Malaysia urges halt to "meddling" over Anwar case

Malaysia has demanded that foreign governments stop interfering in its affairs by criticising the sodomy charges against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is challenging the ruling coalition.

Anwar says the case is a politically motivated attempt to scuttle his bid for power against the United Malays National Organization, the biggest party in a coalition that has ruled Malaysia for 51 years.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice irked Malaysia earlier this year by saying Washington would speak out in legal cases it considered political in nature, including the Anwar case.

"We could if we choose question the legal basis of the Guantanamo detention without trial but we did not," Foreign Minister Rais Yatim told the U.N. General Assembly in a reference to the U.S.-run prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for terrorism suspects.

"While same-sex fornication and marriage are acceptable in California, it does not mean that sodomy, which is a crime in many countries in Asia, is to be impugned or derided upon," said Rais, who did not directly mention the Anwar case.

Malaysia has voiced concern at the United Nations over the recent attempts by the United States to question its national law and administration of justice.

"We could, if we choose to question the legal basis of Guantanamo Bay detention without trial, but we did not in as much as we do not question societal behaviour in other jurisdictions," Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said.

Rais was speaking at the 63rd general assembly of the world body here Saturday, in place of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who had earlier cancelled his trip here.

"It needs to be restated -- we have no right to meddle, in any form of manifestation or under any pretext or circumstances, in the conduct of the internal affairs of other countries," said Rais.

Rais said that democracy in Malaysia remained vibrant and progressive, and that the rule of law via Parliament remained central to Malaysia's existence as a sovereign and independent nation.

In his address, Rais also compared the present financial crisis suffered by the United States to the Asian financial crisis in 1997.

"The troubles of Asian companies then was the result of outside forces, while the present troubles of US financial companies are entirely of their own doing.

"It is to be asked, why were the actions taken by the governments of Asia, in particular that of Malaysia, to save our own companies a decade ago deemed so wrong while the present bailout of US financial companies are deemed to be right?" he said.

In Washington, the US Congress and the Bush administration are negotiating a US$700 billion rescue plan for its ailing financial industry, the largest bailout since the Great Depression.

The rescue plan would give Washington the power to purchase bad mortgage-related assets from US financial institutions for the next two years.

To ensure the debacle did not recur, Rais called on the international community to "check the excesses of the so called `financial wizards' whose alchemy has resulted in so much suffering".

He said Malaysia supported the view that corporate captains should not sap their entities by having unbelievably high pay packages.


Meanwhile, please read the latest opinion of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on USA. Some excerpts:

" It set the forms and standards for everything; systems of Government, human rights, economic transparency etc etc. Now it seems to be breaking or ignoring its own rules, regulations and laws.

It had condemned the Internal Security Act as unjust and a violation of human rights. Following the shock and awe invasion of Iraq, it has detained alleged terrorists without trial and without rights and habeas corpus proceedings. Some detainees have been there for five years.

Because of the extraordinary greed of American financiers and businessmen, they invent all kinds of ways to make huge sums of money. We cannot forget how in 1997-98 American hedge funds destroyed the economies of poor countries by manipulating their national currencies.

When as a result of the so-called trade in currencies the companies in the poor countries faced bankruptcy, the Governments were told not to bail out any company or bank which was in deep trouble. The Americans claimed that these companies or banks were inefficient and they should be allowed to go bankrupt and perish. Better still they should be sold at fire-sale price to American investors.

Yet today we see the US Government readying US700 billion to brazenly bail out banks, mortgage companies and insurance companies.

Where does the money come from? From thin air as no real money in cash or bullion or anything tangible are moved into the bankrupt banks. The money is just in the form of loan papers and entries in the books of the banks or companies.

The US 700 billion has no backing whatsoever. No gold reserves, no foreign currency reserves as required for other countries. Without such backing the US Dollar is actually useless. Only the military power of the US is forcing the world to give value to the US Dollar.

An attempt is being made even in Malaysia to achieve a regime change. Money has been funneled to certain individuals and parties to ensure that a well-known candidate with extensive connection to the US Jewish lobby would somehow become the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

US intervention in the politics of Malaysia is clear. I may not agree with the leadership of the present Government but I resent and object to US manipulations to make a satellite of this nation. "