IT WAS APANDI! ANIFAH NOW THROWS THE BLAME ON EX-AG FOR HIS REFUSAL TO SIGN ROME STATUTE DESPITE UMNO-BN CABINET’S GO-AHEAD – BUT SINCE WHEN IS THE AG MORE POWERFUL THAN THE CABINET

FORMER foreign minister Anifah Aman today said he did not sign the instrument of accession in 2011 to accede to the Rome Statute after the then Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had advised against doing so.

He added as a minister he had to listen to the views of the AGC and address with its concerns before he could sign the treaty.

“The Cabinet revisited the issue (accession to the Rome Statute) in 2015 and it was decided for Malaysia to accede and for the AGC to prepare the necessary papers to be tabled during a Cabinet meeting.

“However, the AGC did not prepare the Cabinet papers,” he said in a statement issued in Kota Kinabalu, breaking his silence on the subject.

Anifah was also responding to a recent forum where former ambassador Noor Farida Mohd Ariffin had questioned as to why he did not sign the instrument of accession.

Noor Farida is also a spokesperson for G25 group.

Anifah said the assertion that he did not sign the instrument of accession was an over-simplified and inaccurate misrepresentation of the whole situation then.

“Although during that particular period Noor Farida had recommended for Malaysia to accede to the Rome Statute, it was clear there were a number of grey areas that needed to be addressed, such as the concerns raised by the AGC.

“These concerns needed to be dealt with, which was why we waited for the AGC papers to be submitted to Cabinet.

“When signing any statute or anything on behalf of the country, I have always been very careful as a wrong move may cause negative repercussions domestically or internationally.

“Should I have listened to Noor Farida only or dismissed the AGC’s concerns?

“I believe I owed it to the people and my country to be thorough and not dismiss the concerns,” said Anifah, who is also the Kimanis MP.

“Furthermore, Noor Farida being a senior officer at the time should know that when it comes to legal instruments, the government will follow the advice of the AGC. In this instance, concerns were raised that needed attention.

“Noor Farida speaks as if I should solely listen to her and dismiss everyone else, especially the AGC.

“On the recent decision made by the current government and Cabinet with regards to the Rome Statute, perhaps they should have taken more time to explain the issue to the people,” he said.

the malaysian insight