KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on human rights watchdog Suaram to be more impartial in its evaluations of his government’s efforts to deliver reforms and introduce policies, Malaysiakini reported today.
He added that the government is committed to protecting human rights and urged the group to “give the government time” and look forward to the next parliamentary session in May for the reforms.
“We’re dealing with the rakyat. We have seen the blunder with ICERD,” he was quoted as saying.
He was referring to Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) failure to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, otherwise known by its acronym ICERD, in 2018 when the coalition was in power for the first time.
The PH-led administration’s attempt to ratify ICERD was met with outrage from the public, mainly from critics of the move backed by Umno, PAS, and other Malay-Muslim groups who claimed it would jeopardise the status of Islam as the country’s official religion and special Bumiputera rights.
Yesterday, Suaram said Anwar may risk being labelled the “worst prime minister” Malaysia ever had if he does not make concerted efforts to implement the changes and amendments he preached when he was in the Opposition.
Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy said Anwar had promised so many reform agendas, but his administration has been slow with several low-hanging fruits still and not finalised, such as the abolition of the mandatory death penalty.
