DPM: Rights activist Suu Kyi should take a stand

PUTRAJAYA: Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been urged to use her personal experience in fighting for democracy and human rights to stop the atrocities by the country’s military against the ethnic Rohingya, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

As a leader who was once awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, he said Suu Kyi should no longer remain silent.

“If in the past she could fight for democracy and liberation and have her struggles recognised by the world, she should now translate that into action for the Rohingya in her own country,” he said at the closing of the Merdeka Rides 2017 organised by the Superbikers Association Malaysia (SAM) here yesterday which had riders from Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said while other countries are showing concern over the plight of the Rohingya by sending aid, the international community is also waiting for the same action from the Myanmar leader.

“She (Suu Kyi) needs to translate the feelings shared by the world by doing something, which she should as a Nobel Peace Prize winner,” he added.

Suu Kyi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 while under house arrest for going against Myanmar’s military junta in her fight for democracy and human rights.

The Deputy Prime Minister also urged former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan to play a bigger role in calling for action among international organisations on the plight of the Rohingya.

During the event, Dr Ahmad Zahid also launched the Rohingya Humanitarian Fund drive by SAM. Within eight minutes, a sum of RM7,838 was raised. — Bernama