IT is inappropriate for Kelantan to declare Sunday a public holiday just to enable people to attend the anti-ICERD rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said today.

“Although this is the PAS-led Kelantan government’s view, I do not think it is appropriate to have a holiday just over a protest,” he said at the Parliament lobby today.

Anwar was commenting on Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob’s announcement yesterday that Sunday’s state holiday would allow Kelantan folk to express their love for the country by sending a message on the importance of maintaining harmony in a multiracial country at the rally against the ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The protest, led by opposition parties Umno and PAS and Malay rights group Perkasa, will be held on Jalan Raja, opposite the Sultan Abdul Samad building and Dataran Merdeka from 2pm to 6pm on Saturday.

The Port Dickson MP also gave his assurance that the government would not to ratify the ICERD, and that he would bring forward a motion to debate the issue in the Dewan Rakyat today.

“We must confirm our position clearly in the cabinet that we will not ratify it as we respect democracy. 

“Our goal is to ensure peace and security.” – December 6, 2018.