THE government will undertake a consultation process on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) before it is ratified. 

Minister in the Prime Minister Department P. Waythamoorthy said in the Dewan Rakyat today that the consultation process was necessary and that there was no time limit for the process. 

“The government will take proactive measures in the first quarter of 2019 to hold consultations and get legal opinions, either from within the country or abroad, as well as views from the public,” he said during the question-and-answer session today. 

He was responding to a question from Azalina Othman Said (BN-Pangerang), who asked for details on the ICERD exemptions for Malaysia.

Waythamoorthy had previously said that ICERD, among other international conventions, would be ratified by Malaysia earlier next year.

In the Dewan Rakyat today, he reiterated that Article 153 of the federal constitution will not be abolished if the convention is ratified.

The article touches on, among others, the special position of the Malays and Bumiputeras, and the legitimate interests of other communities.

He had also previously assured that institutions like Mara and other agencies that uplift the needy among the Bumiputera community will not be affected by the ratification.

While ICERD calls for the eradication of racial discrimination, it does, however, have exemptions on affirmative action policies aimed at addressing imbalances and promoting equality.

News of Malaysia’s intention to ratify ICERD next year drew outcry from various Malay groups.

On October 31, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia would only ratify ICERD after all the races had been consulted. – November 15, 2018.