The Malaysia-United States Declaration on Co-operation to Combat International Terrorism should be submitted to Parliament next month for debate and ratification to ensure that it does not become a blank cheque for the suppression of political dissent and fundamental human rights  


Media Conference Statement
by Lim Kit Siang

(Petaling Jaya,  Thursday)The Malaysia-United States Declaration on Co-operation to Combat International Terrorism signed and sealed in Washington yesterday during the visit of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to Washington should be submitted to Parliament next month for debate and ratification to ensure that it does not become a blank cheque for the suppression of political dissent and fundamental human rights. 

Mahathir said in Washington that Malaysia and the United States share the view that military action alone would not be able to put an end to terrorism, and it is precisely for this reason, that it is important that  the Malaysia-United States Declaration on Co-operation to Combat International Terrorism should contain the important component of protecting and promoting democracy and human rights in the war against international terrorism  instead of  focusing solely on intelligence and terrorist-financing   information sharing and  counter-terrrorism co-operation.  

Before Parliament ratifies the Malaysia-United States Declaration on Co-operation to Combat International Terrorism, the Prime Minister should  table  a fully frank,  truthful and comprehensive  White Paper on  the  Kumpulan Militant Malaysia (KMM), Jemaah Islamiah and al Qaeda  activities, links and networks in Malaysia and agree to the establishment of an all-party Parliamentary Committee to   examine police  evidence on KMM, Jemaah Islamiah and al Qaeda activities, links and networks in Malaysia and to issue a credible and non-partisan  report on the threat posed by militant Islamic terrorism, national and international.  

It is most deplorable that in the past eight months since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the Malaysian government had failed to take Parliament and the people into its confidence, and Members of Parliament  and  Malaysians had to scour the foreign media for news about al Qaeda operatives, links and activities in Malaysia and Southeast Asia as they were blacked out by the local media. 

In fact, Parliament was only told at its last meeting in March by the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that police investigations showed that there were no al Qaeda cells or presence in Malaysia. 

Abdullah told Parliament that it had been established that several al Qaeda  members had entered Malaysia  at one time or another before the attacks in the United States on Sept 11, probably to establish links with certain individuals.  

At the joint  White House media conference with  US President Bush on Tuesday before their meeting, Mahathir admitted to a question by an American reporter that he was wrong when he said in New York  in early February that there was no evidence of al Qaeda activity in Malaysia.  This Q & A is to available on the White House website (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/05/20020514-8) transcript, as follows:

“Q Mr. Prime Minister, when you met with a group of us in New York, you said that there was no evidence at that time that al Qaeda was actively -- was active in Malaysia. American officials have now told us that they believe some links do exist. Has your opinion changed since then?

“A. THE PRIME MINISTER: Well, at that time we were not very certain, but we have discovered that some of these people who were active, who planned to overthrow the government by force of bombs had activity into Pakistan and eventually to Afghanistan, where they did meet with the al Qaeda people.

“And they - I believe that they could overthrow the government by force of bombs in order to establish what they consider to be an Islamic state.

“Q. You believe they are al Qaeda?

“THE PRIME MINISTER: Yes, they are. We have found evidence that they have had involvement with these people. But they're primarily in east Malaysia.”

Should’nt Malaysians be the first people to be informed that there are al Qaeda operatives and activities in Malaysia, especially after the Deputy Prime Minister had  recently told  Parliament that the police had not established any al Qaeda cell or presence in Malaysia – instead of having this information extracted by the American press in the White House?

The same reporter had also asked Bush “whether it’s still the position of the United States that Anwar Ibrahim has been jailed primarily for his political opposition to the Prime Minister” with Bush giving the categorical reply: “Our position has not changed”.

Although the US position on the jailing of Anwar has not changed, its priority on the issue has clearly undergone a sea-change after the 911  attacks – as Mahathir said Bush had not raised the issues of human rights, democracy or the treatment of Anwar during their Oval Office meeting.

What is eye-opening in the joint Mahathir-Bush media conference was that Bush was prepared to overlook Mahathir’s human rights record while lambasting Fidel Castro for being a “dictator”, “repressive” who “ought  to have free elections”, “ought to have a free press” and “ought to free his prisoners” in response to a press question  – with Mahathir passively looking on during  the tirade which should be appropriately   directed at him as well.

Before ratifying the Malaysia-United States Declaration on Co-operation to Combat International Terrorism, Parliament should seek clarification as to what Mahathir meant in his White House reply that the al Qaeda activists in Malaysia were  “primarily in east Malaysia” as well as his interview in  Washington Post yesterday about “Malaysia-based websites advocating the philosophy of al Qaeda and carrying news and communiqués attributed to Osama bin Laden and his deputies” which he said were “difficult to control”.

Finally, before ratifying the Malaysia-United States Declaration on Co-operation to Combat International Terrorism, Parliament should direct the police to concentrate its energies and resources to combating terrorism, now that the Prime Minister has admitted  to the world that there are al Qaeda operatives and activities in Malaysia, and to end the gross misallocation of resources, priorities and police personnel on peaceful demonstrators like the May Day Gathering of workers at the KLCC in Kuala Lumpur  or the misconceived  and illegal Warta II dragnet against 3.3 million traffic summons, which should be called off altogether.

(16/5/2002)


*Lim Kit Siang - DAP National Chairman