AG Tommy Thomas: Hypocrite BN govt wanted Rome Statute in 2011
KUALA LUMPUR: Attorney General (AG) Tommy Thomas today accused BN of hypocrisy on their criticism against the Pakatan Harapan government’s move in March to sign the Rome Statute.
Thomas said that the previous Barisan Nasional government had itself decided that Malaysia would accept the international treaty that aims to end impunity on genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.
“At the outset, it must be kept in mind that the Cabinet had on 18 March 2011 decided that Malaysia should accede to the Rome Statute,” he said at a forum held in University Malaya today.
“Although eight years have passed and that decision was never revoked, it was not implemented either.
Hence when the Pakatan government decided to accept Rome, it was merely continuing a policy decision previously taken by the previous government.
“So the hypocrisy that surrounds this debate must be fleshed out, which is the critics of today were supporting the same decision yesterday,” he added.
Malaysia had on March 4 acceded to the Rome Statute, but Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on April 5 announced that the government was forced to withdraw its accession due to political pressure from opponents who spread unnecessary fear and confusion in public.
