KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — The National Patriots Association (Patriot) today questioned the integrity of four academics who penned a secret memorandum to the Malay Rulers that forced Putrajaya’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
The group’s Lt Col (Rtd) Ahmad Ghazali Abu Hassan also said they must ask themselves if they should remain as academics.
“Their memo has created a situation of uneasiness among the people and has forced the government to withdraw from an international treaty — for fear, from the words of the minister of foreign affairs, of a possibility of a coup d’état,” he said.
“At Patriot, we view the act of wilfully and maliciously deceiving their majesties, especially when it carries with it the dangerous implication of causing possible unrest in the country as an act of treason.”
Ahmad added that the future of the country must not be entrusted to people who lacked integrity like the four academics.
Patriot president Brig-Gen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad also expressed his group’s disappointment at Malaysia’s decision not to ratify the Rome Statute.
“Many of the top legal experts in our country have spoken and the treaty has no bearing on our Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Rulers,” he said.
Arshad encouraged public discourse on the matter and noted that these discussions are a healthy development towards a caring, informed civil society, both at home and abroad.
