Government rejects anti-racism convention to uphold Malay Muslim privileges
In Malaysia, race and religion are official bureaucratic terms on the national identity papers of all citizens over the age of 12. Each ethnic group’s rights and duties are laid out in the Constitution on the basis of a pre-independence "social contract" between ethnic Malays (60 per cent), Chinese (23 per cent) and Indians (7 per cent).
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Malaysian government will not ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the Prime Minister’s Office announced today.
“The government will continue to defend the Federal Constitution in which is enshrined the social contract that was agreed upon by the representatives of all the races during the formation of the country,” the statement read.
The "social contract" was a pact made by the leaders of its Malay majority and minority Chinese and Indian groups regarding their rights and privileges as citizens, prior to independence from Britain in 1957.
Over time, the government adopted an affirmative action policy to benefit the Malays, who form 60 per cent of a population of about 32 million, after deadly race riots in the late 1960s.
Ethnic Chinese are estimated at 23 per cent and ethnic Indians comprise about 7 per cent, government data shows.
In Malaysia, race and religion are official bureaucratic terms included in the national identity papers of all citizens over the age of 12.
The concepts of Malay supremacy and Muslim supremacy (Ketuanan Melayu and Ketuanan Islam) are closely linked, since ethnic Malay are legally required to be Muslims.
Last Sunday, Prime Minister Mahathir said that it would be almost impossible for the government to ratify the ICERD since changes to the Federal Constitution require a two-third majority in parliament.
However, in early September, Mahathir had told the UN General Assembly that Malaysia would ratify each of the six human rights conventions still not adopted, including the one on racial discrimination.
The proposed ratification sparked criticism and protests in the government and opposition, as well as among non-governmental organisations.
Many feared that its implementation could undermine the privileges status for Malays in the Constitution.
The Islamist Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), both opposition parties, had planned a protest on 8 December.
Yesterday, some NGOs claimed that the approval of the Convention was part of the Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) secret agenda to abolish the special privileges of the Malay Muslim community.
DAP secretary-general and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, an ethnic Chinese, responded to the allegations by insisting that the party had never raised the issue. He also urged the coalition to apologise and withdraw the statements and allegations against him or face legal action.
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