SHAH ALAM, Nov 18 — The Malay and Bumiputera community should not worry about the ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), Datuk Seri Azmin Ali said today.
The PKR deputy president said Putrajaya is not in a rush to accede to the convention, and Pakatan Harapan (PH) has already started working towards an equal distribution of wealth based on needs, and not race.
“There is talk that we supposedly want to ratify the international convention to ensure the elimination of racial discrimination. I would like to tell you that we in PKR have done so much earlier by ensuring that all races received equality and justice in the distribution of economy.
“That is why the economic policies introduced by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim are based on needs, and not race.
“Hence, the Malays and the Bumiputeras do not need to worry because we are not in a hurry to ratify the ICERD because we have implemented some of the key principles in the matter,” he said in his winding-up speech at the 13th PKR National Congress at the Ideal Convention Centre here.
Last night, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamid warned Putrajaya the Malay-Muslim community will “run amok” to protest the PH government’s pledge to ratify the ICERD.
In response, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad assured the public today that no chaos will erupt over the matter, unless instigated by the Umno president.
