Suhakam will continue fight to ratify ICERD
PETALING JAYA: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) will continue to advise the government to ratify the remaining six international conventions on human rights, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).
Its chairman, Tan Sri Razali Ismail said, “Yes, of course… we are disappointed (over the government’s decision not to ratify ICERD) but we are not giving up”.
Suhakam will remain committed in ensuring human rights in Malaysia is protected based on the principles of Rukun Negara and the Federal Constitution.
He affirmed that the struggle for equal rights, however, would not eliminate or wipe out the rights of certain groups which have been enjoyed over the years.
“We should not be worried because the rights, which were alleged would be abolished, are clearly enshrined in our Federal Constitution, and will continue to be preserved,” he said in his opening speech at the Human Rights Day 2018 in Padang Timur near Petaling Jaya yesterday.
He also described the assumption of certain groups which tried to relate Suhakam and human rights as a western concept that went against religion as not smart.
“This assumption needs to be corrected. Islam is a religion that prioritises self-worth and dignity, and that is exactly what is being fought for in human rights,” he said.
Razali said human rights empowers collective success and that many governments have been able to achieve economic success because of their respect for human rights.
“People crave liberation from poverty and citizens in nations that are built on greater economic freedom enjoy greater access to ideas and resources to participate fully in an increasingly interconnected and competitive world, leaving no one behind, and we cannot continue to leave the Orang Asli behind,” he added.
Razali also said the momentous May 9 event, which saw the change of government was prove that Malaysians were on course together to uphold human rights.
“When Malaysians decided to bring about change in Malaysia, by voting against poor governance, we rejected corruption and bad governance. These (corruption and bad governance) were violations against human rights.
“So, what we did on that historic day together as Malaysians, whether we realise it or not, was to stand up for human rights,” he said.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had earlier said the government refused to ratify ICERD because it does not give the right to us to differentiate the treatment to the races in Malaysia as they are not on the same level.
So far, Malaysia has only ratified three out of nine international conventions on human rights, namely the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
In the meantime, the Human Rights Day celebration organised by Suhakam yesterday went well with the presence of hundreds of visitors’ despite being postponed to yesterday from the original date on Saturday.