PM Anwar: Malaysia will spare no effort to prevent further massacre of civilians in Gaza

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Malaysia will spare no diplomatic effort in working with its partners to prevent the further massacre of civilians in Gaza and there should be no doubt about the country’s commitment, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

Speaking at the 14th ASEAN Law Association (ALA) General Assembly 2023 here today, Anwar said Malaysia believes in upholding international law and that security and prosperity are predicated on the primacy of the rules that govern the interactions between states. 

“It has everything to do with the law because that is what we all ought to be standing for at this moment of grave danger and that should be especially so for those countries of the world that are always quick to claim that they support a rules-based international order. 

“But it also has nothing to do with the law because these very same countries are quick to suspend such talk when it comes to Israel, its brutal occupation of the Palestinians and its flagrant disregard for the rules-based international order,” he said.

Present were the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said and Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat.

Touching on ASEAN initiatives, Anwar said ASEAN countries must champion policies that promote and uphold gender equality across multiple spheres including education, employment and leadership. 

Thus, he said ASEAN must give voice and weight to women’s contributions, recognising their potential and providing them with equal opportunities to lead and innovate.

The Prime Minister also commended the initiatives pursuant to the ASEAN Roadmap on Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2025, a region-wide framework of cooperation that complements the commitments and actions against child labour globally.

“Whilst the implementation of the optional protocol’s ban on child pornography differs between jurisdictions, the commitment to fighting it is evident through domestic laws that prohibit this atrocious crime.

“The role of parents in protecting their children cannot be overstressed. The law should progress in tandem with this moral duty to ensure that parents honour and fulfil the trust incumbent on them for the well-being of their children,” he added.