MP rebuts Saifuddin's attempts to distance himself from Icerd

 

A lawmaker has rebutted former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah's attempts to distance himself from a bid of the Pakatan Harapan government to sign the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd).

Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil said Harapan had never discussed ratifying the treaty, adding that it was Saifuddin who got the ball rolling.

Saifuddin yesterday said he was not the minister responsible for Icerd after ex-transport minister Anthony Loke said it was the former's idea to ratify the treaty.

In a tweet, Fahmi pointed out that Saifuddin had pledged in July 2018 to ratify six human rights conventions that Malaysia had not signed yet.

Icerd was one of the six treaties Malaysia had yet to ratify.

Responding to this, Saifuddin said he made the pledge as it was in the Harapan manifesto and implied that other ministers were in charge of bringing it to the cabinet.

Fahmi (photo above) then replied that the Harapan manifesto did not specify Icerd and that only "suitable" international treaties would be ratified.

When contacted, the PKR MP said further that Saifuddin would have had a say on then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's speech to the UN in September 2018, pledging to ratify all human rights treaties.

"It would have been impossible that Mahathir's speech would not have been vetted by Wisma Putra or Saifuddin," Fahmi told Malaysiakini.

He added that the matter of ratifying Icerd was never discussed with Harapan at the secretariat and presidential council levels.

Likewise, he said Harapan MPs were blindsided by the issue.

"Backbenchers were not roped in to discuss it, neither was the Harapan secretariat.

"We had no say whether we agreed or disagreed (with Icerd), and that was the most troubling aspect," he said.

Meanwhile, several tweets by Saifuddin previously showed a strong defence for Icerd.

"The narrative of those who disagree with ratifying Icerd is that discrimination does not occur; only Malays are discriminated against; or that Article 153 (of the Federal Constitution) will disappear.

"If they read reports about discrimination that occurs, and understand that Article 153 will remain, they will lose points for their arguments," he had said on Nov 4, 2018.

Article 153 enshrines the King's responsibility to safeguard the special position of bumiputeras.

Plans to ratify Icerd caused outrage among conservative Malay groups who believed it threatened their privileges.

After intense pressure, the Harapan government on Nov 23, 2018, decided not to proceed with ratifying the treaty.

It would be one of two treaties that Harapan was pressured out of - the other being the Rome Statute - which Saifuddin did claim responsibility for.

Asked about his views on Icerd now, Fahmi said he personally believed Malaysia was not yet ready for the convention.

He said there was a need for a multi-pronged effort to demystify the treaty, citing Putrajaya's current efforts to fight back against scepticism over the Covid-19 vaccine. - Mkini