Despite PM's defence, anti-Icerd leader to push for Waytha's sacking

Gerakan Pembela Ummah secretariat chief Aminuddin Yahaya has vowed to continue pushing for the sacking of Minister in the Prime Minister's Department P Waythamoorthy.

This is despite Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad defending Waythamoorthy amid a campaign to have the de facto national unity minister removed from office. 

"We will continue to put in effort, as we have done today, until the government changes its stance and ensure Waytha is sacked or resigns," he said. 

Aminuddin was asked about Mahathir's defence of the minister at a congress against the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) in Kuala Lumpur today.

Waythamoorthy, who defended the ratification of the treaty, quickly became a target of opponents, with an old video of him criticising the previous BN government for allegedly giving Malays preferable treatment and discriminating against Indians resurfacing on social media.

The minister later clarified that the interview from a decade ago was done under very different circumstances, shortly after tens of thousands of Indians took to the streets during the Hindraf rally in 2007 to protest against marginalisation.

Wayhtamoorthy said the BN government had acknowledged this when it engaged Hindraf in the past, just as the Harapan government under Mahathir is doing now.

'Destroying national harmony'

At the anti-Icerd congress today, Aminuddin said the video was "nothing new," but reflected Wayhtamoorthy's attitude.

He accused the minister of destroying national harmony.

Conservative groups have pressured Putrajaya to abandon its plan to ratify Icerd, claiming that it would threaten the position of Malays and Islam.

On Friday, Putrajaya relented, agreeing not to ratifythe convention.

However, conservative groups like Gerakan Pembela Ummah, PAS and Umno are now also targeting other international human rights UN conventions which Malaysia is considering acceding to. - Mkini