PETALING JAYA, Nov 23 – The National Human Rights Society (Hakam) has voiced its disappointment with the government’s rejection of the United Nations’ convention on racial discrimination, claiming that the issue had been exploited to spread fear and divisiveness.
The organisation said in a statement, issued by its secretary-general Lim Wei Jiet, that it regretted the decision of the Prime Minister’s Office not to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) today.
“However, Hakam regrets even more that this issue has been exploited to generate fear and divisiveness in the country,” it added.
Describing the government’s decision as a “precautionary stance”, Hakam said it should be a temporary measure and urged the government to continue to engage stakeholders to dispel misconceptions on ICERD.
“Hakam also urges for any further discussions on ICERD be conducted in a civil manner without threats and fear-mongering. The government should revisit its decision and reconsider ratification again in the future,” it said.
Hakam also said it objected to calls for Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah to resign over ICERD as it believed he had done an admirable job in advocating the ratification of the convention.
Amid mass protests across the country, the Prime Minister’s Office had announced today that the government will not ratify ICERD, a decision that was made unanimously by the Cabinet.
“The government will continue to defend the Federal Constitution that contains the social contract that has been agreed upon by representatives from all races during the formation of this country,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Police said earlier today that 160 complaints have been filed in the last two weeks over incendiary racial and religious speeches and that Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would be questioned.
Malaysia is one of 14 countries in the world that has not signed or ratified ICERD, including Brunei, Myanmar, and North Korea.
