Don’t be so obsessed with ratifying ICERD, urges ex-deputy minister

Former deputy foreign minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican says there is no compulsion from the United Nations Human Rights Council for Malaysia to sign ICERD.

KUALA LUMPUR: The government should not be too obsessed with ratifying the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), a former deputy minister said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Reezal Merican Naina Merican, who was deputy foreign minister in the past Barisan Nasional administration, said ICERD was a convention that is very contentious.

“There are many other conventions we can easily ratify, such as the International Convention on Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as well as the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

“If we can ratify these less contentious conventions, it will put us on par with the United States and Singapore. And in other cases, on a higher level than other countries.

“To me, it is not a priority to ratify the ICERD because there is no compulsion from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for us to sign,” he said when debating the 2019 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Reezal (BN-Kepala Batas) noted there was currently a lot of focus on ICERD but pointed out it was only one of the core nine instruments under the UNHRC.

“We have already signed three. Only six conventions have not been signed. And out of 197 countries, only 24 have ratified all nine instruments.

“That is less than 15%,” he said.

Aside from the three conventions, the other six are the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Convention Against Torture, and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw); Convention on the Rights of the Child; and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Of the nine, Malaysia has only ratified the last three since 1995.

The debate over ICERD recently intensified with some groups claiming that the special rights of the Bumiputeras, as well as the position of the Malay language and Islam, would be undermined if Malaysia ratifies the treaty.

Several rallies had been organised to object to the UN rights treaty.

Last week, the Malaysian delegation at the third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Switzerland, reaffirmed the government’s decision to ratify all remaining UN rights treaties, including the ICERD.

Foreign Ministry secretary-general Ramlan Ibrahim said Putrajaya is considering ratifying the treaties following consultations with stakeholders. -FMT