Samer Allawi - Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian leaders have called for the unity of the Malay majority to preserve their rights and to prevent the signing of an international treaty they say runs counter to the constitution, which stipulates respect for Islam and the king, and sovereignty for those who are known to the people of the land, the majority living in pre-colonial Malaysia.
Tens of thousands of Malaysians gathered in Kuala Lumpur to underscore the refusal to sign the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, despite the government's reluctance to ratify it to avert violence.
The police estimated the number of demonstrators at about 55 thousand, and the demonstrators committed to the peace, where there were no problems against security, while the police had surrounded the arena of independence - the main demonstration - iron fences, and ended an hour before the rain.
| Malaysian women raise the slogan of divorce to the Convention on the Prevention of Racial Discrimination (Al Jazeera) |
Controversy and caution
"We have elected the current government to get rid of Najib Abdul Razzaq's government not to deprive us of our rights and to harm our religion and our dignity," said a government official. "He said.
"It is just a sufficient statement to change the government's policy upside down and to sign an agreement that does not have a national consensus," Ahmed Musallam, a cafe manager, said. .
In the view of the professor of law at the University of Malaya Dr. City Zubaida Ismail that the commitment of the government to improve the conditions of human rights should not conflict with the supreme national interest stipulated by the Constitution, especially Article 153, which states that the sovereignty of the king entrusted with the preservation of Islam the religion of the state and the rights of the majority of Malawi.
Dr. Zubaydah added in her interview with Al Jazeera Net that the rush to sign the international agreement would upset the social fabric built on the consensus reached by the founding fathers of the state, who represent the main ethnicities in the country, which was called the social contract.
| This protester sums up its demands to preserve the religion and foundation of the Malawian king and race (the island) |
Government hawks
Harun Hassan, a political analyst at the Sinar Harian group, believes that rallying the opponents of the agreement is a popular force that enables the prime minister to face pressure from hawks in the mass of Chinese and Indians who are pushing for the abolition of privileges for the Malawians and the status of Islam and the King's Foundation.
In an article in The Edge, Haroun asserts that the majority can show her public anger at policies that can be taken later, reduce the hawks in the government, and strengthen Mahathir's position, especially as the protesters have committed themselves to being peaceful.
Political analysts regard the results of the previous elections as a measure of the ethnic weight of the government and the opposition. About 90 percent of the Chinese and Indians voted for the ruling Amal coalition, while about 75 percent of the Malays voted for the Malawi Nationalist Party (AMNO) ) Opponents currently.
| Dr. Zubaydah sees no need to sign an agreement that contradicts the Constitution and the consent of the founding fathers of the Malaysian state (Al Jazeera) |
human rights
The government resorted to an ethnically charged atmosphere to cancel a counter-demonstration announced by the organization in conjunction with the opposition demonstration called by the Islamic Party and supported by the party, "Amno" the former ruling, after the police recommended to postpone the demonstration to revive the International Day for Human Rights to avoid friction between supporters of signing the Convention And its opponents.
The cancellation of the demonstration in support of the signing of the Convention was strongly criticized by NGOs affiliated with the government, including the Independent Commission for Human Rights, where the prime minister accused the government of giving to those he described as extremists twice: the first to retreat from signing, and the second to retract the organization of the demonstration.
The government's apology to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for participating in a celebration marking the International Day of Human Rights, which was called by human rights organizations, was further criticized by the government. Mahathir hinted at the signing of the agreement in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September when he pledged to sign the remaining international human rights conventions.