MINISTER: ARTICLE 153 WILL NOT BE ABOLISHED
‘Govt to get legal opinion on ICERD before deciding on next move’
THE government will not abolish Article 153 of the Federal Constitution in favour of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy.
“The government has no intention to abolish Article 153. As a lawyer, I want to state that there is no discrimination and the special position of the Malays and natives, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, is safeguarded and protected.
“The government gives its assurance that Article 153 of the Federal Constitution will not be abolished.”
He said the government would get legal opinion locally and internationally on the convention to get a clearer picture.
He said the consultation was necessary based on the speech made by the prime minister at the United Nations, where the latter stated: “It would not be easy for us because Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, religious, cultural and multi-lingual country. We will accord space and time for all to delineate and decide freely based on democracy.”
Waytha Moorthy said this during the question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat here yesterday.
He said there was confusion and uneasiness among people on ICERD, including a lack of understanding.
“The consultation is necessary to get approval from stakeholders before the government makes a decision on the ratification. But there is no time frame fixed on the consultation process.” Earlier, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (Umno-Pengerang) had asked the government to reveal the details of the exemption to be given to Malaysia if the country ratified ICERD and the party and indicators that would determine whether the country had achieved the objective as stated in Article 1(4) of the Convention. She also asked if the government could guarantee that the ratification of ICERD would not result in the loss of Article 153, especially on the racial quota system, permits and services.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had said the cabinet needed to deliberate on ICERD before a decision was made.
She said this in response to concerns raised by certain quarters with regard to ICERD, which would commit members to the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of understanding within all races.
Waytha Moorthy was reported as saying that Malaysia would ratify ICERD and five other treaties as early as the first quarter of next year.
On Nov 1, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia would only endorse the convention after consulting with all the ethnic groups in the country.