Archive | June, 2009

An ex-Prime Minister’s view

I’ve been following Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s blog for about a year now, maybe a little bit more. I came close to filming and interviewing him in Malaysia when we covered an event there a few months ago, unfortunately that didn’t happen. Still, the experience did not diminish my admiration for the man.

Dr. Mahathis Mohamad, ex-PM of Malaysia

Dr. Mahathis Mohamad, ex-PM of Malaysia

I certainly don’t agree with him completely, but I do follow him to try to fathom the man; an ex-prime minister of a Muslim country – a rarity on its own, especially after being in that seat for 22 years – but some of his thoughts are worth analysing further and learning from, while some of his rants are stellar.

Take his latest post of just a few minutes ago where he reflects on Obama’s Cairo speech:

It is not the Palestinians who choose violence. It was the Jews who violently seized Palestinian land, massacred the Arabs and expelled them from their country. With no one prepared to restrain the Jews, the beleaguered Palestinians had to resort to violence. The world, the United Nations, even fellow Muslims have deserted them.

….

Obama stresses America’s strong bond with Israel. It is unbreakable. He recognises the aspiration for a Jewish homeland “rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied”.

But what is the tragic history? It is that of European persecution of the Jews, of the regular pogroms culminating in the Holocaust? It is not the doings of the Muslims. Certainly not the doings of the Palestinians.The tragedy was caused by the Europeans through the ages.

Obama must know that before there was the United States, the Jews invariably fled to Muslim countries to seek refuge from European persecution. The Muslims did not turn them back. Before Israel there were millions of Jews in Muslim land. Even today quite a few are still there.

I have not read such strong views about the American stance regarding the Palestinian and Israeli situation in the Arabic press from any Arab leader! This is not the first time he vociferously condemns American and Israeli actions, there are various other articles he posted previously where his views are never diminished.

I hope you have the time to visit and re-visit his blog, it will be worth your while.

I wonder if other ex-PMs in this area would follow in Dr. Mahathir’s footsteps and start blogging? Oh, hang on a minute, sorry, we don’t have any ex-PMs in this area of the world. This makes reading his blog even the more interesting.

Wefaq’s blood money

There have been two recent incidents in which two people died, both Pakistani expatriates and both during riots which have gripped the country late last year; the first was an on-duty undercover policeman whose murder is debatable due to circumstantial evidence, while the other was a deliberate killing by rioting men who threw a Molotov cocktail on the gentleman’s pick-up truck directly causing his death.

Of the 178 people apprehended for various acts classified from vandalism through to murder and the now ubiquitous charge of terrorism, 26 people (as far as I can gather) were imprisoned and facing trial for the murders. The larger batch of whom were implicated in the first case.

The king, bless him, pardoned them all and dropped the civil liability component of the crimes after Shi’a clerics visited him and begged for their release. The Public Prosecutor; however, refused to let those implicated in the murders go, citing the royal pardon drops civil liabilities but personal liability (if that’s the correct term) still stands due to the deceased families’ demanding retribution and compensation – or blood money.

Here steps in Al-Wefaq Democratic Society as the proverbial knights in shining armour. Not only to continue to exert pressure for their release, but also offering to shoulder the payment of blood money to secure the release:

سلمان: الوفاق مستعدة لدفع الدية عن متهمي كرزكان والمعامير

قال الأمين العام لجمعية الوفاق النائب علي سلمان إن ”الجهات الرسمية غيّرت موقفها بخصوص الإفراج عن المتهمين في قضيتي كرزكان والمعامير”، لافتا إلى أنه ”كان قد تم التوصل إلى تسوية مع أهالي الفقيدين ماجد أصغر وشيخ رياض، ولم يبقَ سوى الإفراج عن المتهمين بعد التسوية مباشرة، وفق ما أكدت الجهات الرسمية”. حسب قوله.

Salman: Al-Wefaq is ready to pay blood money on behalf of the Karzakan and Ma’ameer accused

The General Secretary of Al-Wefaq Society MP Ali Salman said: “the official parties have changed their position regarding the release of the accused in the Karazakan and Ma’ameer cases,” noting that “a settlement has been reached with the families of the deceased Majed Asghar and Shaikh Riyadh and what was left was only the release of the accused after direct payment, as has been confirmed by official channels.”
Al-Waqt – 7 June, ’09

I fail to understand why a political society should get involved in this. Do they have no other business pending in Parliament? Or must they (and I mean all politicians and their societies in this country) interfere in everything that is happening, good or bad?

It is quite evident that politicians here willingly fail to demarcate their functions; hence, their continuous interference in everything from municipal affairs, to the way private companies are managed, to setting cultural and entertainment agendas, to deciding what is morally acceptable, to imposing religious views and just about anything else in between. Anything, that is, except legislation, which should be their exclusive function.

Should we be surprised at this latest misguided “do gooder” episode by Al-Wefaq?

I would say not. This sets yet another unneeded precedent, the ramifications of which escapes them, I am sure.

At worst, this encourages more violent confrontation. People will feel that whoever they swear allegiance to will extricate them from whatever trouble their wreak, even murder. At best, it denotes the culpability of Al-Wefaq in these murders.

Political societies should think hard about what their real functions are. Paramount of which is the defence of the separation of the branches of government. They most definitely should not get involved nor interfere with the judicial system no matter how bad that is perceived to be. What they should do; however, is ensure that legislation is passed to ensure the judicial system’s impartiality and fairness. They should exert more effort in clearing their stacked desks from pending legislation while keeping the best interest of their voters at the forefront of their minds by ensuring that laws passed are fair, do not impinge on human rights, do not restrict personal freedoms and do not counter international agreements already subscribed to.

Unfortunately what we currently have is the diametric opposite.

There is only one more session for this lame parliament before we have to vote for the third time in this country. I just hope that come Autumn 2010, people will heed lessons learnt and take the courageous steps to vote for what is best for our country and its people, all of its people, rather than continue to prep up myopic, fully sectarian and manipulatable imbeciles.

I salute our Kuwaiti friends who chose liberals who will serve their country a lot better going into the future, in place of religious zealots whose only concern is the interference in people’s private lives.

Hopefully in 2010 we too will willingly tread that road.

Obama, the time to deliver is now

I keep asking myself why did Obama choose the most repressive regimes in the Middle East to honour not only with his presence, but also to use as a launchpad for his Utopian vision of a peaceful and democratic Middle East? A vision that will continue to remain as illusive as a desert mirage for us Middle Eastners.

Then I try to select an alternate of the 22 Arab countries where he could have used instead, but I fail to find a single one which could be worthy of such an occasion.

obamasaudikingRegardless, he touched the perennial issues; Palestine through to women’s rights, freedom of expression to democratic governments and of course the rejection of terrorism and freedom of belief. Points which generally have been raised by every single American president – and world leader for that matter – albeit without such eloquence and empathy – but so far without any concrete steps to see through their resolutions. Somehow a “shared interest” creeps in and all those promises get shelved or forgotten to be revived upon a new ascension to a throne.

What is needed now that he has outlined his vision, is to put in programs to enact sustainable solutions.

I’m not very sure that I would hold my breath to see them though, the main problem we have in this part of the world is the complete absence of democracy, a subject he just skimmed over in this speech.

Would he have changed the thrust of his speech had he delivered it from his White House? I don’t know. What I wish for now is for some pressure, real pressure to be exerted on these regimes to finally allow real popular participation in the affairs of state.

I also know that the tasks he set are onerous and cannot be achieved nor imposed by him or his administration. They must emanate from our own societies who look forward to receive his full support – something that has been severely lacking through much of the reign of his predecessor.

I’m not talking bloody revolution here, just a push to representational democracy.

Will he be man enough to deliver?

All indication so far suggests that he is.

I hope that I will be proven right.