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Human rights central to KL foreign policy
Malaysia is changing rapidly. Less than six months ago, the Pakatan Harapan government won a shock victory in the general election, ending the Barisan Nasional’s 61-year unbroken authoritarian rule since our country’s independence.
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Malaysia's Prime Mininster Mahathir Mohamad addresses a press conference at the prime minister's office in Putrajaya on August 13, 2018. (AFP/Manan Vatsyayana)
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alaysia is changing rapidly. Less than six months ago, the Pakatan Harapan government won a shock victory in the general election, ending the Barisan Nasional’s 61-year unbroken authoritarian rule since our country’s independence. Since then, the new government is already making good on promises to change course on human rights — we’ve started the process of repealing the repressive “anti-fake news” law and have committed to ending the death penalty. Now, Malaysia needs a new foreign policy that can set an example on rights for the region.
Last week, the Foreign Ministry adopted a motion to usher in a new foreign policy framework based on the visionary speech by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during the United Nations General Assembly. This is an unprecedented and a welcome initiative.
Apart from adherence to neutrality and forging international cooperation that is mutually beneficial, Dr. Mahathir’s speech also shows a new Malaysia that aims to uphold “the principles of truth, human rights, the rule of law, justice, fairness, responsibility and accountability, as well as sustainability”.
The government’s pledge to ratify all remaining core UN conventions on human rights is commendable, and the procedure towards ratifying and implementing these important obligations must be done without any delay and conducted in an open, transparent and inclusive manner.
