Saifuddin's shot at glory resuscitated Umno, PAS - Kit Siang

Lim Kit Siang believes there is a simple reason behind Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s pledge that the Pakatan Harapan administration would ratify the remaining core UN instruments on human rights when he attended the United Nations general assembly in 2018.

“There are many political conspiracy theories… I do not subscribe to these. I believe in the simple one,” the DAP veteran added in a statement this morning.

Pointing the finger at Saifuddin Abdullah (above), Lim said the then foreign minister thought that the ratification would be his “crowning achievement”.

“But it turned out to be his biggest misjudgement and failure,” he added.

Furthermore, he said Saifuddin, who defected from PKR during the “Sheraton Move” in 2020, did not realise that the issue would provide a lifeline for PAS and Umno ”to play the toxic politics of lies, hatred, race and religion to the hilt to find new relevance.”

However, Lim said he was surprised that Saifuddin, who is now with Bersatu, with the same political personalities and forces turned his hope of a “crowning achievement” into his “greatest misjudgement and failure”.

Malaysiakini has contacted Saifuddin for comment.

Icerd and Rome Statute

Meanwhile, Lim again distanced DAP from the fiasco after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang last week accused the predominantly Chinese party of pressuring Harapan to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) and Rome Statute.

“On Nov 24, 2018, in a speech at the Malaysian Association of Jiansu Annual Gala Dinner in Souchou, China, I said that no Malaysian would want Malaysia to ratify Icerd at the price of another May 13 racial riots…

“As there was no doubt that there were irresponsible elements who were seeking to incite and escalate racial and religious distrust, animosity and hatred to engender the conditions to replicate another May 13 racial riots in Malaysia.

“I stressed that Malaysia should not ratify Icerd until the majority of the races and religions in Malaysia supported it and understood it was not anti-Malay, anti-Islam or anti-royalty,” he added.

Last Friday, Hadi revealed he had initiated the Sheraton Move because PAS felt that the Harapan government was headed in the direction of eradicating the special rights of the Malays in approving Icerd and the Rome Statute.

Responding to this, Lim said DAP leaders were not aware of the proposal to ratify the UN instruments.

He also claimed that Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, who served as the home minister in the Harapan government, knew about this.

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