KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Wanita Umno has called on all quarters, regardless of political background, to support Malaysia’s efforts to become a leader in strengthening the global arbitration system or process.
Wanita Umno chief Datuk Noraini Ahmad said the efforts led by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said through the special secretariat on the Sulu case had shown results and need to be supported as it involves the country’s sovereignty.
She said as long as the legal process of arbitration has weaknesses that can be exploited and abused, Malaysia and many other countries would be exposed to groundless claims.
“All quarters need to support Datuk Seri Azalina and her team in their efforts to fight for the legal process of arbitration to be streamlined and enhanced so that there will be no more weaknesses that can be exploited by any party like Malaysia is facing.
“Sovereign countries should not be trapped by the manipulation of institutions or the arbitration process as done by eight individuals contending to be heirs to the Sultanate of Sulu in several European countries,” she said in a statement here today.
On Saturday, Azalina said the absence of a monitoring mechanism and the failure of arbitrators to comply with strict ethical and professional standards have caused the arbitration process to be misused to threaten sovereign countries.
She said the claim is not a commercial dispute but a false arbitration claim, and Malaysia will continue to defend its sovereignty, especially when every ringgit, sen and resource used for this purpose comes from taxpayers’ money. — Bernama
