INTERNATIONAL LAW MUST APPLY EQUALLY TO ALL NATIONS - PM ANWAR

PUTRAJAYA, March 16 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressed that international law must be applied consistently to all nations to retain its credibility, warning that selective enforcement would erode confidence in the global system.

“If international law is to retain credibility, it must apply equally to all. Principles lose their authority when they are invoked selectively. 

"These inconsistencies undermine confidence in the very foundations of the international system,” he said in his opening address at the Forum Ilmuwan Malaysia MADANI titled 'Strategies for Malaysia and ASEAN in an Era of Global Instability', held here today with the participation of United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Solutions Network president Prof Dr Jeffrey D. Sachs.

Anwar also condemned the attacks on Iran, describing them as aggression driven by Israel’s hegemonic ambitions in West Asia with the support of the United States.

“We meet today in the midst of a war foisted on a sovereign state of Iran and its people, driven by the hegemonic ambitions of Israel in West Asia and principally aided and abetted by the formidable war machine of the United States of America,” he said.

He said the ongoing conflict had resulted in targeted killings of political, military and spiritual leaders as well as attacks that caused civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure.

“Targeted killings of spiritual, political and military leaders are executed with surgical precision, while missile attacks massacre schoolchildren as they go about their lessons,” he said.

Anwar said the escalation of the conflict had already triggered disruptions in global energy markets with potential implications for economies worldwide.

“History reminds us that instability in this region rarely remains confined within its borders. The escalation of this war has already sparked massive disruptions in global energy markets,” he said.

The Finance Minister added that the government has convened an emergency meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to deliberate on the potential impact of the conflict.

“We (Malaysia) have to deliberate some key issues because the war has its ramifications throughout the world and is affecting us here in Malaysia,” he said.

Anwar said Malaysia has taken a principled stance on the issue, in line with the bipartisan position of Parliament.

He said the country had consistently condemned Israeli aggression and the role of the US as perpetrators of the aggression against the sovereign state of Iran.

He also called for restraint and renewed diplomatic engagement across the region.

Anwar said wars not only result in the loss of lives but also carry far-reaching economic consequences.

“War disrupts production, damages infrastructure, and diverts national resources towards military expenditure rather than well-being.

“These pressures translate into higher energy prices, rising inflation, greater fiscal restraint, and ultimately, hardship and misery for the majority of people,” he said.

-- BERNAMA