Proham dismayed with Najib's rejection of UDHR

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The chorus of criticism against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for rejecting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) continues to mount, with the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) joining the fray today.

"Proham is dismayed by the statement of the honorable prime minister that the UDHR is not applicable in Malaysia as some provisions are against Islam," its chairperson Kuthubul Zaman said in a statement.

Kuthubul pointed out that Malaysia is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), which has adopted the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam.

"The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam guarantees similar rights under the UDHR," he said.

'Respect human rights as Security Council member'

He pointed out that Article 1(a) of the Cairo Declaration states:

"All men are equal in terms of basic human dignity and basic obligations and responsibilities without any discrimination on the ground of race, colour, language, sex, religious belief, political affiliation, social status or other considerations.

"True faith is the guarantee for enhancing such dignity along the path to human perfection."

As such, Kuthubul said, it was not right to suggest that the UDHR is not applicable in Malaysia.

"Proham likes to reiterate that Malaysia is a member of the United Nations Security Council and is signatory to the various human rights conventions.

"Hence, Malaysia must respect the rights guaranteed under the UDHR," he said.

Yesterday, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) said it was dismayed by the country leadership's "narrow approach" in interpreting universal human rights principles.



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