THE Tunku Mahkota of Johor (TMJ) Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has slammed former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for being dishonest to both the Conference of Rulers and the people on matters relating to the Rome Statute and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).
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 from an early age to always respect all religions and people of different races. 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,” he said.
“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.
“With regards to the Rome Statute and ICERD issues, not only was Tun Dr Mahathir dishonest to the Conference of Rulers, but he 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.”
While the Johor Crown Prince said that he was “honoured” to be mentioned in Dr Mahathir’s latest memoir ‘Capturing Hope: The Struggle Continues for a New Malaysia’, he went on to warn that by attacking the royal institution, Dr Mahathir would not be able to resolve national issues he had supposedly created himself, including racial divide and assimilation.
Opposition from Johor royals
In his memoir Dr Mahathir had recalled the opposition he faced from the Johor royals when PH attempted to ratify the ICERD and accede to the Rome Statute.
Dr Mahathir wrote that Tunku Ismail’s claims that his government had not consulted the rulers before agreeing to the Rome Statute was untrue, as leaders had visited the Yang di-Pertuan Agong despite not needing to do so “out of respect for the palace.”
“The government had no obligation to seek consent from the Conference of Rulers as there was no constitutional amendment involved in acceding to the Rome Statute,” he said.
Dr Mahathir went on to point out that Tunku Ismail’s father, Sultan Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, had caused a “setback” in the government’s attempts to ratify ICERD and the Rome Statute when he accused the government of violating the Constitution and affecting the position of the monarchy, Malays and Islam.
Backlash from UMNO and PAS
Dr Mahathir previously announced that his Cabinet had decided not to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which would prosecute perpetrators of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression.
ICERD, meanwhile, is a treaty aimed at tackling racial discrimination in response to apartheid previously practised in South Africa but seen as a threat to the special position of Malays and Muslim despite the then government’s reassurances that an “exception” would be made for privileges under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
The PH government had previously planned to sign both international human rights instruments but were forced to backtrack due to conservative backlash from UMNO and PAS, as well major anti-ICERD rallies at Dataran Merdeka on Nov 23, 2018. – Dec 16, 2021
