2018 anti-ICERD rally

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2018 anti-ICERD rally
salat and dua
), speeches
Parties
Lead figures
Number
500,000 (organisers estimate)[1]
55,000 (police estimate)[1]

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]

The rally was held in response to the

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

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

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

Masjid Jamek and Sogo complex and ended early at 5 pm due to heavy rain. [citation needed
]

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. ^ a b "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. 17 November 2018. 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. 8 December 2018. 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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