NO Malaysian would want Malaysia to ratify the ICERD at the price of a repeat of the May 13 racial riot, said Lim Kit Siang.

The DAP veteran said there is no doubt that there are irresponsible elements seeking to incite and escalate racial and religious distrust, animosity and hatred to engender the conditions to replicate another May 13 racial riot in Malaysia.

“There is no need to incite and escalate racial and religious doubts, animosity and hatred to create another May 13 racial riot, for I have no doubt that if the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is indeed anti-Malaysian constitution, anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay sultans, the overwhelming majority of Malaysians, regardless of race or religion would not want Malaysia to ratify ICERD,” he said in a statement today.

Malaysia and Brunei are the only two countries in the 57 member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation yet to ratify ICERD, said the Iskandar Puteri MP.

“The ICERD issue is a warning to all Malaysians that their ‘New Malaysia’ vision which was the cause of the historic May 9 decision which saw a peaceful and democratic transition of power for the first in six decades, and gave hope to the world that democracy as a system of government to achieve freedom, justice and good governance for  the people in the world, can still fail if we allow political opportunists and desperadoes to exploit the toxic politics of lies, hatred, race and religion to the extent of unleashing racial and religious conflicts,” he said.

Last night in Langkawi, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir said Putrajaya decided against ratifying ICERD because it involves amending the federal constitution for which the new government does not have the numbers now.

Dr Mahathir rejected claims that the government decided not to ratify ICERD because it feared losing the support of the Malays.

“Not at all. The decision was taken because it involves the constitution,” he said.

The Langkawi MP said the Pakatan Harapan government did not have a two-thirds majority in Parliament to amend the constitution.

He also said there were many PH lawmakers who were against ratifying the United Nations convention. – November 25, 2018.