KUALA LUMPUR: Asean needs to commit itself and act to protect minority communities, say politician Datuk Seri Ti Lian KerTi, who is MCA vice-president, said Asean needs to look into discriminatory laws that contributed to stateless citizens.
"We can talk about protecting religious and ethnic diversity, but nothing is going to change unless the respective governments in Asean and Asean as a whole, has the political will to actually deal with it," said Ti during the International Conference on Nation-Building 2019 on Wednesday . "We need to remember that many stateless citizens are victims of their circumstances and they should not be denied their human rights just because of their differences," he said.
"We need to emphasise that ours is a shared human heritage. They are not different but they are varied. They are of us. We are richer because of it," she said.In Malaysia, for instance, the previous and current government retreated behind Islamic fervour to ensure their political survival and Malay ethnonationalism was not only still vigorous, but has acquired an Islamic tone that assumes moral authority in inter-ethnic affairs, she said.
"Instead of building ramparts to defend religious identity, dialogue should be intensified at both national and community levels to prevent the spread of misperceptions and rumours. Based on a report by the Asean Post, there are some 938,000 stateless people in Myanmar, 443,862 people in Thailand, 11,689 people in Malaysia and 11,000 people in Vietnam, said Ti.
He said Asean needs to commit itself to mutual respect to ensure the stability of the region and to protect minority communities. He said people need to change their mindset, keep the communication going and be fearless in breaking barriers.
What is your definition of minority in Malaysia? U bunch did not stand up for what is right & wrong. Just a bunch of running dogs & self serving!