Americans stuck with the devils they know

NOV 4, 2009 – The US foreign policy under President Barack Obama has taken a more conciliatory approach as compared to the swashbuckling style of his predecessor George Bush Jr.US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has zigged-zagged around the world trying to patch up the wounded relations as a result of the previous administration’s policies with potential partners for the strategic importance of the US.

The strain that was heightened by Bush’s War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq has left a deep scar among many Muslims in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Following the war, Muslims generally view the Americans or Westerners with great distrust and suspicion.

This prejudice has been easily taken advantage of by radicals and extremists through the Al-Qaeda and Taleban in the Middle East as well as the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf in Southeast Asia.

Subsequent to the War on Terror, sermons in mosques, madrasahs and religious schools around the world has taken aim at the US and the West calling them Great Satan, Imperialists and the like.

Imams in mosques and madrasahs have been calling Muslims worldwide to defend their brothers in Iraq and Afghanistan, hence the pockets of foreign forces that slipped into Iraq and Afghanistan to defend the Muslim countries against US’ aggression.

At the same time, the Sept 11 tragedy has also made Muslims in the Western world an easy target for hate seekers and nationalists’ mob.

The ignorance of these bigots is ridiculously idiotic to the extent that some of them attacked Sikhs who are identified by their turbans which, to their western eyes, are similar to what the Arabs wear.

9/11, followed by the war against Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein has increased the gap between the Muslim world and the US-Western civilisation.

The siege mentality has overwhelmingly taken over the minds of many Muslims to the point that anything related to US or the West is being viewed with great suspicion.

This has also been exacerbated by Bush’s labelling of Jihadists and Wahabbism on the radicals.

Extremists’ movements worldwide have been fuelled with added conviction and fervour in their attacks against the US, Israel and the West.

These rogue groups have caused mayhem at places with high concentration of Westerners as well as economically important cities all around the world.

The US, on the other hand, has had to grapple with partners that are embroiled in their own domestic problems.

Iraq has been in turmoil from the moment Saddam Hussein was kicked out from the city of Baghdad with Sunnis and Shiites embroiled in a civil war jostling to fill in the vacuum left by the larger-than-life figure of Saddam.

Afghanistan’s President Hamed Karzai has been fighting the perception of being a stooge for the US and also rife with allegations of corruption and tainted democracy.

Similar problems in the sultanates of Middle Eastern countries, Palestine, Egypt, Pakistan and Southeast Asian Muslim countries have further complicate the situation faced by Obama.

Much of the problems have arisen due to the fact that the US has been grooming allies that will be “friendly” to them.

These allies in the Muslim world are notoriously known to flout democratic principles, embezzled in corruption scandals and also autocratic in their governance.

Obama has inherited a foreign policy that rewards yes-man and the goodies has created obnoxious and arrogant creatures devoid of the supposedly noble values that Americans are synonymous with – democracy, transparency and good governance.

It is time that the Obama put the respect of the world community back into US’ leadership by ensuring justice and fair play in their dealing with the Muslim world on the issue of Palestine, corruption, democracy and nuclear disarmament.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Nov 4, 2009

Erdogan's heroics belies moral standing

FEB 6, 2009 — The World Economic Forum's forum on the Gaza conflict was one that drew a lot of interest due to its sensational and international significance.
High-profile panellists in the form of Israeli President Shimon Peres, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa increased the value of the forum itself.
The whole world was awaiting the forum anxiously and they were not disappointed.
All the panellists criticised the extreme military actions by the Israel Defence Forces and the rocket attacks by Hamas.
Peres was the final speaker and defended the actions of the IDF in the face of Hamas' rocket attacks.
Erdogan, who wanted to rebut the arduously lengthy and self-fulfilling sermon by Peres, was stopped in his tracks by the moderator David Ignatius, a columnist for the Washington Post, on the pretext that time was up.
Erdogan was clearly upset at the imbalance of time given between him and Peres, ranted at Peres and Ignatius while storming off the stage.
More than anything else, Erdogan was upset by the standing ovation and round of applause given by the audience after Peres' speech.
The audience was mostly business leaders who came from all corners of the earth and their warm reception to Peres hurt the ego of Erdogan.
This caused Erdogan to raise his voice while trying to be courteous in calling the Israelis murderers and the cause of Palestinian women and children's suffering from their acts of aggression.
He then stormed off the stage, briefly stopping to shake hands with Moussa after accusing the moderator of being unfair to him and vowed not to attend Davos anymore.
Turkey and Egypt are among the few Muslim nations that have direct economic and diplomatic relations with Israel.
After the escalation in Gaza turned into an invasion, the only country that decided to call off its ties with Israel was Qatar.
There was muted response by Turkey and Egypt, at the most trying to be brokers for peace but unable to state their displeasure to US and Israel.
It is disgraceful that Turkey and Egypt did not take any significant measures much earlier to put Israel against the wall and to ensure that humanitarian crisis did not deteriorate further.
Turkey, a secular Muslim nation, allowed the US to use its airfield that killed innocent lives in the Iraq War and also Gulf War.
However, Erdogan finds it difficult to put his Muslim values into practise and has often had to bow to the demands of the influential Turkish army and also abide by the numerous economic and diplomatic agreements with US and Israel, among them.
Hence, he had to bow to the demands of the US and also Israel, what more with Turkey's application to join the European Union being dangled to cajole Turkey into submission.
Egypt, on the other hand, has almost zero moral high ground in its involvement in the Gaza conflict.
At the height of the escalation of the conflict, Egypt's refusal to open its borders to help ease the suffering caused a spike in the humanitarian crisis.
Egypt's worry that Ikhwanul Muslimin may infiltrate its borders was its utmost concern and not the welfare of its Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Even though Amr Moussa currently holds no formal leadership position in Egypt, his appearance in the forum as the Arab League secretary-general has further denigrated both Egypt's and the Arab League's standing.
Egypt and the Arab League's inability to support and help empower the people of Palestinians is one of the causes why the people of Palestine are so impoverished.
Egypt received a lot of assistance and aid in monetary and equipment from the big economies due to its "friendly" stance towards Israel.
Long-serving Egypt President Hosni Mubarak has destroyed and obliterated the essence of democracy in Egypt with his almost autocratic style backed by the monies and arms from the US and its allies.
It is clear that the Davos forum was meant to be a show of heroism for the consumption of both Peres and Erdogan's supporters at home.
Erdogan was given a hero's welcome and tributes came pouring in from all over the world especially the Muslim countries.
This goes to show the dearth of an icon or champion in the Muslim world who can bring them forward and progress.
Erdogan is slowly but surely trying to build his reputation in the Muslim world and put himself on the world map.
However, his public outburst may be best served through more beneficial channels.
If Erdogan is serious enough, he ought to take the lead to initiate a multilateral, international community strategic alliance to pressure Israel to adhere to international human rights and war crimes charter/declaration.
But then again, if our daughters and sons as well as our elderly fathers and mothers are maimed by the shelling and bombing by a certain armed forces we would definitely be harsher and not as diplomatic as Erdogan's timid outburst.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Feb 6, 2009

Peace for Palestine : Hope or fantasy?

JAN 28, 2009 — The end of the Gaza invasion by Israel's Defence Forces has been received with a huge sigh of relief by many especially the Palestinians.
With Egypt agreeing to tighten its border with the Gaza Strip from arms being smuggled in and France taking a mediatory role, Israel pulled back its army from Gaza unilaterally.
However, the aftermath of the invasion left many homeless and killed over a thousand innocent lives.
Egypt's role as a peace mediator for Israel to halt its invasion has also revealed Cairo's hypocrisy.
Egypt's insistence of not opening up its borders to Palestinian refugees during the conflict worsened the humanitarian crisis.
Palestinians tried to flee from Israel's attacks to Egypt only to find that its Arab neighbour was unwilling to open its doors for their safety.
Egypt was worried Ikhwanul Muslimin (Muslim Brotherhood) elements from Palestine would enter its territory due to the Ikhwanul's close ties with Hamas.
Due to this worry that this might cause political instability in its own backyard, the Palestinians — women, children and the elderly — were left to fend for themselves.
Palestinians are akin to pariahs in their own land and in the Greater Arabian peninsula.
Palestine is a land full of mystique and theological history with endless conflicts constantly tearing apart its people and causing destruction to the land.
Moses once led his followers in an escape from the vengeance of Pharaoh's army — sketched in the Bible and the Quran.
The Crusades began after the turn of the 11th century with holy wars fought on the command of the Pope to liberate the Christian Church in Jerusalem from Muslim rule.
Scottish philosopher and historian David Hume wrote in 1761 that the Crusades "engrossed the attention of Europe, and have ever since engaged the curiosity of mankind".
This has been depicted in many Hollywood movies with the most recent being "Kingdom of Heaven" where Saladin (Sallahudin Al Ayubi) conquered Jerusalem, allowing Muslims, Jews and Christians to live side by side.
Palestine was also part of the Ottoman Empire and came under the British rule soon after, in the early 20th century.
Periods of peace and harmony in the land of Palestine were few and far between.
With modern-day Palestine divided by the British to absolve the international community's sins that befell the Jews during the Holocaust, the holy land of Palestine was once again in turmoil.
Israel was created and became a sovereign state, while Palestine never achieved independence until today.
By the start of the 21st century, many drew parallels with contemporary politics, from the creation of Israel to accusations that western powers were perpetuating crusading behaviour in their dealings towards the Islamic world.
These accusations are very much the popular sentiment of many Muslims towards the West — before it was the British and now the United States — of being the defenders of the atrocities by Israel towards the Palestinians.
However, the modern-day conflict that is besetting Palestine is one that is not just a religious issue — Islam vs Judaism — but an international, political and a humanitarian one.
The quality of life of the Palestinians is in such a sorry state, lacking in basic amenities what more after the latest acts of aggression by Israel.
Everyone is looking to the stewardship of the newly sworn in US President Barrack Obama to pursue justice for the Palestinian people for a sovereign state to call their own and also for Israel to be secure surrounded by its Arab neighbours.
With Obama impressed by the social justice elements in Zionism and likening the plight of the Jews to the plight of the African Americans epitomised by the civil rights movement in the US, one wonders what kind of just solution is envisioned by Obama to end the suffering of the Palestinians.
However, pessimism creeps in when the newly endorsed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once declared that Jerusalem is innately and wholly an Israel city when Palestinians are demanding for East Jerusalem to be their capital.
To those who believed in the "new era of openness" and the much hyped "politics of hope" created by the bandwagon called Obama-mania, they will almost certainly be disappointed.
Putting high expectations on Obama to deliver a just solution for both parties is being naive and too hopeful.
This is so because of the inability of Obama's administration to face the huge outcry in the US and Israel if Israel is seen to be at the losing end of any deal with the Palestinians.
Obama is in between a rock and a hard place on this highly emotional issue of Palestine-Israel.
While everyone is praying that Obama has the political will to do what is right, the Obama-mania bubble might just burst sooner than you can say "Oh Bummer!".

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Jan 28, 2009

Hope that we can believe in?

JAN 23, 2009 — While the new 44th President of the United States took his oath of office on a pristine yet chilly Tuesday in Washington DC, Americans and the rest of the world were brimming with hope that the most powerful man on earth will bring actual change from a weary period of President George Bush Jr.
On one hand, it speaks volumes about the legacy of Bush — the failing US economy, the disastrous war on terror which led to the Iraq War followed by the commissioning of the notorious Guantanamo Bay detention camp, and many other embarrassing events for the former US President.
However, the more important fact is that Americans and the world bought into the "Politics of Hope" that is represented by a slim and slender built man of mix parentage — white Caucasian and black African — called Barack Hussein Obama.
The political message that was creatively and innovatively crafted by Obama's campaign team painted a persona of a superhero whose powers are that he will change the world with his ability to listen and his openness for direct engagement as well as dialogue with the most venomous of enemies — Iran, Hamas, maybe even Osama bin Laden.
Many actually believed in the rhetoric of "Change We Can Believe In" that has being designed to build hope among people desperate for a change in the country's policies and actions.
The campaign played on the emotions of the people who are tired and despised Bush's gung-ho and Texan swagger style of administration.
The inspiring political advertising campaign created a momentum which became a wave and almost everyone jumped onto the bandwagon which was very appealing to the masses.
Whether Obama and his team realised it or not, they managed to raise the expectations of Americans and the rest of the world so high that many became sceptical even before he was sworn into office.
John McCain may just be thanking his lucky stars that he lost the presidential elections and is not in Obama's position to satisfy the thirst of an increasingly critical and to a certain extent narcissistic American public.
Obama promised in his first official public speech as President of US that he will introduce an era of openness — which is all good and well.
However, Americans will not be satisfied with just inspiring leadership and a motivational almost evangelical leader.
Americans will be looking for tangible and empirical evidence of improvements coupled to the "era of openness".
Being an American liberal, Obama is likely to project some protectionist policies to ensure that he delivers the election promises he made.
Obama promised that he will introduce an economic stimulus package that will create three million new jobs; this smells much like big government — big spending and a very liberal policy (socialist in Malaysian terms).
This means that a big chunk of the stimulus package worth some US$825 billion (RM2.9 trillion) or even US$1 trillion, for that matter, will be spent on "housekeeping" to improve the local domestic economy with lesser priority on international trade.
The concept of free trade which has been the cornerstone of a successful US economy will be put in the backseat for the time being.
However, being the "open" leader he is, the outlook of US foreign policy may create a persona that the US is no longer the world's policeman projected during the Bush era but rather a conciliatory leader for the rest of the world.
With the humanitarian crisis in Gaza now settled due to the Israeli pullout and Hamas ceasefire, Obama has to take advantage of this situation to ensure that engagements to kickstart the peace process are revived.
However, this means nothing if we look at Obama's close affinity to the Zionist cause — which he considers a just idea and likens the struggle for the betterment of the Jews to the civil rights movement in the US.
He has also put conditions before agreeing for dialogue or engagement with Hamas, which are to recognise Israel, abandon terrorism activities and abide by previous peace accords.
Whether Hamas is brave enough to accede to these conditions remains to be seen but at the same time, would Israel want to talk to the very people who have been shooting Qassam rockets into their homes?
The US economy, the Middle East peace process, the Iraq War, etc are among the many issues plaguing the US and the world, and Obama has to hit the ground running from Day One.
Soon, many pessimists will rise to turn the tables on Obama unless he delivers results rather than just promise that heaven will fall to grace the earth.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Jan 23, 2009

Cutting off our nose to spite the other guy's face

Jan 13 – The invasion by Israel into Gaza has led to many calls by political parties, NGOs and Islamic consumer associations to take political and economic action against the United States.
The public tends to blame the US for anything and everything that Israel does.
The posturing of the outgoing Bush administration in siding with Israel does not help to dispel the perception that the US plays guardian angel to Israel.
Any resolutions that the United Nations Security Council or the General Assembly intends to push to reprimand Israel will almost definitely be blocked by the US.
Acts of aggression or ethnic cleansing or assassination attempts by Israel or its agents will go unpunished due to the gargantuan shadow of the US.
There are many other reasons why the US is being blamed for all the ills that originate from Israel.
To many, the US is the actual cause of the uncontrolled and unbridled Israel's disregard for international law and human decency.
Hence, it is not rocket science that the public, especially Muslims vent their anger on the Americans whenever there is any news of Israeli actions against the Palestinians.
However, the conflict between in Palestine is not merely an Islam versus Jews issue. It is a humanitarian crisis that requires international intervention.
Closer to home, the hatred towards Israel and the US bind together political rivals.
Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat led a protest in Kota Baru and even burned effigies of US President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is leading the calls to boycott products from American brands like McDonald's, Coca Cola, Starbucks and even KFC.
Some of the business tycoons known to be close to the former premier might not be too enthusiastic about the boycott idea as their investments in McDonald's and Starbucks may be affected.
Big corporations like Kulim-QSR, which owns a chain of KFC restaurants in Malaysia and is helmed by a Bumiputra corporate leader, may also be affected if the calls for boycott resonate with the public.
Dr Mahathir is familiar with international actions of this sort, using economic sanction as a potent tool.
In his early tenure as PM, a disagreement with the United Kingdom over university tuition fees sparked off a boycott of all British goods, led by Mahathir himself, in what became known as the "Buy British Last" campaign.
However, the proposed boycott US goods may not strike its intended target and, worse still, it could backfire.
Boycotts of this ilk rarely work because most of the products mentioned are made, produced, sold and purchased by Malaysians.
The government realises that it is not rational option for them to make this boycott of US products an official government policy.
With the US being Malaysia's second biggest trading partner, and against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, a general boycott may lead to economic tit-for-tat retaliation.
It also makes less sense in international diplomacy for the country to be embroiled in this boycott.
Malaysia would not want a repeat of the embarrassing moments when the aloof but supposedly eloquent Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Utama Rais Yatim praised the shoe-throwing insult against US President George Bush in Iraq as "remarkable".
Hence, any measure with international repercussions or consequences should be considered from all possible angles.
Boycotting US goods will achieve very little of the desired effects and, indeed, may cause hurt only to ourselves. It's akin to cutting off our own nose to spite the other guy's face.
The escalation of violence in Gaza is a political issue that is turning out into a humanitarian crisis.
Multilateral efforts and relentless pressure by the international community on Israel will hopefully compel the US to coax Israel to stop heaping suffering of the Palestinians.
Egypt President Hosni Mubarak and French Premier Nicolas Sarkozy took the lead to try and broker a ceasefire between the warring parties. This is only a stop-gap measure before confidence building measures between the two parties is revived.
However, the listless and Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) have not done anything to pressure, mediate or broker any international deal of that sort.
Any chance for peace require determined political will on both Palestinian and Israeli sides with wholehearted support by the international community and key organisations like the Arab League, OIC, European Union (EU) and the UN.
Only then will we see some light at the end of the tunnel for long lasting peace in the Middle East.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Jan 13, 2009

In search of the promised land

JAN 7, 2009 — The latest escalation in the Israel-Palestine conflict is most worrying to the international community but one that is not unexpected.
Israel insists on wiping out Hamas with all its sophisticated arsenal and armoury; the Palestinians, on the other hand, with light arms and pebbles are determined as ever in defending their sovereignty.
Israelis cower whenever Kayutsha rockets come flying into their homes and at the same time, innocent Palestinian civilians especially women and children are turned into refugees if they ever manage to survive the carnage in Gaza.
The United Nations, with its hands tied and mouth shut, looks on in despair, unable to undertake any peacekeeping mission, what more broker any ceasefire between the warring parties.
The world body cannot even pass a resolution condemning the Israeli aggression due to the veto by the United States.
The mighty US has demonstrated time and again that any attempt to twist Israel's hand in the face of the international community's anger will come to nought.
The conspicuously silent US President-elect Barack Obama on this dire issue is certainly putting off hopes for a more sensible US President in dealing with international conflicts.
The cost on human lives due to this conflict is unbearable.
For every Israeli shell that destroys homes and schools, all peace-loving people around the world shed a tear.
Hamas, on the other hand, is putting on a brave face, trying in vain to stop the incursion by the Israel Defence Forces into Gaza.
Try as it may, the Kayutsha rockets that it sends flying into residential areas in Israel are causing no more than tarnished egos on the Israel military.
At the time of writing, 555 Palestinians have been killed with only handful of casualties on the Israeli side.
This has caused a displacement of innocent victims in large numbers towards the border with Egypt.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is brewing into a tragedy and all parties, especially the UN, the European Union and the OIC, have to be decisive to prevent the loss of more innocent lives.
On the other hand, the inaction of the OIC and Arab League is most despicable, being unable to answer their Muslim and Arab brother's cry for help.
It is shameful that Muslim countries are unable to even raise a finger, what more send peacekeepers to protect their brothers and sisters who have been turned into refugees in their own backyard.
Furthermore, there is not even any hint of talk among the OIC and Arab League countries to even consider sending troops to defend the sovereignty of Gaza and Palestine.
Ordinary Muslims blame these leaders as the cause of Palestine (under Hamas or Fatah administration) being treated as a pariah and humiliated time and again.
The Palestinians have never been able to call Gaza and the West Bank their home or their land.
Israel, on the other hand, has spent much effort and cash in creating instability in the region by its antagonising posture and attitude towards Palestine.
This latest acts of aggression began when the Palestinians put Hamas into office in the last election and by kicking out the corrupt Fatah government.
Following this, Israel with the support from US has been doing everything possible to ensure that the Hamas administration is crippled and sidelined in the international arena.
It is to everyone's benefit that the Middle East is peaceful and this can only be achieved if Palestine is a sovereign state and Israel feels secure surrounded by its Arab neighbours.
One after another the peace accords in Oslo, Madrid, Camp David, etc have passed without any lasting solution in sight.
Most Palestinians and Israelis wish for the land they reside in — and which is considered holy to Islam, Christianity and Judaism — will achieve peace and tranquility for their children's future.
The promised land for both Palestine and Israel remains elusive for as long as they are unable to reduce hostilities and break down barriers between them.
We certainly cannot depend on the US, not even their new President, to correct this wrong and return the promised land, peace and harmony back to where they belong — for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side with each other.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Jan 7, 2009

Facing the red-wave US tide

DEC 2, 2008 – The US stock market crashed again and is barely over the 8,000 barrier mark.
Yesterday, the Dow fell almost 690 points, representing almost an 8% drop.
This was on the back of news that the biggest economy in the world has been in recession since December 2007.
It only confirmed the worries of the business community concerning the deflated and lethargic US market.
Even though the US economy managed to climb out of the red temporarily, it has since the middle of the year fallen back into the red.
On top of the recently announced financial bailout package of US$800 billion (RM2.8 trillion), Capitol Hill has announced that they are going to spend more money in order to resuscitate the economy through pump priming projects.
The Bush administration has all but admitted defeat — as compared to his pompousness —by revealing that unemployment jumped and is expected to reach a worrying 8% by the end of the year from 6.5% which is where it is currently. This is already the highest in 14 years.
Outgoing US President Bush has failed in his attempt to halt the sliding confidence among the business community even with the announcement of big budget bailouts and financial programmes.
It is not surprising that some opinion makers are demanding that he step down as soon as possible than risk being labelled a lame duck President which has lost its gung-ho Texan swagger.
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman recently lambasted Bush economic policies and demanded that his economic team and that of President-elect Barack Obama put forward a joint series of economic measures that will stimulate the economy continuously rather than having a stop-start policy when Obama assumes office in late January next year.
He even went a step further by calling for Bush to step down as soon as possible to make way for Obama as it will help revive the flagging economy.
This sounds all too similar to the situation back home — but the variable is political fortune in Malaysia rather than economic health for the US.
The rest of the country is apprehensive about global economic health despite the optimism of Bank Negara and the government in projecting a positive growth of around 3.5% - 5% this year.
With the US being our second largest trading partner behind Singapore, any economic mishap to them will definitely affect our economy.
True, our markets are largely insulated as compared to those of our neighbours' but it will nevertheless affect us... even though it may not be as bad as others in the region.
The business community and economists alike are taking a more conservative approach towards the nation's economy with the comfortable knowledge that we are rich in natural resources — oil and gas — as well as commodities — palm oil and rubber.
However, with the US and Singapore taking a battering and reducing their purchase of our oil, gas, palm oil and rubber, it will definitely affect our revenue.
We are now looking towards China, India and other smaller economies to sell our commodities.
We are also comforted slightly with the fact that we have huge reserves of almost US$100 billion even though it is minute — almost one-tenth — to China's reserves.
Hence, it is a worry when indicators show that our reserves are shrinking albeit at a small percentage.
Malaysia unlike Singapore has a diverse array of industries and sectors to generate revenue.
Apart from pockets of manufacturing industries especially in the big cities of Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Bahru, our services industry has not really taken off and should be developed even further.
Financial, tourism, healthcare and many others are some of the high potential services industry that ought to be the major driving force of the country's growth.
At the same time, the government's focus on agriculture and bio technology have to be injected with massive investments and infused with the latest technology for it to bring massive returns to the country.
We must focus in developing our human resources and at the same time reduce leakages and wastage in government procurement through being transparent, stifling corruption and adopting prudent financial management.
In times of crisis, we have to prioritise our requirements, needs and wants as a nation.
We demand that our leaders grow up and focus their energy and thoughts on improving the livelihood of the people.
Instead of being embroiled in ideological differences or harping on divisive racial and religious rhetoric; the economic wellbeing and welfare of the people should be of utmost importance.
But, then again, it is we who put them there in the first place.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Dec 2, 2008

The Eastern seduction

NOV 24, 2008 — The global financial crisis, which is hitting hard the economies of the United States and Europe, is changing the paradigm of international relations.
The outcome of the two World Wars determined the global alliances as well as awarded the privilege as Security Council permanent members to five countries — the US, Britain, France, Russia and China — with veto power.
If the outcome of the World Wars had been different, Japan, Germany and even Italy might be where Britain, China and maybe the US are now.
However, that is all hypothetical and is not worth the debate.
In today's era, states with strong defence forces can only get you so far.
That is why Pakistan will almost never be allowed into the Security Council.
Even though it has nuclear warheads and a massive military force, Pakistan will not be able to bulldoze its way into being awarded this privileged position.
Other aspirants on the world stage with nuclear arms like Israel, Iran and North Korea can only dream of becoming a big-time player.
However, today the single most important consideration is how much one country can determine the rest of the world's economy.
India stands a chance of making it into the big boys club if it can sustain an impressive growth rate of 9 per cent (which it has achieved for the past 3 years) whilst maintaining a strong military force.
However, the most important consideration for the world is not a place in the increasingly irrelevant United Nations but how to overcome the problematic financial crisis.
China now seems like the saviour or the messiah to save the rest of the world.
China's US$1.9 trillion in reserves seems like a gold mine and everyone is rushing to get whatever "crumbs" that they can get their hands on.
When China was busily earning extra cash, the US and its allies criticised it and demanded that China spend some of the "savings" that it had been keeping in store for "rainy days ahead".
With the current financial turmoil that the US is in now, the Americans are thanking their lucky stars that China is responding positively to their request to help bail them out.
China has been buying US$500 billion of US bonds and the Americans are hoping that China continues the buying spree.
The US requires this to finance its US$700 billion bailout plan as announced by outgoing President George W. Bush.
Now, there is no more talk about China's huge reserves what more about human rights, Tibet or democracy.
Relations between the US and China now and in the near future will revolve around how to ensure that China keep its economy growing, in the hope that it will trickle down to the rest of the world.
The US is also demanding for a more balanced trade with China.
While China's cheap yuan makes its exports attractive; the US is bent on getting China to spend and buy more US products.
The past few years have seen China building economic allies around the world.
One of the most controversial being its long-term agreement with Australia to purchase uranium to feed its energy-starved industries and factories.
At that time Australia received a mouthful from its partners — the US, Britain and many others — on the "warm" relationship between Australia and China.
However, now everyone wants to be a friend and ally of China.
Many of the troubled developed states are also looking towards the oil-rich Middle East countries.
Even though the price of oil has fallen to a third of the value it was just some six months ago, the Middle East is the other region that is attracting countries who need a helping hand.
The Arab countries and the Gulf states are cash rich, thanks to the spike in the price of oil over the past year or two.
That Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal upped his stake in Citigroup to 5 per cent recently is proof where the other "gold mine" is located.
We also see many overtures by Arab investment companies and individuals buying English football clubs almost at will, with the latest being Manchester City that was bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
However, the Middle East countries lack the tactical and political astuteness of the Chinese.
The Middle East also lacks the huge population to provide the cheap labour necessary to expand its manufacturing industry.
The Middle East countries need to build up their services industry especially in finance, tourism and high-tech industry as they seek to elevate their status in global trade.
The West now looks to the East not for spices or opium —the main commodities coming out from the East centuries ago — but for what lies under the pillows — cold hard cash.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Nov 24, 2008

Lost souls of Tenggulun

NOV 11, 2008 — The execution of the three Bali bombers — Amrozi, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra — shortly after midnight on Nov 9 was received with much sorrow among the mourners in Tenggulun, East Java.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Australia, where 88 of the dead in the infamous bombings hailed, there was a sense of justice finally being served.
The three were executed by firing squad, an equally cruel way to end their lives for their role in claiming the lives of 202 people in the bombings of the Sari Club in Kuta, Bali in 2002.
This serves as a reminder that the world we live in is becoming ever more challenging.
We have become more conscious about the colour of our skin, the religions we profess, the headgear we wear and the names we carry.
We are embarrassed by the religious scholars who preach hate and division in the name of the religion we profess.
We are overly concern to visit tourist sites for fear of incidents like the 2002 Bali bombings.
We begin to feel that wearing a headscarf or turban or even a goatee is not acceptable and fear we will be discriminated against.
We begin to have second thoughts about our name as carrying a "Bin" may lead to profiling among some people who ignorantly associate it with "Bin Laden".
Where did it all go wrong?
Why were we brought up to think that a particular skin colour or creed or race reigns supreme over the rest?
Where does it say in our culture that we have to harbour mistrust, and distrust our neighbour?
How is it that it is absolutely fine for us to discriminate another person just because he doesn't profess the same religion as we do?
When did our religion teach us that it is fine to blow ourselves up in the name of justice?
What should we tell our children about the religion that espouses this sort of extreme measures?
"The Clash of Civilization" written by Samuel P. Huntington can no longer be denied.
It began prior to Sept 11 with the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania; it was on the steep climb on the day of Sept 11 and events following it like the Iraq War, Guantanamo Bay, the War Against Terror. And the bombings around the world in Bangkok, Pakistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, Jakarta and Bali are a culmination of events pulling and pushing the whole world from one extreme to the other.
Huntington predicted that the clash will be between a deep sense of ideology and the fear that one's way of life is under threat.
Osama Bin Laden and George Bush became the two main actors of this plot.
There is no difference between Bush and Bin Laden; they are just two of a kind.
Abu Bakar Basyir, Donald Rumsfeld, Hambali, Paul Wolfowitz and many others too all played their roles as bit players in exacerbating the war and counter guerilla warfare.
Eight years after New York and Washington DC were rocked by the plane attacks and more than six years after the Bali bombings, we are reminded of those harrowing days when fear and terror reigned.
When we delve into the minds of these extremists, we find their passion and belief system is entrenched to a deep-rooted cause. They truly believed that they were fighting for the cause and the sanctity of their religion.
On the eve of his execution, Ali Gufron, also known as Mukhlas, described he felt so "beautiful" and "no words can describe how good the feeling is".
It is so troubling to the many Muslims around the world to listen to Mukhlas' eerie statement uttered without a shred of guilt or see the devilish smile of his brother Amrozi.
The heightened hate for Muslims or those who look like them (the Sikhs are also targeted as their turban is similar to Muslims') in the US and Europe can be blamed on Muslim scholars to a certain extent.
Their slow and laggard reaction to the events of Sept 11 and their inability to disassociate Islam with extremism have scarred the image of the religion.
Not only did they not do enough to condemn these cowardly actions but some rejoiced in the fact that the "Great Satan", or the US, was under attack.
By lending sympathy to these suicide bombers and extremists, it is akin to justifying their actions.
We do not need to study at Harvard or Oxford to see that Bush's conservative policies are detrimental to the world.
Neither do we need an ounce of brains to point out to the imbalance in the US and Europe's treatment of Israel compared to Palestine.
It is surely also against human decency that the US was allowed to invade Iraq, Afghanistan and open its infamous Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
But does that justify what these three Indonesian bombers did that claimed the lives of 202 people that night in October 2002?
Religious scholars have to rise beyond passing edicts on yoga or tomboys, and realise that they have a role to play to defend human dignity.
From world leaders to religious scholars, it's time we all played a part and shoulder the responsibility to ensure every single race, culture and religion has a place in today's world.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Nov 11, 2008