IT’S time for the United Nations (UN) to carry out a major reform to remain relevant on the world stage.
The UN is an intergovernmental organisation created way back in Oct 24, 1945, to promote international cooperation, replacing the ineffective League of Nations, which failed to stop the atrocities of World War 2.
In the beginning, the UN had 51 member states; now, there are 193.
Its main objectives included maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights, fostering social and economic development, protecting the environment, and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflicts.
However, increasing global conflicts, like the ongoing civil war in Syria, ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar, the rise of several militant and extremist groups, and not to forget 70 years of struggle for independence and hope for peace by the Palestinian people, clearly point to the failure of the world body.
The UN is seen by many as being controlled by the West. Failure seems to have been designed into it.
Since the body was created in 1945, five nations — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China — have been treated differently.
They have the special privilege to veto any resolutions they fancy. This veto right, conferred by
Article 27 (3) of the UN Charter, is seen by many as the most
undemocratic element of the UN.
The exercise of veto power in an unjust manner is the main cause of most international inaction on war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The ongoing persecution of the Palestinians is the result of the unprincipled exercise of veto power.
Every effort to get the Israelis to stop the atrocities is met with dismal failure because of the veto.
Malaysia was also a victim of veto power when Russia blocked a five-nation proposal initiated by our country in the United Nations Security Council in 2015 to establish an ad hoc international criminal tribunal to try those responsible for the downing of MH17 on July 17, 2014, in Eastern Ukraine, which killed 298 people, including 43 Malaysians.
The time has come for UN members to work to remove the veto and other provisions of the UN Charter that place one member nation above the others.
Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow
Faculty of Syariah & Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia