STRAITSTIMES
December 21, 2019 
Aung San Suu Kyi does not deserve to represent anything which symbolises
human rights, democracy and peace due to her inaction towards the
plight of the Rohingya. REUTERS PIC
LETTERS: IT’S time for the Nobel Foundation, which awarded Aung San Suu Kyi with the Nobel Peace Prize Award in 1991, to strip her of the award due to her failure to speak up against the mistreatment of the Rohingya.
She does not deserve to represent anything which symbolises human rights, democracy and peace due to her inaction on the issue.
For many years, we have witnessed many atrocities against the Rohingya.
According to Amnesty International, the Rohingya have been subjected to many human rights violations by Myanmar’s military regime since 1978 and many have fled to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh.
This year alone, around 25,000 asylum seekers have fled their country and ended up in nearby countries including Malaysia and Indonesia.
Recently, Gambia had taken legal action against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
For several years, non-governmental organisations and academics have been speaking out against the genocide committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar and, in the past two years, the United Nations has finally acknowledged that genocide was committed.
Yet no country took action against Myanmar, despite the fact that Myanmar is a state party to the Genocide Convention 1948, which obligates state parties to prevent and punish genocide.
Finally, Gambia, on behalf of the 57 states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, filed proceedings at the ICJ.
The ICJ is a court that oversees cases between countries, including for violations of international treaty law such as the Genocide Convention.
The ICJ case is the first time Myanmar will have to answer for the crimes against the Rohingya on the world stage.
It will highlight the serious abuses committed by Myanmar’s military against the Rohingya collated by the UN, the US State Department, Refugees International and other independent human rights groups.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was once deemed as the international darling of human rights, having bravely faced oppression at the hands of the same military generals she is now defending.
The world cannot keep silent over her inaction on this issue which is clearly against the philosophy of the Nobel Peace Prize.
It’s very sad to see a respected figure adored by the West keeping silent and behaving as if nothing is happening in her own backyard.
Although she does not have political power in the country, she should exercise her moral authority to stop the on-going brutality.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to internationally respected people who have contributed to world peace and humanity.
It’s sad to see the prestigious award tainted by Suu Kyi.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel prizes created by Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with prizes in chemistry, physics, physiology or medicine and literature.
It has been awarded annually since 1901 to “those who have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.
It is clear that Suu Kyi has lost all the criteria needed for her to keep the award.
The foundation needs to consider the calls by many people and organisations to strip her of the Nobel Peace Prize.
DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia,
Nilai, Negri Sembilan
She does not deserve to represent anything which symbolises human rights, democracy and peace due to her inaction on the issue.
For many years, we have witnessed many atrocities against the Rohingya.
According to Amnesty International, the Rohingya have been subjected to many human rights violations by Myanmar’s military regime since 1978 and many have fled to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh.
This year alone, around 25,000 asylum seekers have fled their country and ended up in nearby countries including Malaysia and Indonesia.
Recently, Gambia had taken legal action against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
For several years, non-governmental organisations and academics have been speaking out against the genocide committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar and, in the past two years, the United Nations has finally acknowledged that genocide was committed.
Yet no country took action against Myanmar, despite the fact that Myanmar is a state party to the Genocide Convention 1948, which obligates state parties to prevent and punish genocide.
Finally, Gambia, on behalf of the 57 states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, filed proceedings at the ICJ.
The ICJ is a court that oversees cases between countries, including for violations of international treaty law such as the Genocide Convention.
The ICJ case is the first time Myanmar will have to answer for the crimes against the Rohingya on the world stage.
It will highlight the serious abuses committed by Myanmar’s military against the Rohingya collated by the UN, the US State Department, Refugees International and other independent human rights groups.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was once deemed as the international darling of human rights, having bravely faced oppression at the hands of the same military generals she is now defending.
The world cannot keep silent over her inaction on this issue which is clearly against the philosophy of the Nobel Peace Prize.
It’s very sad to see a respected figure adored by the West keeping silent and behaving as if nothing is happening in her own backyard.
Although she does not have political power in the country, she should exercise her moral authority to stop the on-going brutality.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to internationally respected people who have contributed to world peace and humanity.
It’s sad to see the prestigious award tainted by Suu Kyi.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel prizes created by Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with prizes in chemistry, physics, physiology or medicine and literature.
It has been awarded annually since 1901 to “those who have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.
It is clear that Suu Kyi has lost all the criteria needed for her to keep the award.
The foundation needs to consider the calls by many people and organisations to strip her of the Nobel Peace Prize.
DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia,
Nilai, Negri Sembilan
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