LETTER | Don't waste 2 years in Human Rights Council with domestic mindset

LETTER | Syabas to Malaysia in getting a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for the tenure of 2022 to 2024.

It is an international honour that Malaysia was vying for years for a seat to contribute to human rights, though I'm not sure if it's a competitive stringent process going into acquiring the seat.

Having acquired the seat for the next two years, what is Malaysia going to contribute in terms of promoting, educating, monitoring, and speaking up courageously on human rights?

By now, the whole world knows that having a seat on the HRC does not in any way say that all the council members are models in practicing human rights in their respective countries.

Even China and other countries that are accused of violating human rights are members, so Malaysia should not rest on their laurels as Malaysia too is accused of human rights deprivation among the minorities in Malaysia.

The HRC addresses issues such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion, women's rights, LGBT rights, and rights of ethnic minorities, and is not for the whims and fancies of its members with their own agendas.

I recently read in local media of a Malaysian suggesting that the country influences the HRC to not solely rely on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the writer claims is a narrow view of human rights.

They said one must also consider documents such as the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam and the Asean Human Rights Declaration, suggesting a fresh model should be crafted to amend the existing mandate of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Let us be a responsible and respected member of the HRC which Malaysia got into rather than be seen as a religious bigot on the international scene. If Malaysia wants to win the hearts of the international community, it must take a middle path of moderation, not aligning itself to any blocs or movements.

If by default or design Malaysia were to use the HRC to get brownie points from certain blocs, the two-year tenure will be futile. Don't champion for the sake of championing without studying the issue in-depth and its repercussions.

Rhetoric must be kept at a minimum and wisdom must be maximised. Appoint individuals of caliber representing Malaysia who have eloquence and capacities to think on their feet.

Malaysia's representatives must be always conscious that they are merely a member consisting of many other council members. We can be marginalised if we don't walk the talk and address issues that may be emerging while addressing past violations.

The big picture of geo-politics and the small picture as a country representing this part of the world must always be in the minds of the Malaysian representatives.

Let's not wash more dirty linen of Malaysia in the global arena, as Malaysia, being a member of the HRC, is one of a few countries that have not signed the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd).

The membership to the HRC is a double-edged sword, which requires deep reflective wisdom and less rhetoric.

Malaysia can contribute and play its part as a small sovereign country of 33 million in an effective and efficient manner only if they don't bring their domestic mindset onto the international stage.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.