NEW YORK – It is the responsibility of all countries to take in more Rohingya refugees to be resettled in their respective countries following the crisis in Myanmar, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.
He said although Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol, the country, on humanitarian grounds, has accepted nearly 200,000 Rohingya refugees.
“The political crisis in Myanmar has also worsened the situation of millions of Myanmar refugees, including the Rohingya refugees,” he said when delivering Malaysia’s National Statement at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly here yesterday.
He said Malaysia strongly emphasises the importance of the world addressing the root cause of the Rohingya crisis and believes that the issue will not be resolved as long as the crisis in the country continues.
“In the Southeast Asian region, Malaysia has played an important role in conflict resolution. For example, Malaysia has been involved in the peace process between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front since 2001.
What’s more saddening, he said, is when the Security Council does not take any serious action in dealing with the situation and was even seen as having washed its hands off and handing the matter over to Asean.
“Malaysia is disappointed that there is no meaningful progress in the implementation of the Asean Five Point Consensus (5PCs), especially by the Myanmar junta. In its current form, the Asean Five Point Consensus cannot continue any longer.
“Therefore, this consensus needs to be given a new lease of life and refined based on a clearer framework, timeframe and end goal. Indeed, what’s more important is that the aspirations of the people of Myanmar must be fulfilled,” he said.
Prior to this, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah said Asean needs to address the 5PCs, whether it is working and still relevant, and any decision must be made before the Asean Summit in November.
On the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Ismail Sabri said Malaysia is disappointed with the brutal occupation by Israel that has been going on for a long time, which had caused the Palestinian people to continue to live under the shackles of Israel’s discriminatory policies.
“Illegal settlements are becoming more widespread. This is against international law, including Security Council Resolution 2334. The most basic rights of the Palestinian people continue to be denied,” he said.
Therefore, Ismail Sabri said Malaysia is of the view that the major powers need to be honest in resolving the issue of cruelty faced by the Palestinian people.
“That firm stand should be taken by the UN, to ensure that the crisis that has been going on in Palestine for a long time can be resolved quickly.
“What is happening today is that most countries are so quick to act in the case of Ukraine. Malaysia wants the same action to be taken to resolve the issue of Palestine. Israel needs to stop being an apartheid entity!” he said.
Before delivering the national statement, the prime minister had a bilateral meeting with Palestine President Abbas, during which both leaders also witnessed the signing of four memoranda of understanding between the two countries, namely on the establishment of a joint committee meeting, as well as on the cooperation in the field of health, tourism and Islamic affairs.
Malaysia still has 54% forested areas
At a time when the world is facing serious climate change and forest degradation due to development, Malaysia still has 54% of forested areas across the country.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is confident that the percentage will increase following ongoing aggressive reforestation measures.
He said as one of only 17 bio-diverse countries in the world, Malaysia is aware of its responsibility to maintain and preserve its natural resources for future generations.
“During the Earth Summit in 1992, Malaysia pledged to maintain at least 50% of its land mass under forest and tree cover,” he said.
He said climate change is a universal problem affecting the entire world, and Malaysia is not spared as, last year alone, it was struck by the most serious floods in its history, resulting in losses estimated at US$1.4 billion (RM6.1 billion).
“Many lives were lost and almost 100,000 people had to be moved to temporary evacuation centres.
This situation happens not only in Malaysia but in several other countries as well. Clearly, mitigation and adaptation measures need to continue,” he said.
Ismail Sabri said the fact remains that developed countries must bear the responsibility of increasing aid for developing countries by fulfilling their commitment to providing a yearly allocation of US$100 billion unconditionally.
“This will help realise actions taken against climate change that should have been implemented since 2020,” he said while reiterating Malaysia’s commitment to carrying out its responsibilities and roles to ensure environmental conservation and sustainability.
In this context, he said various measures have been implemented by Malaysia, such as introducing the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil standard to meet requirements for the purpose of sustainable development.
He said Malaysia is also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45% based on the gross domestic product by 2030.
“In this regard, Malaysia has set a target of achieving 31% renewable energy use by 2025. Malaysia is also committed to achieving its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” he added. – Bernama, September 24, 2022
