Rome Statute Another Haste Another U Turn

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SUDDENLY the unpleasant polemic on Statute Rome arises again. Prime Minister Dr Mahathir said on April 5 that Malaysia will not accede to the agreement. He earlier said we will withdraw while the official UN site stated that we have already signed it on March 4.

If we were to withdraw, means we had signed it. Its totally different from 'we will not accede'. So, what now? Please do not confuse us and let the issue be put to rest amicably.

The Barisan Nasional government had in few years ago planned to sign the agreement but nothing was done due to some objection from some quarters and the uncompleted study on its provisions and details. And now the Pakatan Harapan government is tasked with making a final decision - to accede or not.

Let's not pass the bucket around as Malaysians deserve to know the ultimate decision. To withdraw is a simple truth that the Statute has been signed. Its alright then but the boiling question is when and as to whether it is done just to douse off critics and opposition?

We will not ratify but we had signed it on March 4. Who was the signatory? Wisma Putra said Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah did. However, news brewing over the past few days pointed to Human Resources Minister Kulasegaran.

I smell something fishy here. Who actually signed for Malaysia?

It makes Malaysia the 124th state party to the first permanent judicial institution having jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. and only the third of 11 Asean states and the 20th of 55 Asia-Pacific countries that have joined the International Court of Justice (ICC). We have actually ratified it!

A month on, Dr Mahathir said we will not accede because there seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding it. "Of course we are not against it but because of the political confusion about what it entails, caused by people with vested interests," he said.

I see, and maybe I agree but when Kula was made to sign it, whose interests were the government championing? The people?

Another question is, why did the government lie over who actually sign it for them? Any unconcealed political reason? Why the decision to withdraw was made a month after it was ratified? Why the haste in signing it, by the way?

These are questions need to be addressed, and not the polemic about the Malays, human rights and Raja-Raja Melayu. This is about another flip-flop or U-turn!

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