Importance of human rights aligns with concept of Malaysia Madani, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: The importance of human rights is in line with what is advocated in the Malaysia Madani concept, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

In a Facebook post, Anwar said he had pointed this out during a meeting with the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, in Parliament on Tuesday (June 4).

"A country needs to have a vision based on the basic values ​​needed in a harmonious, prosperous and peaceful society without forgetting the concept of compassion and human rights,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the visit of Volker and his delegation to Malaysia was at the invitation of the government.

He said it was part of Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to foster cooperation with the UN to increase awareness and understanding of human rights for all to benefit together.

In a separate post, Anwar said he also received a courtesy visit from the Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Dr Thani Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi.

Among the topics discussed in the meeting, also attended by Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, was bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and the UAE, especially in the economic field.

"Alhamdulillah, many collaborations have been worked on between agencies and companies of both countries before and also those planned for the future,” he said.

Anwar said a more cohesive and close commitment is expected to be explored through deeper economic cooperation, particularly through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) that is being negotiated.

Tengku Zafrul, in a statement, said both countries confirmed their commitment to sign the agreement by this year.

As Malaysia's first free trade agreement with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), it is expected to pave the way towards deeper economic cooperation and foster an environment conducive to increased trade and investment flows, not only between the two countries but also Asean and the GCC region in general. - Bernama