Rome Statute row: Rais wants to meet academic quartet

The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) former president Rais Yatim has expressed his intention to meet the four academics who had advised the rulers over Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Rais, who is the Negri Sembilan Bersatu chief, said he knows the quartet personally and will meet them to seek explanation on their arguments against the treaty.

"In a bid to provide justice to Malaysians in regard to this Rome treaty, it's important for us to seek explanations (from the quartet).

"We can't just accept the news that the rulers disagree, express concern and so forth. Although there's a little bit of summary (of the quarter's purported arguments) in the social media, we want them to reveal the truth.

"I will see them, so they will understand the repercussion or the damage that they have created," Rais told the media.

He was one of the panellists in a forum organised by the Bar Council, titled "The Rome Statute Pull Out - Controversies and Implications: Where Do We Go From Here?" at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall today.

The Yayasan Budi founder said that the academics must listen and exchange opinions from the Bar Council.

"We have to look at this positively on how to counter them. But how to counter them if we don't know what they are saying? This is the problem.

"We must know what you told the sultan, so we can engage in a positive and productive manner in respect to this question (the ratification of the Rome Statute)."

Earlier in his speech, Rais criticised the professors for the "damage" that they have done.

"If the four eminent professors didn't go around the country and pleaded with the royal highnesses, to say that Rome is not to be with us, nothing will happen (today)," he said.

Rais reiterated that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said that the government did not object to the ratification of the Rome Statute, but rather the setback happened due to the political development.

Other panellists include the Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, National Human Rights Society (Hakam) president Gurdial Singh Nijar, and Bar Council member Surendra Ananth.  - Mkini