‘Enough is enough’ on Rohingya issue: Najib to Suu Kyi

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had strong words for Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and her government in a scathing address at a rally in solidarity with the ethnic Rohingya in Kuala Lumpur.

‘We want to tell Aung San Suu Kyi enough is enough!’ he told the crowd of thousands on Sunday (Dec 4), in the wake of allegations that Myanmar`s army is leading a brutal crackdown on the Muslim minority Rohingya in Rakhine.

Mr Najib said he did not care about the Myanmar government`s statement that Malaysia should not interfere in the country`s internal affairs, citing the ASEAN principle of non-interference.

‘Do they want me to close my eyes? Want me to be mute?’ he asked. ‘There is an article in the ASEAN charter that says ASEAN must uphold human rights. Are they blind? Don’t just interpret things as you choose.’

The prime minister said he had sent Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman to Nay Pyi Taw to meet Ms Suu Kyi, only to be told she was only willing to meet to discuss bilateral affairs, but not the Rohingya. ‘What’s the point of a Nobel Peace Prize?’ he said to a riled-up crowd.

Mr Najib said he is going to ask Indonesia to rally in solidarity with the Rohingya too, and wants more Malaysians to come out in protest as well. ‘The world cannot just sit by and watch genocide taking place.’

More than 56,000 Rohingyas are registered with the United Nations refugee agency in Malaysia. The rally brought the prime minister onto the same stage as the president of Islamist party, PAS - a party the ruling party UMNO is trying to forge closer ties with.

Ms Suu Kyi has appealed to the international community for understanding on the Rohingya issue, which she called a highly sensitive and delicate one. ‘It doesn’t help if everybody is just concentrating on the negative side of the situation,’ she told Channel NewsAsia in an exclusive interview.

Source: Channel NewsAsia