KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan Pembela Ummah's (UMMAH) decision to hold an assembly to celebrate the government's rejection of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) should be respected.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said it was the right of citizens of a democratic country to hold the assembly, which has been scheduled for Dec 8.
"The assembly is their right. The cabinet has already made a unanimous decision not to accede to ICERD.
"However, there are some people who want to carry on with the assembly and we will respect that," he told reporters when met at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM), Sungai Besi, here, today.
Asked whether the assembly was the opposition's political agenda ahead of the upcoming Rantau by-election, Syed Saddiq said the government had other issues to tackle.
"The government has many other things to focus on; cost of living, scholarships, unemployment among the youth and many more things we have to focus on.
"My ministry is trying to solve the problem of unemployment and we need to focus on the real issues," he said.
The government yesterday (Nov 23) announced that it would not ratify ICERD, saying it would continue to uphold the Federal Constitution and the agreed upon social contract enshrined within.
Pas deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, however, said Umno and Pas would nonetheless participate in the Dec 8 assembly, which was initially organised to oppose the ratification of ICERD.
The assembly's organiser, UMMAH, had confirmed that the assembly would proceed.
UMMAH chairman Aminuddin Yahya was quoted as saying that instead of a protest, the event would celebrate the people's victory.