Malaysia is unable to be directly involved in South Africa’s application to institute proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel over violations on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the Dewan Rakyat on Nov 28.
He said South Africa’s application is tied to the Rome Statute, which Malaysia had not signed as there are provisions in the statute that could not be agreed on.
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He said South Africa’s application is tied to the Rome Statute, which Malaysia had not signed as there are provisions in the statute that could not be agreed on.
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yeyk2dnt
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
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NewsTranscript
00:00We know that on December 29, 2023,
00:05South Africa filed a complaint against Israel under the ICJ
00:11for violating the Genocide Convention,
00:15in which Israel committed a clear genocide in Gaza.
00:20So far, several countries have filed official requests,
00:25including Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico, Libya, and Palestine.
00:32So my question is, Mr. Prime Minister,
00:35if it is stated that there is no risk of trade restrictions from the United States,
00:45will you consider taking stricter action
00:53in claiming Palestine's rights?
00:57We are also trying to withdraw the exception
01:02to Article 9 of the Genocide Convention
01:06so that Malaysia can officially intervene,
01:11or we, together with South Africa,
01:16can talk about it in the ICJ,
01:19or we can file a new complaint against Israel
01:25so that they can be prosecuted for the Genocide.
01:29And secondly, Mr. Prime Minister,
01:31I would also like to ask,
01:34why did you miss the opportunity
01:37to attend the UNGA conference,
01:40the PBB conference, last September?
01:44And this has also caused a loss.
01:49Although I did not reduce the presence of our foreign ministers,
01:56however, the capacity of the Prime Minister is very important
02:00for us to make a more firm stand in this UNGA
02:03on the issue of Israel's violation of the Palestinian state.
02:11Please, Mr. Prime Minister.
02:12Thank you, Mr. Sheikh.
02:14The first issue, the issue of genocide,
02:18we have announced that our position is clear.
02:22And I would like to draw attention,
02:24because in our meeting last week,
02:27I mentioned that after we put pressure on the issue of genocide,
02:31the President of Colombia, who followed my speech,
02:34continued to say that in supporting the Malaysian position,
02:38he insisted that genocide is genocide.
02:43Meaning, he asked the G20 to accept the reality of genocide.
02:49So, our position is very clear.
02:52The issue with South Africa and Colombia,
02:56in my discussion with President Damafosa,
02:59I told him how,
03:01including sending representatives in the ICG,
03:05the Foreign Minister himself was present,
03:07to state our position,
03:08even though we cannot make it public,
03:11because we are not members.
03:12This, Mr. Sheikh, you must understand,
03:14is related to the Rome Statute.
03:16And so far, Malaysia,
03:18on the issue of ICERT and the Rome Statute,
03:21there is resistance because of some provisions
03:24in the Rome Statute,
03:25which cannot be accepted in part, as we know,
03:28especially on the basis of the protection of the Holy Prophet,
03:31on the issue of religion and LGBT.
03:34And this has also been raised by the Malaysian kings.
03:39So, that's all.
03:40But I think, in my discussion with the President of South Africa,
03:45President Damafosa,
03:47who will visit Malaysia early next year,
03:52he stated that it is not at all an obstacle for Malaysia
03:57to express support for South Africa,
04:00but we do not have the same position
04:04because we do not sign the Rome Statute.
04:09That is the obstacle.
04:10But I think, to think about the future,
04:14the power of choice can come,
04:17discuss with the inter-party,
04:20how we can advance this issue,
04:25while looking back at the provisions of the Rome Statute,
04:31and if there is an agreement, we can continue.
04:34Although I have to say that we have a little concern
04:38looking at the atmosphere and provisions of our country,
04:42and the establishment of the Malaysian kings.
04:44I have spoken at UNGA,
04:46Malaysia's firm establishment on the annexation of Russia in Ukraine,
04:53and also the issue of cruelty and colonization in Palestine and Gaza.
05:02There are several issues that I could not cover,
05:05sometimes because of internal issues,
05:08such as the recent BRICS, which I consider very important,
05:12but it was held during the session of the Malaysian kings,
05:19which is important to discuss several issues.
05:21So, I am sorry that I could not attend all of them.
05:26Moreover, the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs was very clear,
05:30and the speech was well received,
05:33representing the entire government and the people.