Can Hadi cite a single a case of the 55 out of 57 OIC Muslim countries where Islam was undermined or a single case of the 36 out of 38 countries with monarchical system where the monarchical system was affected as a result of the ratification of ICERD?

The cybertroopers of the toxic politics of lies, hate, race and religion were double quick in their attack on me for my statement on Hadi and ICERD in Kuching this morning.

They immediately swung into action and zeroed in on me with posts like:

“Lim Kit Siang hari ini berkata DAP tidak tahu menahu mengenai Icerd dan Rome Statute.

“Sebab uncle mudah lupa, kita up balik artikel ni. TTKM dah lama bersedia sejak 4.5 tahun lalu, Kit Siang je yang lalai”.

First of all, I never said I knew nothing about ICERD and the Rome Statute. I said I did not know that the Pakatan Harapan government was trying to ratify ICERD and the Rome statute in 2018

They carried statements by DAP leaders in the past on the ratification of ICERD, but why did they miss out my statement in November 2018 (available on my website) where I stated that “Malaysia should not ratify ICERD until the majority of the races and religions in Malaysia supports it and understand that it no threat to the various races, religions or the Federal Constitution but a step forward to join the world in promoting human rights”?

I am prepared to review my position on the ratification of ICERD (that it should be ratified but only after the majority of the races understand it is not anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-monarchy) if the PAS President Hadi Awang can cite a single case where Islam was undermined out of the 55 out of 57 Organisation of Islamic Conference (OI C) Muslim countries which had ratified ICERD!

Or to make it easier for Hadi, if the PAS President can cite a single case of the 36 out of 38 countries with the monarchical system where the monarchical system had been affected.

I leave it to Hadi to choose to answer which is he easier question as the monarchical system in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium and Japan had not been undermined in any way by the ratification of ICERD.

In this connection, the clarification of Suhakam Chairman Rahmat Mohamad that he is not an opponent of ICERD and Rome Statute is most pertinent, as he co-authored a paper objecting to Malaysia’s ratification of the Rome Statute in 2018.

Rahmat said he felt the necessary preparations were not completed at the time.

He said: “People misunderstood me, (they think) that I am an opposer of the Rome Statute. No, it is not that.”

Rahmat said it was good that Pakatan Harapan wanted Malaysia to be known as a human rights-friendly nation, but some processes have to be observed before signing international treaties.

His concern at the time was that the country had not undergone these processes and as such, he deemed it not ready to sign the treaty.

This was also my stand at the time.

I said in 2018 that Malaysia should not ratify ICERD until the majority of the races and religions in Malaysia support it and understand that it posed no threat to the various races, religions or the Malaysian Constitution but was a step forward to join the world in promoting human rights.

What has Hadi got to say on the Suhakam Chairman’s position on the ratification of ICERD and the Rome Statute?

Lim Kit Siang DAP Veteran