The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I was told few wish to speak; perhaps give me an extra minute.

¶ 02 On these important Regulations under the Anti-Corruption Act, I wish to add one matter. Section 87 vests the Minister with power to make regulations to maintain a centralized electronic system for asset declarations. Otherwise, we will be building physical vaults in kachcheris to store piles of forms. I have raised this before—please expedite the e-system for all data submission and access.

¶ 03 In addition, Hon. Presiding Member, I must draw attention to a grave violation of humanitarian law in Palestine. On 3 June 2025, as eyewitnesses watched in horror, Israeli authorities launched a brutal attack that resulted in the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians—men, women, and innocent children—waiting in line for humanitarian aid. They were not fighters; they bore no arms; they were hungry, displaced people reaching for food. Even that most basic need—the right to live and to eat—was met with fire and death.

¶ 04 What kind of world answers starving children with missiles? What moral authority can we claim if we remain silent while atrocities are committed in the name of security?

¶ 05 Do they not read their Torah? I am sure God-abiding Jews will condemn this. The Torah commands: “Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbour.” A people known for suffering—exile, persecution, Hitler’s cruelty—can you now turn away as others suffer?

¶ 06 Genesis 4:10 states: “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.” Today, the blood of Rafah cries out to all of us—for justice, remembrance, dignity, and humanity. This is not about politics or religion, but about conscience and the soul of our civilization.

¶ 07 I rose to speak for ordinary people in Gaza, those beyond the realms of politics with no one to speak for them.

¶ 08 Hon. Presiding Member, my final minute: let us send a clear message that indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially children, is an abomination before God and humanity, and has no place in any society that values life. We must have the courage to speak up. I regret using time during the Anti-Corruption Regulations debate for this, but I must appeal for those Palestinians.

¶ 09 Thank you.