PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was “dishonest” to both the Conference of Rulers and the people on the plans to ratify the Rome Statute and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), said Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim(pix).
Tunku Ismail said this was why he objected to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government’s plans to ratify the two international treaties.
“I was educated to always respect all religions and people of different races from an early age. My family and I have also made contributions to people of all races and religions and will continue to assist in the welfare of all races.
“But I am also a Malay and have not forgotten my duty to defend Islam. That is why I opposed the Rome Statute and Icerd.
“About the Rome Statute and ICERD issues, not only was Tun Mahathir dishonest to the Conference of Rulers, but Tun (Mahathir) was also not completely honest to the people. Things done in a hurry at that time would’ve threatened the well-being of the people and affected the privileged rights of the Malays,” Tunku Ismail said in a Facebook post yesterday.
In his latest memoir “Capturing Hope: The Struggle Continues for a New Malaysia,” Mahathir recalled the opposition he faced from the Johor royals when PH attempted to ratify the ICERD and accede to the Rome Statute.
The Rome Statute would have empowered the International Criminal Court to prosecute and punish perpetrators of war crimes, genocide and the like.
The Crown Prince also pointed out that by attacking the royal institution, Mahathir would not resolve national issues he had supposedly created himself, such as racial divide and assimilation.
“Another betrayal to the people was when the promises made to the people were not fulfilled.
Whatever it is, I pray Tun will live a long life, always respect all races in Malaysia and uphold the Federal Constitution,“ he added.
On Nov 23, 2018, the government ultimately decided not to ratify the treaty following major anti-Icerd demonstrations at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur.
There are currently 179 countries worldwide that have ratified Icerd and 18 that have not. Among Muslim-majority countries, only Malaysia and Brunei are not parties to the convention.
The Harapan government also ratified and then withdrew from the Rome Statute on April 6, 2019, which would confer recognition to the International Criminal Court.
