When Prime Minister Najib Razak attacked humans rights as an ideology that draws from the extreme ends of secularism, liberalism and humanism, he unleashed a storm of criticism from human rights advocates. He subsequently released a correction on social media. What is the source of his inconsistency, what consequence has it for efforts to develop and institutionalize international human rights standards, which the government itself funds, and also of Malaysia’s standing at international fora? Former commissioner with the National Human Rights Commission reframes the debate.