Govt will not ratify Rome Statute, Dewan Rakyat told

 

Deputy Foreign Minister Kamarudin Jaffar says Putrajaya will not accede to the Rome Statute, as decided by PH last year.

KUALA LUMPUR: The government today said it will not accede to the Rome Statute, which allows prosecution of those accused of genocide and war crimes.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kamarudin Jaffar told the Dewan Rakyat that Perikatan Nasional (PN) will maintain the decision made by the then Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in April 2019 to quit the treaty.

The PH government had said it was withdrawing from the Rome Statute, which had come under criticism from several parties, with some saying it would undermine the royal institution.

“The United Nations had confirmed our withdrawal effective from April 29, 2019,” Kamarudin (PPBM-Bandar Tun Razak) said in response to a question by Maria Chin Abdullah (PH-Petaling Jaya).

“If the previous government, which said it had the people’s mandate, withdrew as a signatory, the government today understands what the people want.”

Several MPs were heard telling Kamarudin the PN government did not have the people’s mandate.

To Maria’s follow-up questions on how the government plans to handle issues related to Palestine, the downing of MH17, and Rohingya refugees without going through the International Criminal Court (ICC), Kamarudin said Malaysia is playing an active role in seeking justice for them through various platforms.

The Rome Statute is an international agreement that created the ICC, which serves to complement existing laws in a state to prosecute individuals who commit international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.

Critics of the treaty had said that ratifying it would violate the Federal Constitution as it would affect the monarchy, Malay rights and the sanctity of Islam in the country. - FMT