedom of Expression Award for Law & Campaigning in 2009.
Abdul Rashid Ismail was one of the lawyers in theĀ Sagong bin Tasi case (Orang Asli Customary Land Rights case) from the High Court, to the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court. Rashid was also a Chevening Scholar and is a graduate of the University of Oxford with a Masters of Studies in International Human Rights Law.