Monday October 20, 2003

Daunting task for Malaysia with two hats

BY SHAH A. DADAMEAH

MALAYSIA, which took over the chair of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) at its just-concluded summit, was taken on a roller-coaster ride by the foreign media over remarks by Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad that were purportedly anti-Jew.

This seems like an early signal for the country, which took the chair of the 117-seat Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in February, that it would not be plain sailing in the international arena when it also has to deal with the 57-member OIC.

Islam-bashers are not going to change their attitude merely because the OIC said its members would stand united, just as NAM has to fight Western notions that the movement is no longer relevant, given that the Cold War is over.

Wire reports on Friday, after Dr Mahathir delivered his speech at the opening of the 10th session of the OIC Summit, stated the Prime Minister had called for Islamic nations to arm themselves against Jews for a “final victory”. This led to a firestorm of protests in Israel, the United States, the European Union and Australia.

And the outspoken premier – a former physician who became one of the longest-serving elected leaders in the world – had to give them lessons in history at the end of the summit to express his displeasure at the distorted information.

Yes, he did tell OIC members to prepare for the defence of the ummah (Muslim world) with guns, rockets, bombs and warplanes. But it was only to stress the importance of science and technology as the weapons and horses of the time of Prophet Muhammad could not help defend their nations today.

As for the Jews, who have long felt they were a persecuted race, Dr Mahathir observed that while Europeans had killed six million of them, the Jews today rule the world by proxy by getting others to fight and die for them.

The comments were at different parts of his speech in the spanking new Putrajaya Convention Centre, but the message that came from the foreign front was like a bad jig-saw picture that overshadowed the summit’s call for unity and world peace.

Dr Mahathir, who will be stepping down from office on Oct 31, told his audience of monarchs, presidents and prime ministers that the 1.3 billion Muslims of the world can draw from their unity and strength to be a respectable force; considering that they have the biggest oil reserves, great wealth and knowledge.

Muslims, he added, were also familiar with the workings of the world’s economy and finances and control some 50 of the 180 countries of the world.

Wearing two hats at a time – chairman of NAM and OIC - could be daunting, but records show that Malaysia has the resources, talents and drive to influence changes in both organisations whose members are largely former colonies.

Malaysia shares with them similar problems of resisting pressures of major powers, maintaining sovereignty as independent nations and deflecting Western domination in their affairs.

In the wake of events that have dented the pride of Muslims as a tolerant and humane community, multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia wants to take the lead in debunking impressions that Islam caters only to fatalists and reactionaries.

It has to deal with the disturbing tendency of some non-Muslims to portray the struggle of Muslims as unwarranted, unjustified, irrational or barbaric.

Unchecked, in the long run, it will be ordinary people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, who will have to bear the brunt of these distortions and fabrications, and suffer from the wrongs of others.

Among Western non-governmental organisations, Islam’s attitude towards issues ranging from birth control to human rights have been taken out of context, deliberately misread and used to describe the religion as a backward and reactionary faith which persecutes its followers.

The Western-dominated international media sees the Islamic world in perpetual chaos and corruption, unable to govern itself, except through the use of force or via Western supervision and aid.

Western governments are even mercenary and cavalier, going as far as attempting to destabilise countries on the pretext that these countries (Iran, Syria and Sudan, for example) are responsible for carrying out acts of terrorism abroad.

Therefore, while it is essential to rebuke condemnations of Islam as a militant and terrorist force, the OIC has to look at the Western world’s idiosyncratic and cock-eyed views of lifestyle systems in parts of the world the OIC knows little or nothing about.

From NAM’s perspective, there must be better co-operation, both among developing countries and between developing and developed countries to face global problems like eradication of poverty and promoting people-centred development.

Since the demise of the Soviet Union and the thawing of the Cold War between that huge socialist bloc and the United States nearly 20 years ago, NAM has tried to look at the many ways and means, in the so-called New World Order, being used to disguise older methods of domination and neo-colonialism.

In the NAM chair, Malaysia wants to steer the movement towards correcting imbalances and injustices that continue to haunt the post-Cold War world in all its forms, ranging from neo-imperialist modes of “humanitarian” intervention to unequal control of the world’s resources.

Both OIC and NAM do not have formal structures, such as a constitution, as they recognised that their composition is multilateral and transnational and they are made up of states with differing ideologies and aspirations.

Thus, both organisations have their own unique administrative style that is non-hierarchical, rotational and inclusive, and provides all member states – big or small – opportunities to take part in global decision-making and politics through consensus relayed via resolutions and declarations.

By creating the practice of rotating the chair, member countries place the onus of the administrative structure on the country assuming the chair.

As the chairs of both NAM and OIC have rotated to Malaysia, and at a time when the country is gearing for a leadership change, it has to live up to the high expectations placed on it by member countries.

To the countries of NAM and OIC, Malaysia stands as proof that a developing and Islamic country firmly entrenched in its past glories can be forward-looking and committed to the lofty goals of prosperity and a sense of purpose for all.

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