Mohd Rafiq Mohd Abdullah said Malaysia did not need the interference of foreign politicians in determining its direction.

He said some opposition politicians “loved” to invite foreign intervention, adding that this was a “desperate” move.

“Whatever our differences, don’t reach the point of selling out the country to foreign politicians.

“This is no small matter. Involving politicians of foreign countries in our domestic matters is akin to pawning the nation’s sovereignty,” he said in a statement.

Rafiq noted that the joint statement from the 90 politicians was from a group called Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, whose founders included DAP’s Lim Kit Siang and Charles Santiago.

“According to its website, the chairman of this group right now is Santiago, a DAP MP,” he said.

In their statement yesterday, the 90 politicians said Parliament should be allowed to reconvene to keep the government accountable, protect human rights and allow Parliament to review the emergency measures while contributing to major policy decisions.

The politicians from seven Asean countries also said the emergency powers did not meet established international standards and severely limited government accountability.

Meanwhile, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysia was a sovereign country and foreign powers should not interfere.

However, he said Putrajaya could not take this call lightly as it could affect the nation’s bilateral ties with other Asean countries.

“I just hope the 90 Asean MPs (and ex-MPs) won’t just focus on the issue of democracy in Malaysia when another Asean country is also wrestling with democratic issues after the army junta took power,” he said.