Saifuddin: Cabinet made unanimous decision on ICERD

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Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah

PUTRAJAYA: The government decided not to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) at the meeting of the Cabinet yesterday, said Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

It was a unanimous decision, he added.

Saifuddin said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government is open to giving people the opportunity to discuss complicated issues hitherto regarded as ‘tightly sealed’ such as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) and, now, ICERD.

“But when ICERD reached the ‘allergic’ stage, the Cabinet used its discretion to decide that the government will not ratify the convention,” he said at a press conference after launching the Integrity Day of the Foreign Ministry here.

The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement yesterday to announce that the PH government will not ratify the ICERD and that it will defend the Federal Constitution in which is enshrined the social contract agreed to by the representatives of all the races during the formation of the country. — Bernama