Putrajaya says no to ICERD ratification

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 23 Nov 2018 3:15PM · 16 Comments

The Prime Minister's Department says it will not ratify the International Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Racial Discrimination. – Wikipedia pic, November 23, 2018.

PUTRAJAYA will not be ratifying the International Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), said the Prime Minister’s Department today.

The statement added that the government will continue to defend the federal constitution “which contains the social contract agreed upon by all races during the formation of this nation.”

There have been strong objections, largely from the Malay groups and political parties, over the proposed ratification of the convention over fears that it would erode Malay privileges and Bumiputera rights, as well as destroy the royal institution and weaken the sanctity of Islam.

ICERD has become a hotly debated issue since Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy said it would be one of six human rights treaties the government is hoping to ratify by the first quarter of 2019.

Malay rights groups, as well as Umno and PAS, who are against the UN convention, are planning to hold a massive street protest in Kuala Lumpur on December 8.

Earlier this week, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said the government should suspend the plan to endorse the ICERD to avoid public tensions.

“Calls to postpone ratification does not mean we dispute the spirit of equality. I have also called for it to be deferred because no matter how much we try to explain the matter, it still needs international ratification.

“And as such, to avoid any possibilities of tensions, I stress that we need to consider the rakyat’s worries and review the matter,” he had said.

Civil society groups meanwhile welcomed the move to ratify the convention, saying that it was necessary in a multiracial country like Malaysia.

Malaysia is one of only 14 countries, including Myanmar, North Korea and Brunei, which have yet to ratify the convention. – November 23, 2018.

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Comments

  • Back to square one

    Posted 5 years ago by Dhamiri Petra · Reply

  • Putrajaya is ascending to the demands of the ultras.... again. If all the Muslim countries (except for Brunei) can ratify ICERD with their own ethnic preferences and nuances, we're bowing down to racial politics which is a creation of UMNO and PAS. We want the rakyat to believe that we've moved forward in heart but in reality, we're still stuck in the game of political balancing of the old regime. Syabas Malaysia

    Posted 5 years ago by Peter Hong · Reply

  • Putrajaya is ascending to the demands of the ultras.... again. If all the Muslim countries (except for Brunei) can ratify ICERD with their own ethnic preferences and nuances, we're bowing down to racial politics which is a creation of UMNO and PAS. We want the rakyat to believe that we've moved forward in heart but in reality, we're still stuck in the game of political balancing of the old regime. Syabas Malaysia.

    Posted 5 years ago by Peter Hong · Reply

  • PH in favour of Majority Race Undermining the Minority in Malaysia. The Minority will see how long will the Malay Islam Bully us. DONT WORRY MALAY ISLAM GOD WILL AID US HELP US . U Crooks NATURE will handle . May u Malays ROT IN HELL for Bullying the Non Malays.

    Posted 5 years ago by Tharan Singh · Reply

  • Much ado about nothing.

    Posted 5 years ago by Awang Bilis · Reply

  • So the PH government allowed a bunch of racists to prevail over policy and the greater good. So much for Vision 2020.

    Posted 5 years ago by Gaik Cheng Khoo · Reply

  • Morality is forced to take a backseat. The will of our government buckles.

    Posted 5 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • The groundswell of the rural Malay community and those who trust the twisted exhortations of the troublemakers have overcome decency, self-esteem and common sense. It shows that the Education Minister has a gargantuan task ahead of him and that the Police Department needs an electric shock to wake them up from the BN coma. The one positive to come out of this is PH is able now to gauge where to focus their efforts on so that the weaknesses in the education system which has produced the hordes of anti-ICERD supporters and the impotence of the RMP as exposed here by the lack of proactive action can begin to be remedied and rehabilitated.

    Posted 5 years ago by Panchen Low · Reply

  • Given the present conditions and prevailing realities, this decision is the most appropriate. Why the issue of ICERD ratification was brought at this point in time baffles me. The current government is just starting to grapple with innumerable complicated problems and ICERD is a major distraction. It also has given the floundering opposition the opportunity to grasp on to an issue which resonates in the Malay heartland. Put ICERD in the cold storage for a few years. Ask yourself honestly if ratifying it is going to make a qualitative or quantitative difference in Malaysian life?

    Posted 5 years ago by Simple Sulaiman · Reply

  • Those who threatened another May 13 and uprising have committed offences. They were clearly seen and heard to have uttered those words. Throw the book at them. Impose the maximum penalty on them as allowed under the law. When the troublemakers are held accountable, their followers will automatically disperse. Instead, buckling under their threats is giving face to them and encouraging more of them to become "heroes". When swift action is not taken, the troublemakers win their day. If this goes on, who will be ruling the country - the elected government or the gangsters on the streets? Why is there such 'softheartedness' towards the gangsters?

    Posted 5 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

  • Simple Sulaiman Malay Islam Gangsters are Ruling Malaysia The govt of the day has no space to breathe . How to put a stop to this uneducated malay islam gangsters . Is tis Islam All About

    Posted 5 years ago by Tharan Singh · Reply

  • PH need more time. Umno n pas have only race n religion rhetoric. Put into jail the 1mdb culprits. Then all this will go away. Do not give umno and pas a reason to sway what is good for the country. Many are trying to cause trouble to avoid 1mdb

    Posted 5 years ago by Kenneth Tan · Reply

  • PH need more time. Umno n pas have only race n religion rhetoric. Put into jail the 1mdb culprits. Then all this will go away. Do not give umno and pas a reason to sway what is good for the country. Many are trying to cause trouble to avoid 1mdb

    Posted 5 years ago by Kenneth Tan · Reply

  • What has this so-called social contract got to do with ICERD? Is this "social contract" stated in the Constitution? If so, why has this not been spelt out clearly and made known to the public? Has the government capitulated to a group of trouble-makers instead of clarifying to all Malaysians the implications of ratifying ICERD? Or has the PH government lost it's political will to do the right thing in the face of extremists who use race and religion to divide the country?

    Posted 5 years ago by Panchen Low · Reply

  • the worst shameful race in the modern world that doesn't know what shame is about. No difference putting you PH in. Same old racial politics. Sickening.

    Posted 5 years ago by TC BOY · Reply

  • the worst shameful race in the modern world that doesn't know what shame is about. No difference putting you PH in. Same old racial politics. Sickening.

    Posted 5 years ago by TC BOY · Reply