Saifuddin: Waythamoorthy handled Icerd, not me

 

P Waythamoorthy was the "lead" cabinet minister handling Malaysia's aborted attempt to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd).

This is according to Pahang Perikatan Nasional head Saifuddin Abdullah, who was the foreign minister during the Pakatan Harapan administration.

Saifuddin (above) said the only international treaties he was involved in were the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) and the United Nations Convention against Torture.

"As far as I can remember there wasn't a cabinet paper on ratifying Icerd... I don't know why I'm being attacked now," he said.

Recently, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang claimed responsibility for triggering the "Sheraton Move", ostensibly because of the Harapan administration's attempt to ratify Icerd and the Rome Statute.

In September 2018, then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the 73rd United Nations General Assembly that Malaysia would ratify Icerd.

This was met with protests domestically. Eventually, Mahathir's cabinet scuttled the Icerd move in under two months.

After Hadi's revelation about his role in the "Sheraton Move", PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang accused Hadi of forgetting his new ally Saifuddin's role in the Icerd saga.

At a rally last night, Anwar accused Hadi of now campaigning for Saifuddin. 

As for Lim, he issued a press statement that Saifuddin's Icerd folly managed to inadvertently provide a lifeline for Umno and PAS in 2018.  - Mkini