IS MALAYSIA AGAINST TERRORISM AND MILITANCY?

The Malaysian deputy prime minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is
certain an unnamed former cabinet minister is behind Malaysia's woes with the
US government and media. The organisations linked to him work so hard for
Malaysia to be labelled a country involved in militancy and terrorism. "I have
always wondered why the US and its media made so many accusations against
us. Now we know why," he said. If he has the evidence, then that man must be
named, charged in court, jailed, and, if the Inspector-General of Police would
obligingly put his career on the line, beaten to a pulp. Does not the US and its
media know Malaysia is against terrorism in any form? They believe this
unammed cabinet minister and not the named assurances of the deputy prime
minister, no less?

How did Malaysia come to this remarkable conclusion of this man's involvement
in turning her into a den of terrorists and militants? What better authority for an
ulama-friendly country than the words of the chairman of the Islamic Suprteme
Council of America, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani. He says the former
Malaysian minister funded organisations which "might" have links with "certain"
groups elsewhere. The leader of one organisation had told him he received
US$10 million (RM38 million) from this treacherous former minister. Mark you,
Shaykh Muhammad Hisham inists the prime minister, Dato' Seri Mahathir
Mohamed, and the Malaysian government are innocent. So, the former minister
is down on two counts.

Let us take that at its face value and examine thes charge. Without knowing who
the ex-minister is, it would be difficult to proceed. Is is Tengku Razaleigh
Hamzah? Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie? Tun Daim Zainuddin? Tan Sri Mohamed Khir
Johari? Tun Omar Yoke Lin? Tan Sri Lee San Choon? Or he whose name
cannot be mentioned even by the deputy prime minister? I shall leave to guess
who amongst them, and those unmentioned, is the treacherous rascal who
besmirches Malaysia's good name. Why does he want to tarnish the good names

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of all retired cabinet ministers when his grouse is only with one? He should name
him promptly if his accusations are to be believed.

Meanwhile, let us look at Malaysia's own record in combatting terrorism and

militancy. Mr Yazid Sifaat, a former capitain in military intelligence, is detained
without charge under the Internal Security Act in Kamunting for terrorist activities.
He was managing director of a company called Intech Focus, the chairman of
which is a retired lieutenant colonel. The US would like to ask Mr Yazid a few
questions about how he came to appoint Mr Moussavi Zacchiaras, now facing a
charge of terrorism, as its representative in the United States. This is denied
now, but it was on that basis that Mr Zacchiaras obtained his entry visa into the
United States; as those who have dealt with the US consular service know, they
are pretty thorough on checking the backgrounds of those who want visas.

The graver US accusation is that Malaysia where some of the planning,

organising, and fund raising was done. Could this be true? Malaysia, which
embraced President Bush's war on terror, and used it to accuse the opposition
PAS of involvement in it, is suddenly on the defensive. The prime minister, Dato'
Seri Mahathir Mohamed, used it to strengthen his own political hold. But he could
hold on to it for long. Soon, the focus was on the Prime Minister and his
government for allowing this to happen. Whatever is said and done, the
Malaysian Special Branch is still a top-flight organisation, especially on counter-
intelligence matters, to have not known of these dealings and developments. To
continue with tarring the opposition of colluding with terrorism could not hold.
Especially, when he and his government, not the Kesatuan Militan Mujahideen or
PAS, became the target in Washington. It was he who allowed Mr Osama bin
Laden to have a foothold in Malaysia. Sure it was in better times, when the US
was glad someone did. But when the chips are down, it does not save you. As it
does not.

But his larger vision of an Islamic state now haunts him. He has designs of
Malaysia as the centre of the next Islamic empire after the Ottomans. To prove it,

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he spends a minimum of RM1,000 million to build a convention centre and 85
mini palaces in Putra Jaya for the Organisation of Islamic Countries conference
next year. The convention hall alone is, without furnishings, RM700 million. His
description of Malaysia as an Islamic state is in line with that. And to prove his
credentials he was not beyond getting involved in funding Islamic militancy.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And he could not get the Islamic nations
to accept him as a comrade-in-arms if he was not about to do what they do.

So, military intelligence was involved in this. Buying arms from Latin America and
Africa and flown to Bosnia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Mindanao. Many army
officers were involved in this, many retired early to continue with it. The
Philippines government accused one director of military intelligence of involving
in the Mindanao imbroglio. To make Malaysia more acceptable to the Middle
East, Arabs and Muslims from Africa could come into the country with few
checks, and had carte blance to do as they pleased. It made very easy for
plotters like those who crashed jets into the World Trade Center in New York and
the Pentagon in Washington to gather here. One head of military intelligence,
now retired, is said to orchestrate the arms shipments, and remains a special
adviser in the government after retirement.

It is for actions like these that the United States and its media come to their
conclusions about Malaysia's culpability in this war against terror. If, as Dato' Seri
Abdullah insists, this is caused by this ex-minister funding US organisations close
to terrorist groups, why did not the Malaysian government react at the time? If he
was indeed responsible, it should have alerted the US government. Did it? Did it
mount a public relations offensive to counter the ill-effects of this campaign? Did
it lobby Congress about it? In a country like the United States, lobbying is what
needs to be done if you want your point of view heard. This ex-minister
understood that as the Malaysian government does not. If it had, it would have
an effective lobbying system that would have countenanced this campaign.

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Malaysia brought this charge of terrorism on her own head by its campaign to be
accepted as a model Islamic state others would look up to. It came with many
conditions, and Malaysia, to not put a fine point to it, went on to fulfill them. That
included skirmishing with terrorism and militancy. When she accused the
opposition parties of involvement in terrorism, it was but a small step when its
own actions would come under scrutiny. She wants the high moral ground, she
would not consult the opposition and others about how to overcome it, and
makes stupid statements as the deputy prime minister yesterday, on apportioning
blame.

Yes, the mentri besar of Perlis, Dato' Seri Shahidan Kassim, is right: the
Government should investigate this claim forthwith "as it involves a former senior
minister who is still around". He has accepted the truth of the allegations, and
demands that the government investigate the source of the funds. "Where did he
get the millions of ringgit to give the organisations?" Who could this minister be?
Is he perchance to whom Dato' Seri Shahidan was once so close to benefit much
from that relationship, only to stab him when he got into difficulties?

Clearly, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Dato' Seri Shahidan Kassim
know who this ex-minister is. Both are convinced he has done something
treacherous. So, why are they coy about naming him? If a ex-senior cabinet
minister did all he is accused of, he should be treated as lower than vermin.
Could it be they cannot? That if they did, they would not only replay the political
convulsions of the past four years, but put themselves, the prime minister and
UMNO into a tailspin so severe that a permanent and constant attack of vertigo is
preferable. For the man whose name must not be muttered is he who must be
destroyed at all cost. Aka Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a man they wish would just
disappear into thin air.

M.G.G.Pillai
pillai@mgg.pc.my