The government has fooled
Malaysians
I am observing very
closely on letters regarding a group of US Congressmen published in New Straits Time and
The Star for the past one week plus. I believe, most of us will ask the same question;
do the US Congressmen have the right to interfere in our country’s domestic affairs?
This issue is hotly debated in the mainstream media. The government publicised this
issue because of several reasons. Here, I do not want to elaborate further the
government’s motive to bring up this issue to the public concern. The government
managed to get Malaysians support to a certain extent. The public condemns BA for
inviting seven US Congressmen calling the Malaysian government to drop all DSAI’s
charges or seek a retrial for DSAI in court.
Well, do they have the right to
interfere into our country’s internal affair? There was one article in LKS’s
homepage caught my attention. Here, I copied selected paragraphs from Lim Kit Siang’s
article Parliament should debate not only the resolution sponsored by seven US
Congressmen on Anwar’s trial but even more important the resolution adopted by the
104th Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Jakarta last month calling for Anwar’s release
from jail pending appeal on 3/11/2000.
However, both the Malaysian Government and the
Barisan Nasional MPs should face up to a new reality of international life that the
sovereignty of national domestic affairs must reconcile with the new established
international principle that the promotion and protection of all human rights is a
legitimate concern of the international community.
The Malaysian Government
accepted this new international principle in global relations when it supported the
Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action unanimously adopted by the United Nations
World Conference on Human Rights at Vienna in 1993.
This means that no country
can now plead that any human right violation or erosion of the rule of law is a domestic
sovereign right of any nation but must instead be able to withstand international
scrutiny. It is in accordance with this international principle that the promotion and
protection of all human rights is a legitimate concern of the international community
that the 167th Inter-Parliamentary Council meeting in Jakarta on 21st October 2000
adopted without a vote a resolution adding its voice of concern and dismay at the trial
of Anwar and calling for his immediate release from prison pending appeal.
The resolution of the Jakarta conference of the
Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) should take a higher profile and priority
among the legislators in the country as the IPU’s membership comes from 140
member Parliaments and five international parliamentary assemblies and represent a
worldwide reach which seven US Congressmen cannot hope to match.
His view was
same as Pas President Datuk Fadzil Noor (NST, Nov 3 Keadilan chief admits team lobbied
American Congressmen page 1 and 4)
Meanwhile, Pas president Datuk Fadzil Noor
said the filing of the resolution was not something surprising.
“If we can
object to the cruel actions of Israel, if we can object to the cruel actions of Serbia,
then why do we want to question the actions of outsiders over cruel and unjust actions
in our country?”
Fadzil said in a globalising world, “we cannot limit
people’s right to express their views.”
“If we accept globalisation, we
must also accept matters pertaining to human rights, which must be discussed by all in
society.”
Nevertheless, there was one letter published in NST 7/11/2000
written by a Malay guy. He could not agree with Datuk Fadzil Noor’s view. I copied
three paragraphs in his letter.
I READ with great interest the comments made
by Pas President Datuk Fadzil Noor on the American Congressmen’s resolution regarding
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s
trial (NST, Nov 3).
He was quoted as saying
something to the effect of comparing the Malaysia Government’s unjust action to what
is happening in Israel.
For him to say such things, he must be either blind or
out of his mind for we average Malaysians don’t see such unjust things happening in
our country.
I think he seems annoyed that he could not accept openly Datuk
Fadzil Noor’s view which I think it is a very good view indeed although in his heart,
he agree with Datuk Fadzil. Okay, go back to Lim Kit Siang’s view, after reading his
article, I can conclude that the government seems to hide something or try to mislead
the public. The government supported the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
unanimously adopted by the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights at Vienna in
1993. The public was purposely ill informed by the government. I am pretty sure, The
government is not going to disclose the declaration to the public. How am I going to
support the government where in fact it is the government who supported the Vienna
declaration in 1993? There is no transparency in the government and of course, I do not
understand why the public can be easily fooled by the government. I feel sorry for the
public who I think they still do not realise they have been fooled by the government for
political mileage agenda.
The government did not oppose the declaration
because at that time, there were no serious unjust actions on human rights occurred in
Malaysia. If the government claimed no other countries could interfere in our
country’s domestic affair for sovereignty’s sake, the government should not have
supported the Vienna Declaration in the first place. Why the government did not give a
serious thought about the declaration? If the government knew the declaration touching
on delicate issue of domestic sovereignty right of nation that no other nations can
dictate what should or should not do in our country, why the government did not bring up
the issue or opposed strongly the declaration? The question is whether the government is
well aware of the sovereignty issue at that time or not. It shows the government
overlooked to find the loophole of the declaration. The government is trying very hard
to cover the blunder they made seven years ago. Furthermore, why the government did not
make an objection strongly about IPU adopted a resolution calling DSAI to be released
from jail pending appeal in Jakarta on 21/10/2000? Now, the government made the fuss
about foreign intervention in our country’s judiciary affair pertaining on human
rights issue. It is now evident; the government has the intention to manipulate this
issue for their own gain.
By protesting unjust actions of Israel and Serbia, the
government is following and supporting the declaration signed in 1993. If the government
objected the unjust actions of other countries, then the government must also accept
other countries to object our unjust actions to DSAI. The government is not sporting
enough to accept other countries protest to our unjust actions. By right, the government
must openly accept other countries criticism. If the government claimed US Congressmen
resolution is not their own business, it also means the government also does not have
the right to interfere of other countries internal affairs. It is not our own business,
why we want to interfere or bother their internal affair in other countries such as
Palestine, Bosnia and Kosovo? In other words, why we want to be busybody in other
countries’ internal affair?
Using sovereignty of our country is not a good
excuse, as the government claimed other countries do not have the right to interfere in
our daily affairs. The resolution filed by the US Congressmen touching on human rights
is the US and worldwide concern on DSAI’s trial where the government cannot afford to
deny it. It is not logic if we can criticize the unjust actions of other countries but
at the same time, we do not allow other countries criticize us. If we do not allow other
countries express their view on our unjust actions, we must also keep our mouth shut by
not commenting anything on other countries unjust actions. It shows the immaturity of
the government handling this issue. From now onwards, I do not want to hear
government’s protest against other countries unjust actions in mainstream media.
Malaysia Youth Council’s move to collect one million signatures to protest against a
resolution filed by seven US Congressmen is a stupid move. It shows clearly Malaysia did
not respect the Vienna Declaration 1993 and the 167th Inter-Parliamentary Council
meeting in Jakarta on 21st October 2000. If United Nation and IPU know about signature
campaign, I am afraid the bodies may take an action against Malaysia Government for
violating the Vienna declaration in 1993. I am not sure whether law legally binds the
signature campaign initiated by MYC. Anyway, I am not gonna to support MYC. It is not
worth it. No way!
LTL
