PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says it will be almost impossible to implement international convention on racial discrimination.
The Prime Minister said the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) involves amending the Federal Constitution.
To do that, it would need a two-thirds majority from Parliament, Dr Mahathir told Malaysian media after concluding his two-day Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation sojourn here on Sunday.
This was almost impossible given the current number of Members of Parliament from the government as well reaction from both the opposition and government members over the matter, he added.
Senior officials of Pakatan Harapan component parties such as Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman were reportedly against ICERD if constitutional rights and national harmony were affected.
Top leaders from PAS and Umno, meanwhile, reportedly agreed to hold a joint rally on December 8 to protest plans to ratify it.
Last night, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi warned Putrajaya the Malay-Muslim community would run "amuk" to protest the government's pledge to ratify ICERD.
In response, Dr Mahathir assured the public that no chaos would erupt, unless instigated by the Umno president.
"Unless Zahid stirs up trouble, there will be no riot over ICERD," he stressed.
Dr Mahathir said ICERD was sensitive to the Malays.
"We can discuss about the matter because we are not rejecting the views of the people.
"In my speech at the United Nations (general assembly in September), I mentioned about the complexity of ICERD but we didn't commit about implementing it, whether fully or partially."
Malaysia is among a handful of countries that have neither signed nor ratified the treaty.
The treaty provides individuals worldwide with a mechanism for complaints over issues of racial discrimination, among others, and is enforceable against member states.
Several groups said ratifying ICERD would undermine the special position of the Malays, including provisions to allow quotas in public institutions.