A PKR-linked think-tank has called for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to pull Malaysia out of the United Nations following his claim that humanism and secularism are threats to Islam.

 

"The next logical step for the prime minister is to tender Malaysia’s resignation from the United Nations because that body is the leading promoter of human rights worldwide," Institut Rakyat research director Yin Shao Loong said in a statement yesterday.

 

Najib reportedly made the statement during an event in Kuantan on Tuesday, and even went on to dub a new "religion" called "human rights-ism."

 

"The UN is the promoter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which covers freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equality and brotherhood among humankind, the right to life, liberty and security of person, equality before the law, to be presumed innocent before being proven guilty, the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, the right to education, and other ‘threatening’ principles," Yin said, with a touch of sarcasm.

 

He said that it was "scandalous" that Malaysia has been participating in the meetings of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

"(Najib) has the historic opportunity to be the first Malaysian prime minister to address this ‘new’ threat that has been hanging over us since 1948, when the Universal Declaration was signed," he said.

 

Yin said Najib appeared to have found "new clarity" after seemingly promoting human rights at an international stage since assuming premiership in 2009.

 

"Unless he has been engaging in shameless hypocrisy and political opportunism to present, by turns, a liberal face to the international community, followed by an alarmist message to stir unfounded social anxiety among Malaysian Muslims, Najib has only one clear course to establish his commitment: Malaysia must exit from the bastion of human rights that is the United Nations," Yin added.