KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is set to grace an event by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) this Saturday to celebrate Human Rights Day, the same day when the Opposition will rally in favour of racial discrimination.
The Suhakam event will be held two days early to commemorate the global Human Rights Day on December 10 that marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.
The theme for this year’s Human Rights Day is “Stand Up For Human Rights”.
Dr Mahathir will make a keynote address during the launch of Suhakam’s event this Saturday morning in Padang Timur, Petaling Jaya.
The event will also feature a play by Suhakam titled “Perjuangan Yang Belum Selesai” (“The Battle Has Not Ended”), a wayang kulit performance, a poetry recital, as well as a dance by Orang Asli from Pulau Carey.
Umno, PAS and conservative Malay-Muslim group Ummah are organising a mass rally in Kuala Lumpur this Saturday afternoon instead to protest against the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), a United Nations treaty that has been ratified by most countries, even though the Malaysian government recently declared it would not ratify the convention amid unrest.
