The former ambassador to Uzbekistan said as Myanmar had “blatantly” ignored calls concerning the well-being of the Rohingya, the responsibility to protect the minority group there had fallen to the international community.
“Asean, however, is unable to act because of its strict adherence to non-intervention,” he said at a dialogue entitled “Wither freedom without truths in Malaysia?” at the PAUM club house here today.
He said this adherence also made Asean’s human rights commission meaningless.
“We have a human rights commission but it’s non-functional and acts as nothing more than a showcase to show the world that we have one,” said Redzuan, who has also held senior Wisma Putra postings in the United Nations, UK, Ethiopia and Washington.
He cited former Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan’s remark that Asean risked losing credibility and international confidence if what was happening in Myanmar continued to be ignored.
Redzuan, a member of the Perak Royal Council and the G25 group of prominent moderate Malays, said the crisis had clear elements of systematic racism and bigotry, and posed a danger to Asean member nations, all of whom had diverse communities themselves.
Earlier this month, a statement by the regional grouping at the 31st Asean Summit in Manila did not make significant mention about the situation in the Rakhine state of Myanmar from where some 600,000 Rohingya have been reported to have fled.
The statement only said an unspecified number of leaders had backed Myanmar’s humanitarian relief programme in Rakhine.
“They expressed support for the Myanmar government in its efforts to bring peace, stability, rule of law and to promote harmony and reconciliation between the various communities,” it said.
Southeast Asia summit draft statement skips over Rohingya crisis