Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak acknowledged that the previous BN government under him had twice studied the possibility of ratifying International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd).

However, Najib said the Icerd Technical Committee, formed in 2011 under the Department of National Unity and Integration in the Prime Minister's Department, determined that Icerd was not compatible with Malaysia's social contract.

He said a second study of the Icerd was undertaken in 2015.

"As a result of the studies, the BN government's stand was not to proceed with the ratification as it (Icerd) went against the Federal Constitution and the social contract achieved in the nation's growth.

"We felt it was not yet the time and that it was still not yet appropriate to ratify Icerd.

"Hence, the BN government never decided or announced that we will sign the Icerd," Najib said in a Facebook posting last night.

The former prime minister said the BN government felt it could ensure the rights of all races in the country, as well as the fair, balanced and inclusive share of the nation's wealth.

'Better for Harapan to focus on economy'

Najib further said that the Pakatan Harapan government should cease its attempt to ratify the Icerd as many people were opposed to it.

"I feel at this time, it would be better for the Harapan government to focus on the dwindling and dire economy than to continue its efforts to ratify Icerd.

He also cautioned that the rakyat's angst over the nation's fiscal state could lead to "unwanted incidents", and urged the government and the people to put unity and harmony first.

Najib, who is also Pekan MP, was responding after a snippet, allegedly taken from a Department of National Unity and Integration report in 2015, which referred to the Icerd Technical Committee, went viral on social media.

Blog MiLoSuaM, which also shared the screenshot from the purported report, questioned the actions of current Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in calling for protests on Icerd when the previous government, of which he was a minister, had been the one to initiate ratification discussions.

Zahid recently confirmed that Umno and PAS would be holding a joint rally on Dec 8 to protest against the Harapan government's proposal to ratify Icerd.

Many Islamic groups and political parties oppose any move to ratify Icerd, after it was announced that the new government was studying ratifying it. They cited fear the move would jeopardise Malay rights under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

This, despite the government giving its assurance assuring that no action would be taken without consultation with all stakeholders from all races and that it would ensure Article 153 is preserved.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department P Waythamoorthy had previously stated that Malaysia could ratify Icerd with reservations to protect Article 153, although he did not state whether this was the government’s intention.

Article 153 deals with the responsibilities of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong safeguarding the special position of the Malays and bumiputera of Sabah and Sarawak

Several lawyers also told Malaysiakini that there was no need to amend the Federal Constitution in order for Malaysia to ratify Icerd and that the convention recognises affirmative action policies as envisaged by Article 153.