2018 anti-ICERD rally

The Anti-ICERD (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination) Rally or Himpunan Aman Bantah ICERD (Malay) is a rally that was held in Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 8 December 2018. The rally was organised by opposition Islamist political parties Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), with the support of various non-governmental organisations. [2]

2018 anti-ICERD rally
A bird's-eye-view of the protest at its peak.
Date8 December 2018
Location
Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur
Caused byProtest against ratifying the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)
MethodsDemonstration, praying (salat and dua), speeches
Parties
Lead figures
Number
500,000 (organisers estimate)[1]
55,000 (police estimate)[1]

The rally was held in response to the new Malaysian government's plan to ratify the United Nations convention known as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). The opposition parties from UMNO and PAS seriously deny the ratification of the convention, as it is contrary to the Constitution of Malaysia. The constitution recognizes special rights for the Malay and Bumiputra. Even though the government announced that it would not ratify the convention on 23 November 2018, the organiser decided to push on with the rally and shifted its main focus towards celebrating the government's decision on not ratifying ICERD.[3]

Background

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is a United Nations convention which commits its members to the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of understanding among all races. Malaysia is one of the 18 countries in the world that have not ratified this convention. It is also one of the two Muslim-majority countries that have yet to ratify it, along with Brunei. On 28 September 2018, the prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad addressed the UN General Assembly, announcing the new government has to "ratify all remaining core UN instruments related to the protection of human rights", including ICERD and other five unratified conventions. However, Khairy Jamaluddin disputed the UN address and raised concerns about ICERD's impact on bumiputra, Malay and Islam privileges and special treatment in the country.[4] On 19 November 2018, in Parliament, Waytha Moorthy, who is in charge of National Unity and Social Wellbeing, started speaking on the intention of the government in ratifying ICERD and said that consultations with relevant stakeholders would be held in the first quarter of 2019, to the Opposition's denunciations.[5]

Participants

While the organizers set a target of half-million people to attend the rally, the Kuala Lumpur police's official figures estimated 55,000 people attended the rally (mostly PAS supporters),[6] including PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and former prime minister Najib Razak. In Kelantan, the state government declared a public holiday on the next day (9 December 2018) to allow Kelantanese people to attend the rally in Kuala Lumpur.[7] The organisers, however, claimed that the number of participants reached more than 300,000 based on their estimation.[8]

Rally

On the day of the rally before the rally started at 2 pm, the silat alliance Pertubuhan Gabungan Silat Pertahan Perlembagaan (PERTAHAN) submitted a memorandum to the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong to express their protest over ICERD and other issues.[9]

The rally started at 2 pm with mass crowds marching to Dataran Merdeka from Masjid Negara, Masjid Jamek and Sogo complex and ended early at 5 pm due to heavy rain.

Aftermath

On 23 November 2018, the Prime Minister's Office announced they would not ratify the convention and would continue defending the Federal Constitution, which they said represents a social contract that was agreed upon by all races during the formation of the country.[10]

References
  1. "Gathering ends after prayer to shorten Harapan's rule". Malaysiakini. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  2. "PAS and Umno to hold anti-Icerd rally in KL on Dec 8 - Malaysiakini". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  3. Ahmad, Razak (23 November 2018). "Anti-ICERD rally on Dec 8 to go on, but this time to celebrate - The Star Online". The Star Online. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  4. "The ICERD Outrage". Malaysiakini.
  5. Carvaho, Martin; Sivanandam, Hemananthani; Rahim, Rahimy; Tan, Tarrence (19 November 2018). "Opposition lawmakers protesting ICERD start 'racist' chant against Waytha". The Star. Malaysia. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  6. "Anti ICERD rally: So, what's the estimate?". New Straits Times. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  7. Kamal, Shazwan Mustafa (5 December 2018). "In Kelantan, you get a Sunday off thanks to the anti-ICERD rally". The Malay Mail. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  8. Razali, Oleh Safeek Affendy (8 December 2018). "Perhimpunan ICERD dihadiri 55,000 orang - Polis KL". BH Online (in Malay). Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  9. Landau, Esther; Lisut, Osman (8 December 2018). "Silat alliance submits memo on ICERD, Malay issues at Istana Negara". New Straits Times. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  10. "Govt not ratifying ICERD - The Star Online". The Star Online. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
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