He said his stand does not mean that he will participate in the PAS-Umno gathering which will be held this coming weekend as a way of the opposition pact objecting to the matter.
“From the very beginning, I have rejected ICERD. I, as a Malay and Muslim, have never questioned the rights of others,” the BN secretary-general said.
He said he can’t accept the fact that his rights under the Constitution had to be taken away because of alleged discrimination.
“The answer is ‘no’ to ratifying ICERD,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.
Earlier today, Putrajaya gave an assurance that Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which gives preference to Bumiputeras, will not be abolished if the government agrees to ratify ICERD.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of national integration and social well-being P Waytha Moorthy said the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties allows states to exclude selected areas within their domain from the effects of treaties it chooses to sign and ratify.
He was responding to Azalina Othman Said (BN-Pengerang), who had asked for the government’s assurance that ratification of ICERD would not result in a loss of Article 153, which covered the racial quota system, permits and services.
Foreign ministry secretary-general Ramlan Ibrahim had confirmed that Putrajaya is considering ratifying ICERD along with five other international human rights’ resolutions.
Following that, Umno and PAS will be campaigning to protest against the decision.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he will be sharing the stage with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang in a gathering held in Pasir Salak, Perak, on Saturday.
Nazri said he was still waiting for the government’s stand on the matter.
“We will wait and see. We will only act if Malaysia’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations actually ratifies ICERD,” he added.
Apart from Umno and PAS, Pakatan Harapan component party PPBM has also rejected the idea of ratifying ICERD if it means “weakening or chipping off” Article 153 in the Federal Constitution which gives preference to Bumiputeras.