*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
{ Sila lawat Laman Hizbi-Net - http://www.hizbi.net }
{ Hantarkan mesej anda ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] }
{ Iklan barangan? Hantarkan ke [EMAIL PROTECTED] }
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
PAS : KE ARAH PEMERINTAHAN ISLAM YANG ADIL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The foreign minister, Dato' Seri Syed Hamid Albar, confidently marches
in where even fools fear to tread. Fresh from his bumbling disaster
over the Sipadan kidnap, he now wants to teach an Indonesian politician
the "Spirit" of Asean. The chairman of the Indonesian People's
Consultative Assembly, Mr Amien Rais, met the Parti Keadilan Negara
president, Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, where he characterised her
husband, He Who Must Be Destroyed At All Cost, as a political prisoner
and "not as a common criminal". The news item, if at all carried in
Malaysian newspapers, was hidden, as such items often are. This. in
Dato' Seri Syed Hamid's view, interferes in Malaysia's internal affairs.
The Prime Minister's barbed attack on his Australian colleague a few
days ago is not an interference in Australia's internal affairs. That
is all right. The Prime Minister has a right to do that to other
countries. If he objects so much about critical comment on Malaysia's
affairs, the proper cause for him is to haul in the Indonesian
ambassador in Kuala Lumpur to express his government's unhappiness. But
he behaves as an organ grinder's monkey, one which caused him his vice
presidency in the UMNO last week.
Dato' Seri Syed Hamid insists Dato' Seri Anwar's conviction for
corruption, and his current trial for sodomy, is not politically
tainted. That presumably is why after the prosecution failed to produce
any evidence of sodomy but damaged the former deputy prime minister's
reputation in the process, he High Court ordered the damaging
allegations of sodomy expunged and then allows the charges amended so
that he could not defend the allegations against him. He is then
convicted of corruption, which the Court of Appeal then affirms with
expunged evidence. Dato' Seri Syed Hamid says this "is in accordance
with our judicial system in Malaysia". Malaysians, let alone Mr Amien
Rais, are apalled at how the former deputy prime minister is treated.
Even UMNO members are convinced a political conspiracy, not a criminal
act, felled him. Until this is proven wrong, the foreign minister must
resign himself to criticism as from Mr Rais and others further afield.
If, as he says, it is offensive and inaccurate, it is upon him, as a
member of the Cabinet to persuade it to make the changes to obviate
carping attacks like this. The way the High Court tried the former
deputy prime minister, and allowing the Prime Minister not to turn up as
witness when he had been properly subpoenaed, is proof enough.
As for the ASEAN spirit Dato' Seri Syed Hamid himself knows it does
not exist. ASEAN is deliberately downgraded by Malaysia, as the new
power equation within it reduced and marginalised the status quo of
leaders. Today, it is Indonesia and Vietnam that willy nilly dominates
the regional grouping, one representing Islam and the other Buddhism.
The Islamic and Buddhist rules of compassion required Mr Rais to make
the statement he made. Indeed, President Abdurrahman Wahid, is openly
critical at how his friend is treated in Malaysia. Dato' Seri Syed
Hamid would better spend his time building bridges than breaking them.
His inability to dictate events over the Sipadan kidnap confirms he does
not practice what he preaches. He did not reply to an Indonesian offer
to speak to President Joseph Estrade in Manila over the kidnapped
tourists if Malaysia requested it. Obviously, Malaysia did not.
Sipadan, as you know, is contested territory whose ownership rests upon
a future decision of the International Court of Justice. But Malaysia
turned it into a tourist resort, an act which aggravated tension between
the Kuala Lumpur and Manila.
Malaysian ministers get upset when Dato' Seri Anwar is described
overseas other than as a convicted criminal. The original article is
almost always never published, though the official reaction is. This,
in the official view is what press freedom is all about: the persecute
and harass the regime's enemies to the fullest extent possible. So,
Malaysian papers fall over themselves to publish the Prime Minister's
criticism of Mr John Howard, but not Mr Amien Rais's criticism of the
Malaysian government over the man who would have been prime minister.
But that the foreign minister looks over his shoulders whenever the name
of Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim is mentioned, locally and overseas, does
suggest, without words, that while he is convicted of criminal offences,
he is in Sungei Buloh for political reasons. The Prime Minister's
sudden problems, after last week's party elections, underscores the
political nature of the conviction, one that the foreign minister says
Mr Rais does not understand.
M.G.G. Pillai
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( Melanggan ? To : [EMAIL PROTECTED] pada body : SUBSCRIBE HIZB)
( Berhenti ? To : [EMAIL PROTECTED] pada body: UNSUBSCRIBE HIZB)
( Segala pendapat yang dikemukakan tidak menggambarkan )
( pandangan rasmi & bukan tanggungjawab HIZBI-Net )
( Bermasalah? Sila hubungi [EMAIL PROTECTED] )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pengirim: "Haji Johari Adam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
