Spreading the message: Anwar interacting warmly with participants at the Kuala Lumpur Conference. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: What’s happening in Gaza is nothing short of “barbarism dressed in modern clothes”, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as he slammed world powers for losing their moral compass.
The Prime Minister said the world is witnessing “a failure of conscience” most visible in Gaza, echoing remarks by UK MP Jeremy Corbyn.
“I detest not only contradiction, but the hypocrisy of those leaders beside me in bilateral engagements and regional meetings, who speak about human rights, justice and order – yet condone atrocities against innocent people,” he said.
Anwar said this yesterday in his keynote address at the Kuala Lumpur Conference titled “On A New Just and Humane International Order 2025”.
Also present were Corbyn, Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said and former Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Anwar questioned whether the suffering of Palestinians stemmed from racial or religious prejudice.
“Are they being oppressed because they are coloured, because they are Arabs, or because they are Muslims? I fail to understand,” he said.
Anwar said many of these leaders speak “with confidence and clear conscience” while ignoring the destruction of entire neighbourhoods, the bombing of civilians and threats to hospitals.
“The law is cited but never enforced. To me, this is not a mere humanitarian catastrophe – it is the moment when belief in law itself begins to fade.
“When law becomes selective, it turns into propaganda. When power no longer feels the need to justify itself, barbarism returns, dressed in modern, sophisticated clothes,” he added.
Anwar said Malaysia decided to take a firm stance on Gaza because “silence was no longer an option”.
He said Malaysia is closely observing the latest Gaza peace initiative proposed by the United States, stressing that there is no assurance Israel would abide by it.
He added that although the 20-point ceasefire framework appeared comprehensive, it remained fragile and uncertain in practice.
“Malaysia is one of the few countries, along with South Africa, Bolivia and Brazil, that support the ceasefire with strong reservations.
“With the latest fragile ceasefire in place, we are monitoring developments by the minute, and there is a faint glimpse of peace.
“But we must be honest enough to say that we do not want another pause between wars.
“We are dealing with (Benjamin) Netanyahu and his Cabinet, and we make no pretence about it, as they are not going to honour the ceasefire,” he said.
The conference is a three-day event bringing together policymakers, parliamentarians, economists, legal experts, academics, civil society leaders and students from Malaysia and abroad.
An earlier session, titled “Governance, Multilateralism and International Law”, featured Nurul as moderator.
Meanwhile, Corbyn, who spoke to the media, said Tony Blair, remembered for taking the UK into the Iraq War, should not be involved in any part of Gaza’s reconstruction.
He was asked about US President Donald Trump’s decision to involve Blair in the proposed Gaza peace framework, a move critics see as counterproductive.
“Tony Blair is the British prime minister who led us into the Iraq War, and the Chilcot Inquiry (Iraq Inquiry) exposed his process of decision-making, the deception over the non-existent weapons of mass destruction.
“The only people that should be deciding on the future of the Gaza reconstruction are the Palestinian people,” he said.
