Our guest of honour, the Honourable Puan Hajah Nancy binti Haji Shukri, Minister in the Prime Ministers Department in charge of Law, Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, High Commissioners and members of the diplomatic community, Mr. Christopher Leong, President of the Malaysian Bar, and fellow members of the Malaysian Bar, Ladies and Gentlemen. Allow me first of all to warmly welcome all of you to the home of the Malaysian Bar. On behalf of the Human Rights Committee of the Bar Council, which I have the honour and privilege to co-Chair, and which has organised this event, I am gratified that so many of you have accepted our invitation to attend todays forum. It has been some time in the planning, and it is heart-warming to benefit from your participation today. My thanks also go to the Secretariat of the Malaysian Bar, who have worked hard to realise todays event. Recently I was asked in an interview what I thought were the benefits to Malaysia of signing up to the Rome Statute. My response was two-fold. Firstly, becoming a part of the International Criminal Court system signifies that Malaysia is not prepared to be a haven for war criminals. Membership means that we reject an enduring environment of impunity for those charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes of aggression. To a certain extent, Malaysia already embraces that principle. By permitting the establishment of the Kuala Lumpur International War Crimes Tribunal, the Malaysian government implicitly and indirectly acknowledges that there should be no safe spaces for those who stand accused of the worst of humankinds inhumanity towards itself. However the next part of the puzzle is to see ourselves not merely as a single piece standing separate and apart from the rest, but to link up with other countries that are already a part of the international jigsaw and thus achieve a complete picture that cuts across the globe and encompasses all four corners of the world. At the latest count, 122 countries are now parties to the Rome Statute. Secondly, sIgning up to international covenants and conventions in general means raising Malaysias game, as it were. Today, we glibly talk about a global village, a borderless world. But these are not just concepts that are meant for trade and commerce. The flip side of the coin is that just as the world attempts to knit together an ever-more comprehensive network of free trade agreements and investment treaties in a globalised economy, likewise the nations of the world are building an ever-more intertwined and interlocking legal structure in a globalised polity. In the post-World War II environment, these efforts first saw light of day with the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but has since been developed and expanded to include an ever-widening horizon of topics and issues. If Malaysia is to continue to keep pace with these developments, then it must listen and respond with urgency to the increasingly louder call of the international community to become a meaningful member of the international system of the rule of law, reflected in international human rights norms and standards. This is especially so if Malaysia is serious about its stated aim of seeking election to the United Nations Security Council in October 2014, and to serve for the 2015-2017 term. Making noise from the backbenches may work in the Malaysian Parliament, but It will not suffice in the councils of the international community. Malaysia cannot seek to lead from the back of the room. This is the scenario that is set before us today. Like the game of snakes and ladders, the aim is to navigate a path to the finish line by taking advantage of ladders to elevate ourselves to the next level and to avoid the slippery slide backwards and downwards into reviving regressive and repressive and retrograde laws, rules and regulations. It is with this imagery as a backdrop that I once again thank all of you for your attendance here this afternoon, and hope that we will have a fruitful and educational time. It is now my great pleasure to invite the President of the Malaysian Bar, Mr. Christopher Leong, to deliver his welcoming remarks. Thank you very much.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 07:26:24 +0000
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