KUCHING, Dec 2: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s U-turn on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) has been deemed a pure political gimmick.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing opined that Dr Mahathir had told the United Nations (UN) that Malaysia would ratify ICERD merely to look good in the eyes of the international community.
“He (Dr Mahathir) knew he could not ratify it in Malaysia without causing serious social discord,” said Masing in a statement today.
Masing gave this comment following a news report by a regional English language newspaper critiquing Dr Mahathir’s stance on the ICERD issue.
“The privileges given to Bumiputras/Malays and Sultans were trade-offs with the Chinese/Indians to be citizens of Malaysia in 1957. The question of whether the ‘trade-off’ was of benefit to those involved, only history will be the witness,” Masing said. — DayakDaily
