PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today urged the Myanmar government to listen to the voice of Asean and the world on the plight of the Rohingya Muslims.
He also called on Myanmar’s armed forces and political leaders to be compassionate towards the Rohingya community.
“Listen to our voices and take heed of the ordeal suffered by the Rohingya people. They are not animals, but human beings, too,” said Zahid.
The deputy prime minister reiterated his call to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, to tackle the Rohingya crisis based on the values she was known for.
“She is now the one who leads Myanmar and should use her own experiences in the struggles for democracy, liberalisation and humanity (to address the Rohingya issue).
“What she has fought for before should reflect in her own country and this will do justice to the international recognition she has received (as a Nobel Peace prize winner),” he added.
He said the rights of the Rohingya should not be denied just because of religious and racial differences.
Zahid, who is also Superbikers Association of Malaysia (SAM) executive chairman, urged all bikers to throw their support behind the government in providing humanitarian aid to the Rohingya.
He later started an impromptu donation drive for the Rohingya at the closing ceremony of SAM’s Merdeka Rides 2017 tour.
In less than 10 minutes, more than RM3,500 was collected from some 6,000 bikers who had gathered for the closing ceremony.
It was reported that nearly 300,000 Rohingya refugees had fled to Bangladesh since the Aug 25 militant attacks on several police posts and an army base in Myanmar.
Rohingya Muslims face systematic violence including torture, rape and murder in Myanmar.