Saifuddin Abdullah bids to refer PM Anwar to Rights and Privileges Committee over Rome Statute remark
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 — Former foreign minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah today denied Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s allegation that he did not obtain Cabinet approval before driving Malaysia’s abortive ratification of the Rome Statute in 2019.
The Indera Mahkota MP said Anwar’s remarks in Parliament on Monday were malicious and misled the Lower House.
“I have submitted a motion to refer the Tambun MP to the Rights and Privileges Committee because he made a remark that misled the House and is deemed as insulting the meeting in his speech in the Dewan Rakyat on November 21, 2023 (Tuesday).
“The Tambun MP made the following malicious statement in the House when he responded (to a question) in relation to the ICC (International Criminal Court), and the Rome Statute.
“At the end of his response, he mentioned a sentence, and I quote, ‘the question regarding Rome Statute and ICERD should be asked to Indera Mahkota, who headed (the ratification) without the Cabinet’s approval at the time.’
“So, I felt that it was directed at me because I was the foreign minister at the time, and did have something to do with the Rome Statute at one point,” Saifuddin told a news conference here at the Parliament building today.
Saifuddin alleged that Anwar had lied and said there had been a Cabinet meeting on December 12, 2018, to decide on the matter.
“The Cabinet meeting at the time decided for Malaysia to ratify the Rome Statute. There was a Cabinet paper that I signed as the foreign minister, and the decision was made in the Cabinet meeting.
“So, that is why I have ratified it on behalf of the Malaysian government — the Rome Statute — on March 4, 2019,” he said.
Saifuddin said he submitted the motion to refer Anwar to the parliamentary watchdog yesterday.
“He mentioned ICERD, in this letter I mentioned — matters related to ICERD were under the jurisdiction and portfolio of the Unity Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department at that time and not under my portfolio as Foreign Minister,” he said.
Anwar made the remarks on Tuesday when responding to Bersatu’s Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal who asked the PM whether Malaysia would be willing to lobby countries party to the Rome Statute, to prosecute the Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu at the ICC.
