PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Bar has called on the government to reconsider its stance and ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in light of current developments in Gaza.
President Karen Cheah said Malaysia had signed the Rome Statute, but rescinded its ratification due to “misguided concerns”.
“In 2019, Malaysia signed the Rome Statute, but made a U-turn when, with all due respect, misguided concerns were raised that it would jeopardise the position of our Malay Rulers.
“A misunderstanding could have been avoided with two-way communication, by way of proper consultation,” she said in her speech at the Opening of Legal Year 2024 here yesterday.
The Rome Statute establishes four core international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression; and it represents a crucial instrument in the global effort to combat impunity and hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable.
Cheah also said they were in solidarity with the Palestinian Bar, which had reached out to the Malaysian Bar for support.
“The Malaysian Bar wishes to declare that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Palestine, and wholly support the legal proceedings commenced by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
On April 5, 2019, then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that Malaysia was withdrawing from the Rome Statute following confusion arising politically and within society. Malaysia had initially acceded to the Rome Statute on March 4, 2019.
Dr Mahathir had said then that some people claimed accepting the Rome Statute would lead to Malaysia losing its independence to formulate its own policies and laws.
