As the furore over the Malaysian government's abstention in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on Sexual Harassment and Violence in Geneva persists, veteran trade unionist Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud said political realities must have played a part.

"It's one thing if you want to look like a progressive nation, to go abroad and sign a convention. But it's another thing to be able to ratify it," Syed Shahir told Malaysiakini...