PETALING JAYA: While the government has given its assurance that the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) will not affect Malay and bumiputra special provisions, opposition towards its ratification continues both on the ground and in Parliament.
The biggest point of contention seems to be that the ICERD is in direct violation of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which gives the Yang di-Pertuan Agong the power to safeguard the "special position" of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak through the racial quota system.
