GHOST OF MAY 13 Shameless politicians exploiting voters fears
DIRTY ELECTION TACTICS IN IWAL WATCH- BY·ELECTION DR. M's SCAPEGOAT·
lftbe Opposition Does WeB. Will Economic Developmeat Be Aft'ected?... 3;No Picnic in Langkawi...4, Get Your Facts Right, V.K. Chin!/Chons Eu's Lesion on Padilmentary Democracy ...6 ; Fake ies Racket? ... 7; Strippina the Ethnic Heroes... 9; Two Prayers... IO: Letten... ll : The Razaleish StrateJy ... l6; Kijal By-election... l8;1be Sabah State General Elections. ..23 ; Sabah - One of Thirteen or One of Three? ...25; The Gulf Crilia. .. 29: Etib Kewartawanan... 33 ; Current Concems... 34; Election Watcll - Dr M's Scapecoat.•. 40 GHOST OF MAY 13 Shameless politicians exploiting voters fears
ay 13 - the mere mention It is time to lay the ghost unquenchable lhust for power. of that date is enough to of May 13 to rest. Let's give M strike terror into the the ghost of May 13 a decent EXPOSE THE CULPRITS hearts 9f most decent Malaysians. burial. Hammer the final nail Votmg for greater Opposition It is a taboo subject \'ery rarely into the coffin and lower it representation m Parliament. m brought up in public conversation into the grave once and for all. itself, will not lead to violence and but mstead discussed m hushed mayhem. If you look at it logically. tones in the privacy of homes. The if the Opposition is successful in only exception to this being certain sleeping victims in their dreams. the ele~-.uons, what poSStble reason unscrupulous politicians who love But the reality is that we have could ll have for creatmg trouble? harping on this topic each time an nothing to fear. Absolutely The ones who would be mou likely election comes along. nothing. Having said that, we have to give \ent to theiJ frustrauon~ to cast a wary eye at certain politi would be the one-s who stand to TH£ MAY 13 SYNDROME CtanS who could tum out to be sour lose more. Think :~bout H. m Yes, tlus IS the "May 13 syn losers the coming general elec Let"s g~ve the ghost of Ia~ 13 drome". A nation continues to tion. Even in 1969, the riots were a decenr burial. Hammer the fmal suffer the psycholo_gical after-shock not instigated by ordinary voters nail into the coffm arul er 11 of a tragedy which occurred over who had gone berserk. No way. in to the gra,·e onte and for all. twenty-one years ago - that The real culprits were the ones Those who insist on e g it black day in our history when behind the scenes, skilfully tugging every nov. and agam should be riots erupted following the closely away at puppet strings to orches exposed for v.hat the) are - contested 1969 general election trate the tragic scenes of chaos. unscrupulous and pen-ened poli which saw the Opposition making All tl1is in order to achieve their ticians v. ho will stoop a· notlung sweepmg gains at lhe expense of own selfiSh ends and satiSfy their to be tn pov.er. 0 the ruling Alliance. Many were killed and injured in the senseless orgy of violence that ensued. Under normal circumstances, the passage of time would have erased the bater memories of that fateful day. But not in this case. ln subsequent general election cam paigns, certain politicians have shamelessly continued to make references to the date we would all like to forget. The fear is mstill ed m voters that they had better vote wiSely (i.e. vote for the ruling coalition) or face the consequences (i.e. a blood-bath).
GRAVE EXHUMED It is obvious that the ghost of May 13 has not been laid to rest. Every five years. the 'grave' is exhumed at the behest of certain politicians and the 'ghost' is set free to wreak havoc in the sub ~onscious minds of voters - much Hk.e how Freddie of "Nightmare Every five yean unscrupulous politicians set free the 'ghost of May 13' on Elm Street'' fame torments his to haunt the minds of voters.
2 If the Opposition does well ... WILL E ONOMIC DEVELOPME T BE F C ED?
t has often been said by out lea Economic development will Islam, he added. ders that if the Opposition does be not cease to a priority it ts not true that only a Bansan I weU in the <.:oming general elcc irrespective of who is in government wiU be able to attra~t uon, nauonal economtc develop power. If our labour cost foreign mve\tments and ensure ment will be seriously jeopardued. remains competitive and the economtc growth. Although there t' Thts IS very misJeadmg. F co no infrastructure is sound, foreign wtde publl.:lt] given to each fore1gn mic development will not cease investment will continue to investment 111 the country, 1t is not to be a priority irrespective of who pour into the country, no widely realized that Malaysia lags is in power. The only thing that behind ~everal other ASE:.AN coun may be different would be the rna tter who hoJds the reins of power. tries in terms of the amount of actual economic policies adopted. direct l"l>reign invc~tment . As for Even then, there is not much we econonuc growth M:tlay5ta's 8 5 "f need to fear. Awang was reported to have satd growth rate tn 1qg9 was ahead of that PAS would not reJect a free Indonesia's 6 2 '1. and the Pluhp FREE MARKET POLICY market economy. Tt wants a ftee pines 6.Qc;. but well behind Semangat 46 and DAP would economic system which would Thailand's 10.5',( and Singapore's surely avoid rocking the boat - benefit humanit], as required by 9.2";. if they were to come to power - as far as the economy is concerned. In all probability, they would continue promoting a free market • economy with minimum State interference. If our labour cost remains comp~ltive and the infra structure is sound, fore1gn mvest ment will continue to pour mto the country, no matter who holds the rcms of power. Foretgn mvestors are more concerned about the types of incentives available, I he supporting industrial network, transport and commurucations facilities and a ready labour pool in shon, the overall mvestment climate has to be attractwe.
PAS' STAND There is much doubt and concern over what kind of econo mic pohcy PAS will favour. They have partly themselves to blame for not making their economic orienta tion entirely clear. But recently, Loading tin ingots: Foreign investors are attracted by a conducive PAS deputy chief, Abdul lladi investment climate, not who holds the reins of power.
3 INCREASED BUSINESS nessmcn will have somewhere they CONCLUSION CONFIDENCE can go to for redress in the face of It must be realized that the Even if Opposition representa any hlgh-handed or unreasonable money for development does nut tion in Parliament is increased, Executive and bureaucratiC come from the ruling coahllon's the now of foreign investments decisions. pockets. It comrs from the fruit and development in the country is A stronger Opposition will also of the land and the sweat tol its not going to be disrupted. A result in more freedom for the mass people - from tile taxes, asseS!>· strong and effective Opposition will media. The free flow of informa· ments, duties. levies ami tolls keep the ruling party in check and tion will be encouraged and this whlch ordinary Malaysians have to reduce any abuse of power. It will will inspire confidence in decision pay to the Government whether serve as a strong deterrent against making within the business it is a B:ullian m a Semangat-led corruption and wastage of funds. community. £conomic issues will govemmeut Remrmhrr the money It will encourage a more indepen be more thoroughly debated before for developmeut comes from us. dent Judiciary. Investors and busi- policies can be adopted. the ordinary citilens ol Mah}\ia. 0
NO PICNIC IN LANGKAWI Commonwealth Observers Shoulder Heavy Responsibility
ow that Dr. Mahatlur has For Dr. Mahathlr, election and were extremely thorough in decided to go ahead with observing begins and ends on theu approach. Tlus isn't surpnsmg N hls plan to invite Common polling day. No way would he when one coJlSlders that the CW wealth (CW) observers for the want the Commonwealth Secretariat has its rt>putatton nnd forthcoming general election. observers to evaluate the short integrity to protect makmg it quite clear that it is campaign period, the media MahaUtir was in a dilt.>mrna. He going to be on his terms, it would blackout imposed on public had to fmd a way out be appropriate to pause for rallies and the unequal On 20 July. the Group oi reflection. Concerned Citizens (GOCC) was As we recall, it was Mahathir, weightage in constituency formed , headed b} Tun Omar Y. not Election Watch (EW), who sizes. L. Ong and compming indl\\duals decided to invite the observers m known for their pro-goH:rnment the first place. Not because he affiliation. It immediately issued relishes the idea of an rndepen But then. on 18 July. Mahathir a predictable prc:ss statement dent. credible foreign group scru discovered what he was in for. stating that foreign obsencr were tinizing our electoral process - far That was when officials, Sir unnecessary. Many believe that this from it. It was purely a tactical Anthony Siaguru and Dr. Nevule gruup was sponsored, dtrectly or move on his part to neutralize Linton met bim at his office the induectly. by the government to the effectiveness and undermine the day after their arrival m Kuala create the unpression that the credibility of EW in the eyes of Lumpur. The duo were here on a public was against the idea of the public. Perhaps, he was also •·technical misston" to prepare the inviting foreign observer<>. under the impression that. havmg groundwork for the actual observer The next day in Muar, Maha feted the CW heads of government team - a common procedure in thir openJy declared that he was at Langkawt recently, and in view election murutoring. It must have having second thoughts about of his close relationsh1p with CW dawned on Mahathir then that invitmg fore1gn observers. EW. he secretary-general. representatives this was going to be no picnic in cla..imed. h:ld invited the rwu CW from the CW would be more Langkawt. They were taking their repr~tntatives before the govern inclined to see lh.ings his way. task fjll too seriously for his liking ment could issue an official inv•ta-
4 would he want them to evaluate the short campaign period. the media blackout imposed on the various parties, the ban on public rallies and the unequal weightage in constituency sizes. lndeed. the most serious area for concern in our electoral process would not even be conspicuous on polling day. It arises well before that - the whole busine~s of voter registration. Many grievances have been aued on this subject rangmg from missing names on electoral rolls and names with the same lC numbers, to allegations of wholesale transfers of blocks of voters from one constituency to another. At present. voter registration is carried out for a few weeks every year. often without much fanfare. Thus, many eligible citizens are deprived of the chance to register and vote. Often electoral rolls are dis played at obscure and unpublicised locations. The vast majority of voters do not bother to check if their nan1es are correctly included in the rolls. This results in much CW representatives Sir Anthony Siaguru and Dr. Neville linton· confusion and unpleasant scenes on Taking their task far too seriously for Dr M's liking. polling day. Some urgent reform in this tion to the CW Secretariat (a But the more .Mahathir thought area is essenttal. The EC should baseless allegation). It had also ab ...1 ut it, the more he realized that seriously consider making registra· influenced ('menghasur was the he could not posstbly withdraw tion compulsory for all eligible word he used) the CW Secretariat, the invitation wtthout causing con citizens. Whether he or she actually he alleged . Moreover, he added, siderable embarassment to himself. votes or not is lhe individuals' the representatives' conduct proved the Cabinet and the CW Secrela prerogative. In this age of com that they were 'bwed' (just nal. If the mvttation was with· puter technology, such a registra because they had met some indivi drawn. it would certamly appear tion system should not be too duals from EW). to the outside world that he had difficult to implement. For lt must be stressed here that the somethmg to hide. Besides, more exan1ple, the national Identity Prime Minister and Senior Election significantly, it would surely show Card's computerised data bank Commission (EC) officulls were hun Up as an indecisive leader. could be linked t1> the EC's office among the first to meet the CW The only way out it seemed to provide the Commission with up representatives. The two represen· was to keep the invitation open to date information on all eligible tatives also held discussions with but msist on the right to dictate voters, including changes ot:addres leaders of political parties, both terms. Who knows. if the terms ses. Our Identity Cards could also from the Government and the weTe rigid and unreasonable have an additional feature to show Opposition. The question that must enough, the CW Secretariat would which voting constituency we be asked here is - Why did Maba· fmd it extremely difficult to belong to. thir agree to meet them if they had accept the invitation without com· These are just some sugges really been invited by EW? An promising its integrity. tions. What is required is a com impartial analysis will clearly show For Mahath.it. election observing prehensive study of our existing that the CW delegates activities m begins and ends on polling day. electoral system to further improve Malaysia were consistent with their Perhaps. he would take the obser on it. Whether the necessary funds. objective of obtaining tbe views of vers to a polling station or two to expertise and resources will be a wide cross-section of thosP: watch the voters dropping their made available to the EC is another involved in the electoral procec;s. ballots into the boxe$ No way question altogether. 0
5 n the 'star on 23 July 1990, tion on the snafu, page two, it was reported that: Even this lapse in courte~ oouJd I "Apart irom Semangat, the be ovfrlooked except fo; tbe fact (Commonwealth) vtsitors also mel (sic) tbnt tt.s two represc;:ntatives Election Commission officials twtce had so far confmed their mcedngs since they arrived on Tuesday to the opposition and outs1de Tlll?y had met the Pnme Mi nister groups:· oo WCdnesdi!y.'' Perhaps V K. Chin could tell us ln lhe same editmn or the Shu, exactly when M3hathir officially on page 17, V.K. Chin had the joined the Opposition? Alternative· a1.1diteity to comment; ly, he could e-xplain to the .M.ruay. ''We feeJ that the Se~rc\ariat sian public what it is he is trymg owes ~alaysia at feast an ~xplana· to prove
" "'"hey (the Commonwealth ·~· observers) must also be willing to learn. Malaysi3's .record pf parliamentary d.t}mot,l'acy nwy even provide a lesson. which the obse1 vers can take baek to tht:ir home ~ountry. If they rome with such JO attitude, then we will certainly welcome them." DR ..LIM CHONG EU. NST28 July 1990. So, it !ippears that the Common· -.yeaJth observer~ have to cqroe all the way to Malay~ta to learn aoout parliamentary democracy. You cannot be-serious, Dr. Lim~!
6 'FAKE ICs RACKET? May affect results in marginal constituencies
e have heard of yuppies It is alleged that a syndicate This ties in with an allegation proudly flashing their has issued thousands of false made by the Ranau (Sabah) State Wstrings of credit and charge identity cards in order to Assemblyman, Siringan Gubat, cards. But having a string of ensure the defeat of reported in an obscure column of identity cards in your wallet is opposition candidates. Those the NST dated 6 August 1990. 'another kettle of fish altogether'. in possession of these fake He claimed to have discovered 7 50 Some disturbing allegations have phantom voters in the 1990 electo created a stir on the East Coast. ICs would apparently be able to vote more than once in ral rolls for his constituency which These allegations - if proven were displayed recently. Gubat said correct - could have far-reaching different constituencies. that villagers did not even know the implications for the credibility of names of certain voters whose the results in certain crucial seats names appeared on the list. In in the coming general election. exercise in March this year. It is one village, for instance, there were suspected that around 250,000 only seven registered voters POLICE REPORT LODGED illegal immigrants may have receiv previously, but the latest rolls According to a report in the PAS ed blue ICs which enabled them to showed 12 new voters who did not newspaper (Harakah) of 3 August, register as voters. Apparently, reside there. There were also a syndicate is alleged to have sources say Pairin got wind of this complaints of "suspicious" names issued false identity cards in order and ordered snap-state elections from the Kiulu (Sabah) con to ensure the defeat of Opposition before the new 1990 electoral stituency where villagers did not candidates in the coming polls. rolls could be ready for use. Thus, recognize the 37 new voters listed The main focus of the syndicate is the eligibility to vote in the recent for Kampung Lokos and another on marginal constituencies where ly concluded state elections was 26 for Kampong Tiong. the winning majorities in previous based on the old 1989 rolls and, elections were slim. It is alleged consequently the syndicate there CONCERN OVER VOTER that the syndicate has synchronized was outwitted as far as the state REGISTRATION elections were concerned. the issue of the fake ICs to coincide It appears that there is cause with the latest electoral rolls. It for serious concern about the whole is understood that certain quarters area of voter registration. If the have already lodged a police report Commonwealth observers were to over the matter. look carefully at our electoral According to a Harakah colum rolls and the process of voter nist, the Barisan Nasional .has registration, there is no doubt recently begun to feel very confi that there will be quite a few dent of doing very well in Kelantan. raised eye-brows, to say the least. He states that it has no basis for Perhaps, that is why Mahathlr is such eonfidence and goes on to so anxious to restrict their activi ask whether this has anything to ties to polling day only, for he do with the alleged fake ICs syndi knows the process of balloting and cate. Those in possession of more counting is quite straightforward than one IC would apparently be and above board. able to vote more than once in There are several me«sures which different constituencies. Such can be taken to strengthen the rigging of the polls would surely public's confidence in the area of be difficult to detect by foreign registration - both short and long· observers on polling day. term measures.
RUMBLING FROM SABAH SHORT-TERM MEASURES It appears that a similar syndi Had Pair in got wind of the fake First, the Election Commission cate was in operation in Sabah ICs syndicate when he called snap should conduct a detailed check on during the electoral registration state elections? selective constituencies where com-
7 plamts have arisen. No doubt. Third lhc Ele<"tion CommissiOn LONG-TERM SOLUTION opposition parties would be quite should serious!} ..:onsider rnarkrng happy t o provide the Commission the thumbs of voters with indelible UlLmately, the only real long with a list of the most affected ink an polling day Once the teml solution to this problem is constituencies for a thorough voter's thumb-prmt IS taken the the introduction of compulsory screening. Special attention should ballot paper will be Jssued to hun. registrauon tor citizens. A sophisti be paid to constituen cies where the As t11e ink wiJI not wear off for at cated registration system should be previous winning margin~ were leas1 two weeks, there 1$ no chance implemented - one that will be wafer-thin. of the voter casting his ballot able to deleo and rughlight any Second the 'Police: will have to agam in another comt!luency ash~.; lraudulent mampulatton of clec be extra-vigJlant on polling day to will be immcdJ..uely :.potted. Tlti.s tora.l rolls We should not be too detect any orgaruzed or mass b a normal practice rn Ine11a the proud to accept any foreign know movements of voters from one world's largest democracy. and il how a.nJ expertiSe m developing area to another. In the past, there has been proven to be quite effec such a system. Until we are certain have been allegal!ons that foreign tive. It may appear to be rather that our electoral rolls are J 00% nationals were brought in from prinutive to some; but in an era of clean, 1t will be an uphill task over the borders o f a neighbouring "primitive"' pollttcian:. ~uc.h drastic I rying to convince anyone that our country in order to vote measures Will sutely not gu ,liDJSS. election~ are reaHy free and fau. 0
ALIRANNOT AWARENESS COLLECTING A man got into a bu~ and founJ hunsdf ~tung •li!'Xt FUNDS FOR to a youngster who was obviously a hrppy He was ELECTION wearing only one ... hoc_ WATCH ·You vet: vidently lO I has come to o ut notice that to collect tund· on it~ bWUJf. certain individual$ arc going AJitan, nor an} of it! ofl'ici;ll" or " No man ," cam<;:; the: I aroUnd collecting money for rnemben llavc: been ukl-d to Election Watch using 3D Aliran coll~.;d tunds for Hecuon Watch. repl) ··1 found one." lettcrl1<:3d wluch purported!) It members of lite pubhc comc: carr i~ the ~nafuce of Alinn. across llllyone wll<."(;tmg fumh on SccTeta.ry, Dr. AriHin Om.ar. The behalf of rtecuon Watch, the)' letter.hend, the contents and sign .. ~bould n•pon the pct!On Q!' penon~ Jr is e' idenr to me: turc: are false. to the poltce. that dot?s 110t mean it is Eleclion Watch has not au t.ho t.I.SCd any m AAlJ'HONY DE ~t£LLO • The Prayer ot the Frog 8 vwhat com !!:) from the lips, reache~> the HEART TO HEART •car. What com~ from the heart, n>acJ1es the l•eart." -ARAB PROVERB STRIPPING THE ETHNIC HEROES ou ma) he une of thuse seem willtng to reach out only to Chmese ra~.c ). and so on Therr who have noticed of late the lndwm. means of solicttmg political support Y that pul.itJctans of all MlrlS The effect of the1r ethme type b clearly comral) to the sp1rit of have hecn gtling out of their way to of politics dearly doe!> little !~>Ward Malaysian untty What IS more ··help" the rakyat uniting the t.lifferent ethnic groups disturbmg IS that some of them !)manly bush·Jad;eted chap:. 1n here. Worse still, 1t is being actually reliSh theu reputation of equal!\ smart .. ars have b~:en pract1~ed by the very people who being a Malay hero or chan1p1on of stirrmg the dust m narrow kampunr. continually blame othe1s for the the lndwn~ or hero of the Chinese ro.~d~ to c:ill on thetr Lomtttuents country's ethnic anxictie:. and Their cun~tant rhetom: of bearing gifts ol development problems Malaysian unity IS sadly unmatched promises and projects. For some of There are times when these by thejr actmn, whlch must be lhe~c constituents, it wa:. probably ethnic heroc1> are blatantly corrunu regarded as one of the major the fim ume that they had seen nal as in the case of a local pohtl ~auses of the deterioralton in their \\ :tkil rak) at ~tnce the last cian who has gtven llli Mtnistenal ethnic relauom.. Their methods gene(al clc.:twn. protection to a group of hawkers may appeal to certain segments of Others went furth.:r to actually in " Penang suburb. These hawkers the various communities, but· a i1nplc111cnt long-overdue develop· have repeatedly defied the authort· growing number of Malaysians ate ment prOJCCt:.. A recent neY.-s ues ort.lcr to relocate to a mcreasingly cnw.al of such con· r~purt shuwed an Un1110 polttlc.;tan permanent site and the politicl3n u adictions They \lew wtth distaste {!rinmng and hammering awa} at is c.;hamptomng them not because such manipulauon of ethnic sen a '' m>den "'all. He was helpmg to he rhinkl> it is proper that they timents which only serve to create IHIIkl a new kampung house for a remain where they are, bu l hecause resentment. envy, distrust and needy Bumiputera member of h1s they arc of a cenain ethnrc group. suspicion among tl1e different com· wnsl1tuency. an cldcrl~ lady who Titol>C! of us who have at tended nrunilies at all level~. appeared qune bcv. IIdcrcd by thi\ ceramaJ1 and J.alks by puhtical Wtth the ncanng general elec· e:-.pen~•~cl~ -J1essed "w orkrnan". parties would also have been uon MaJaystJnS must trunk care llu~ "akil rakyat's colleague:. hon ified w hear their leaders lull) about whether they shlluld haH' been e\'cn 11turc tndustnous talk along the lines of. "Krta, continue 10 condone ethnic oppor anJ im;,sginOtl\1." 111 helping the bangsa Melayu", or "Wua men tumsts such a~ these. 0 rak:, at tn thc:u v"'n a1eas. Some of l.iua ren" (meaning we of the AYW them hah: been leatu red \\orklng :.houldcr-tu-shoulder wah ~unhurnt fauner~ . di,tributm~ poverty krb 00@0@0000©000?' .... • • • ...... • • • .. ?' I\\ h:Hever tlu; ~ at c) to the poor. dearing rllbhtsh and undergrowth m ne\\ VIllages auu handrng out ;mg · pow~ to the old aud needy. All 1he~ are well JnJ good. .. No amount of technological progress will cure the hatred that ~ C\~Jl tf they OC\.Ul 11!11}' 00\.t! tn 0 eats away the vitals of materialistic society like a spiritual © scvctal yews. nt:ept for the clltntc • cancer. The only cure IS, and must always be, spirituel. ~ htas ol the epu\lUC~. Umno leadc:ts arc seen h:mdmg out atd and grant onl} to the Bumtputera. MCA p11lit1.:tans lcml a hand solei} to the Ch111c~e and like\\t!>e , MlC leaders 9 A Jewish A C:llristian prayer of prayer of repentance repentance (Vt)~ are creatures like the trees and the fields, like the earth and the sea ; We are children of God, peoples of the Universe! brothers and sisters of Jesus, Hear the broken sounds of Sbevarim. but always, We can mend our wounded souls we remain less than God. and our tattered Jives. Yet we puff ourseJves up Thus we can serve God and God's creation as if we were great lords and ladies. with all the fullness our being. And in the rest of creation, Then the wail of Shofar will awaken in us there is a huge, anguished sigh . the desire to sacrifice and to work, leading us toward a world You have created us to livt in union, where we can live in justice and holiness. yet we have built barriers that dj, ide us, unfaithful to the message we ha'e recehed. Oh humanity! Listen to the caD of Shofar. Jesus Christ, you were born poor Oh Lord, and remained poor until the Cross. help us awaken from our lethargy and egoism. We enrich ourselves by destro~ ing narure. by destroying ourselves. Make us understand that You created our talents Forgive our arrogance, our pride. in your image and granted us our self-sufficiency. the power of creation and love. Grant us the possibility of casting off aJJ fear, Grant us your Light with which ro look suspicion. aggression and violence. with humility toward the future. and your Strength to journey Let the sound of Shofar strengthen our decisions toward the New Creation. and fill our lives with meaning, as we dedicate ourselves Pastor Hilda Vence to Your eternal truth. Representative of the ClrriSiliZJI commumo Ecumenical liturgy, Monrevzdeo December 1989 .Rabbi Daniel Kripper. Represe11rative of the Jewish community Ecumeniealliturgy.Montevideo, December 1989 10 those detained are the primary bread· winners of their families. As a result of LEI I ERS their detention, many of thcii famU1es arc facing abject poverty. to the extent We welc;ome letters from readers. Letttrs can be 1uther In English or Bahasa that their chikiTen have been forced to Malaysia. These letters may be edited for purposes of space and clarity. The drop ou L of school views may not be those of the Ali ran P,1onthly. Pseudonyms are accepted but We are aJso perturbed to learn that all letters should include the writer's name and address. letters should apart (rom lhese 24 persons. there are preferably be typewritten with double-spacmg; if hand-written they should also at least another 36 person~ detained be legible, at the Kamunting Detention Centre. letters should be addressed to the Editor, Aliran Monthly. P.O. Box 1049, What is even more worrying is the 109:10 Penang, MalaysiJI. seemingly ind"iscriminate usc of the lSA to randomly detain people without trial and that these detentions are taking place without any mention of it by the governmen1 as to the occasion and reasons (or their detention. We strongly urge the government to immediately and unconditionally release aU those presently detained under the ISA or to charge them in court. We also caU for tJte repeal of this unjust Act. R.4JENDRAN DEVARAJ 0 / B Executii'C' Committee Society for Clmstian Rej1N·tion HORRIFIC LAWS REVOKED BY IRAQ'S COUNCIL refer to S.P. Choong's "Horrific new laws in Iraq" (Letters, A.M. Vol. 10 I No. 5) and wish to inform you that the law in question was decreed on February 28, 1990. Less than 1\\-o weeks later, on March 12, 1990, that Law was revoked by iraq's Revolution Command Council's Decree No. 133. And that was the end of it. their loved ones. May Cod be their H/SHAM TABAQCHAU companion in this time of anx.iety. Fmbassy ofthe Republic of Iraq Sad wait for pilgrims' return: Kuala Lumpur The Christian community mourns MR DA.NfFL HO with its Muslim brothers. Han. Secretary Chriuwn Fedt!ratiDn of Malaysia THE MINA TRAGEDY THE NEXT GOVERNMENT he CIIRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA on behalf of the DETENTION OF 24 PAS earing in mind the forthcomll\8 T Christian community conveys its MEMBERS election and the lopsided born· deepest condolences to families of those B bardment of pro-government \\-ho have died tn lhe tragedy in Mina. propaganda in the locaJ newspapers. tele· We are greatly shocked at the mag· e refer to the article in the vision and radio, publications such as nitude of Lhc tragedy and deeply Harakah, dated 4 May J 990, yours play an important role in present· saddened by the death of so many W regarding the detention of 24 ing a fairer perspective of current Malay pilgrims wJ10 were in the proces.\ of PAS members under the Internal sian politics. fulfilling their religious duties. Security Act (ISA). Your publication has done an exceJ May God console aU who have been The Society for Christian Reflection Ient job in exposing the Barisan Nasio· so suddenly berefr of their loved ones is disturbed to learn about the continued nat's weaknesses and this should and grant them peace. detention of tltese 24 PAS members and continue. Your articles have also given Our sympathies are abo with those particuJarly the effect that their deten· Malaysians a good idea of what a good (amUies who are undergoing great tion has had on their families. This is MaJaysian government should be but anxiety awaiting news o( the safety of especially distressing because many of linJe is written about the plans of the 11 alternative goYernment. really have the clout or authority to ment. If it 1s not too late. perhaps you vit'timilc these crvil servants at state But now, Scmangat 46 is cl:tirning could give us your view on ho~ such a (even in Kelantan) or federaJ level? that it is the original UMNO and that govt.ornment could come about amidst Do the leaders of this Opposition the Malays sl10uld come foJWard to sup the present scenario. lntCJVicws "ith the party reaJJy have the power to transfer port it. It has established itself not only opposition leadcJS about fundamental civil servants out of nny district? Aren't among the Malays but al50 among the Issues will also give us a clear view of Ute fed eral and aU state governments non-Malays. It is growing day by day the alternative government. Malaysian firmly in the hands of the ruling wit h the support or other opposition voters like me need to know in more coalition? parties m the country. Bapa Malaysia, details before we decide who we want to Is the PM merely making such a state Tunku Abdu l Rahman. adviser for cast our votes for. This election IS in Semangat 46 and Its allies, had proposed some \\ays CIIICial As a fore.gner once ment in order to go o n the offensive agauut the Opposition? Remember the Tengku Razalcigh as the nc.~t Prime told me "Your counuy is rich and has \t iruster of \talaysia, if opposition great potential. What you need 1s good ridiculous accusation he made in Parlia ment regardmg Karpal Singh's role in part1cs ue successful in the ooming leaders who can lead the way to pros general electiOn. ma.stermindmg the burglary involving the perity." In a democratic country like ~lalay We need to know what the next Vijandran videotapes? Has the PM run sia, a strong and effective Opposition is Malaysian government has in ~tore for out of political Ideas? Perhaps, he is essential 11nd should be welcomed by us. We need to know CJlJiy before the fighting like a drowning man clutching the rulilta Coalition. In the past opposi election. on to stzaws! Another ridiculous statement which tio n parties were never united but now Sema11gat 46 has overcome this problem. /IIGJI JIOPES he made recently was that the Oppos:i· We ue not out to find fault with Pe/lang tion m~hl close down certain news papers if it came to power. Isn't this the ruling coalition. lnstead, we want it vt.Ty hypothetical? No one can deny to govern honestly and to keep its that the Opposition may resort to promises to the rakyat. tr it cannot do such a high-handed actiOn. but can that, then ~e need a dedicated and an anyone really say for sure that it will effective aJtemauve government under rea.Uy happen? the leadersh1p of Semaogat 46. In the ELECTIONS MONITORING Wasn't it his government wbicb meantime I would like to appeal to closed down three newspapers in 1987? PAS not to argue about Islamic issues Wasn't he who was responsible for the with the o ther panies, as the election i~ proposing to send to Malaysia extreme amendments to the Printing nearing. II should move away £rom bservers from democratic ooun and Printing Presses Act? Didn' t he religiOUS 1~ues in order to be an cffec· ries to monitor our elections, the intzoduce the Official Secrets Act? tive oppositiOn party. E The time IS ripe for change now. We Commonwealth Secretariat shows its Aren' t these Acts responsible for the regard for fairplay. If. as is claimed, diminution in press freedom in the would lilce to urge both sides to work elections in our country have always country? Isn't the Star now a pale for the betterment of the people and been fair and clean then "'e should shadow of its former self? the nation. We ue familiar with the welcome having ow electoral procedures How can the PM ever come up with manifesto of the Buisan Nasional but observed without the need to lay our such a ridiculous statement that certain not that or Semanpt 46. Can they terms. newspapers ~ht be closed down if provide us "'nh more details? As long as international standards the Opposition was to take over the of election-monitoring u e followed and government? Wasn't he the one who T KRJS/11\AN tho~e sent to us are men and "'omen of commiltcd this sin ~~galnst the rakyat Kuala Selangor integrity and judgment, there should and the thousands of employees of the be no reason for unease, sho uld there? Star, the Sin Chiew Jit Poh and Watan? A~ the saying goes: "If the material Why is he then trying to accuse others is pure gold, its intrinsic narurc will of trying to resort to this? If he feels be proven in the fire." Authenticity that this form of action is wrong, why will always be its own vindication. did he commit this sin in 1987? THE REAL REASON FOR C:ln the role of ow mass media (space ThCJe ue many questions to be MTSU's WITHDRAWAL given both to incumbents and the asked. but can the PM reaUy answer opposition) and other practices stand them with a clear consc1ence. Perhaps, up to scrutiny? the writing is on the waU. Ow beloved he le:ad stOI") of the NST and The Dr. M must indeed be paranoid now. Stlli of 14 June ""as the announce DR IIIONGSOAK AOOI\' For his own sake, we feel that he should T ment of the \falayan Technical K vola Lumpur step down before he loJ>es his sanity! SCJVices UniOn·~ NTSL) decision to disaffiliate from the \fiTC. It is quite PED-L'P odd for the local m~ media to give Penang f1on t page coverage to the disaffiliation from the Mn.:C by one of its 146 aff'tllates. But they had a purpose - to THE POT CALLING THE discredit the leaders of the MTUC and in the pr~ 10 please their unseen KETTLE BLACK boss. WE NEED AN EFFECTIVE T he stol) mduded a statement w paranoid Prime Minister has OPPOSITION from \fTSl" Cenrral Secretary, En. again come up \l-ith a silly Mohd. KIWruddin lhji \fydin, to the statement. This time. he claims effect that Ins union's decision to puU O he situation in Malaysian politi~ that an Opposition party has been out was made pnrnaril) for tv.o reaX>ns: harassing and victimizing civil servants is now entirely different. For One. as a protest against the MTUC's who support the Government. T more than three decades the stand on the GSP IJIUC.. and two, because One thing immediately comes to Barisan Nuional has ruled the country MTUC' pre~jdent Zamal Rampalt had mind. Does this Opposition party and contributed towards its develop- joined Semangat 46. 12 On that very day, TV3 canied an default payment of affiliation fees; at present? Nobody really k:nows the interview with the ex-General Secretary thus ceasing to be an affitia te in the answer. The MTUC should be consi or the MTSU, A. RagunathJn. He was course of time. It can be verified with dered innocent until proven guilty. But reported to have concurred with Kh:U the MTUC that the union has not paid Dr. Mahathir and his colleagues are ruddln's statement on the MTSU's its fees since II f-ebruary. In fact. it batJ&Ing them eve~yday, not because withdrawal from the MTUC. stopped payment in September 1989. 1hey care for the welfare of workers, Ragunathan hud left the MTSU in Why then did Mohd. Khairuddin but in order to gain political mileage out July last year and is currently a direc and Ragunathan who were both fully of the CSP issue - just to fish for a tor of Times Engince.rinlt. Jt was, there aware of the reasons for the MTSU's fe~ extra votes in the coming general fore, rather odd for TV3 to have inter decision to pull out of the MTUC election. Unfortunately. this is because viewed !Ugunatban and not the Presi from the start distort the truth? .some or the top MTUC leaders are allO dent or General Secretary of the Union. Obviously. t11ey 1.1 h'J:.'N AI a Kuala J.umpur FISHING FOR VOTES USING THE GSP IS ~Y+· I is regrettable to note that Dr. WHY ANWAR KEEPING Mahathir and his Barasan colleagues QUIET? I are going all out to discredit the MTUC and Its leaders over the GSP issue. Is the Ml1JC really involved, e Prime Minister is touring the directly or indirectly in asking the US 'hole country on a pre-election Government to withdraw the GSP campa~n. At every state. he Is privileges being enjoyed by Malaysia holding public rallies (which are banned 13 in Mabys12), u~ng school-fieJds ~~ other public facilities. The mass m~Xha IS ITTAKES TWO TO 8"'i118 great coverage to h~ specch.es in DIALOGUE "'hich he condemns opposttion p2rties. am utterly dUgusted by the way the is As the tOUI 2 political One, I arrest of the three S.bahans under ith reference to l~e arti':'e would like to know who is payllli for the lSA h2s been used to further the the fares and o ther expenses incurred by l wTitten by 33 MalaySIID Cbns selfish ends of various parties. The cen the PM and h1 entourage. If govern tians (AM. Vol 10 No. 3), tral issue is the unjust and inhuman ISA W ment funds ue being uled, why is 1 'll.ish to make the following observa legisbtiou NOT the alleged " crime" of tions: saud an Anwar lbrahu:n, the Chainnan or the detainees. the Cabinet Committee on Couupt The IKH21Jed "plot'' is a mere umub • They seem to be aware of what the Practices. keeping quiet? stantiated allegation by the police to MCCBCHS has done, but do they I would abo like to quest10n the A. It koo'll. the methods adopted by it ao PM if he is going on these tours on "justify" using the IS is. ~recisel~ becaiUe the police have insuff1c1ent ev .. far especially in the case of the government lime or is he on leave? deuce to Stand up in a COWl Of bw that Sebngor State Leghlative Assembly If it is on government tUne, the PM which adopted some aspects of the must be clwged with wasting his offi they are resorting to the ISA. This has been proven true in all prvious ISA Shariab bws? cial time on poUtical activities. cases. • They suggtst diaJogue in pbce o.f Perhaps Audara Anwar Ibrahim will The injustice of the ISA to the the signature carnpa.@n. Are they respond (if he dares to). ordinary thinking person is clear. Denial awue of the numerous fruitless of a per!IOn's right to a proper defence attempt. at dialogue initiated by the ABDUU.AH 1/AJ/ AHMAD is the greatest possible injustice. One MCCBCHS? Further, do they know Kuala Lumpur would even dare say that God would what dialogue is and what condi never deny any human being this right. tions must be present for dialogue to This is clearly recorded in many of the be successful? Abo, can they enligh great spiritual traditions. How. then ten us as to ho..- to d.ialogue with could mere men ~ppon the ex1stence people who olniously do not wish to ELECTION WATCH MUST of the ISA? dlllogue'! HAVE PEOPLE'S SUPPORT Firstly. tJte inhumanity of the ISA • Whether the Shanab laws are good IS clear from the point of \liew Of the or not is not the heart of the matter. detlillee$ themselves. Because the ISA Each and e¥ery non-Muslim Malay· fecl very uneasy about our Prime lends iUelf to arbi!Iary arrest, no one is sian citizen bas the RIGHT to be Minister inviting Commonwealth ever sure why he or she is actually being consulted for his views on the observers to ovenee the geneul arrested and no proper reason need Sluriab Ia"'' and these views should l ever be given. Such uncertainty, ~hie~ election 'll.hich is due anytime now. be taken into account before the What particubrly •~ J/NJANG JOt Pcnanx ORGANIZE MORE INTER FAITH FORUMS ALIRAN RACUNI FIKIRAN n 18 May, an inter-religious The PM calls some Malaysians forum was successfully orga· ORANG MELA YU DAN 'these people': Discriminatory. O. n~~ at the Dewan Sri Pinllng ISLAM With participants from OVl'f 20 institu· lions. This is the first lime that such a forum was held , which showed and I was shocked and stunned for a aya seorang pembaca ~tia proved that the parucipating institutions moment, and I couldn't belleve my majalah Allfall. Pada pandangan are not sectarian. They were willing to eyes when I read what was said by our saya, majalah ini bertujuan PM. S come forward to share with one llJ10thcr menyed111kan rakyat mengenai haknya. their common interests in glorifying the I wouldn't have been bothered if it mengenai penyelc\\engan dan lebih Oneness of God, serving llnd inspiring had been said by foreigncrs. What penting. perpaduan. Tujuan ini saya One another in community service concerns me mosr was the PM's answer sokong pcnuh, tetapi malangnya pada tlisplaying loyalty to their country. t~ to a question by New5Week's Carron keseluruhan majalah ini mcrnuatkan loving one another u-respectrve of colour Bogert. berita-bcrita yang sentiasa mengknti.k or creed. preserving the environment The exuact LS as follows: serta menghentam kerajaan saha.Ja. and being good citilens in the world we Newsweek: Seolah-olah keujaan seka.rang ini tidak llve in. Wha r cole does rhe legacy of British tabu mentadbir negara. We hope that such inter..faith forums rule play 10 Malaysia today? Yang menyedihltan, rencana-fencana. can be held more often at state and Mahathir: mengenai blam adabh mcnyeleweng national levels.. The head~ of the res· We have a multi-racial population serta mcmberi gambaran bahawa lsl:!m pcctive religious institutions must come that was imposed on us by the agama kejam. Orang yang tklak tabu apa forward to meet more often md not British. They brought in THI:.S£ itu lsbm cuba jangan menulis, sebab feel proud or arrogant. They must 'train' PEOPLE (my emphasi~) and never sebenarnya mereka mengelirukan masya· themselves to become the purest of the consulted us. When we were under rakal bukan Islam dan juga orang lsl.am. pure and the humblest of the humble. the Bl'ilish colonial rule there was no Ada.kal.a Or. Cll2ndra Muzal'fu menulis let the \\Orld see that Malaysia can such thing as democracy. It was an seolah-olah bellau uJ.amalt. Saya ingin produce a wonderful multi-ethnic, multi· autocratic government. an authorrta· mcmpersoal.kan pcngetahuan agama cultural and multi-religious society - rian government. Islam beUau. Di manalat1 beliau a genuine Unity in Diversity. llow could the PM say such a Ching mendapat pendidikan Islam? when he bas been entrusted to wcguard Kcingman Aliran untuk mellXcluar· POll S/M LIM all Malaysian$, irrespective of their km maj1Jah dala•rf L.-wt.- Kebangsaan suJJggUh murni dan sejajar dcngan hasrat Penait.~ ethnic origin!!. He should in~tead speak highly of all Malaysians and, as such. he kerajaan untulc memperkembangkan should not criticize or talk lowly about pengguna.an Bahasa tetapi apakah Aliran "THFSE Pl:.OPLE". They have the mcmpunyai muslihat di sebahk usahanya same rights as Chis country belongs to untuk mendapat permit percetakan t hem. too. untuk edisi Bahasa'? Mung:k:inkah kerajun ..THESE PEOPLE" ARE Anyway, at the time when the meragut dta-cita Al.iran ini? Pada MALAYSIANS, TOO Briti)h brought tn " TI-IlSE PEOPLE" pandangan 'illya, mungltin AIJJan mcm· he was nowhere around to be consulted. punyai niat jahat untuk meracum I suppose he might abo have forgo11en, fik.ir:an rakyat, terutamanya orang-or1ng s I was gomg through some old that he was born to an Indian school Melayu. Mungkin juga Aliran dibantu papers and lll:lgazintlll the other teacher \\ ho \\as probably among olch kumpul.an·kumpul.an tertentu A day, I came across an old "TIIF.SE PEOPLE" brought in by the dengan niat untuk meracuni fi.kiran ~ewsweek magazine dated 2 May 1988. Brit ash tben. II would have been tmpossJ orang-orang lslam. What made me read 1ts contents was its ble for him to be a \falaysWJ less still front page which had the PM 's face and a PM and enJOY the sratus of a Bumi ABD£-1 (JA YYUf headline ''IS DEMOCRACY putra. Jl ow could he forget tha.s and Pulau Pinon)! THRFATENFD IN MAHATHrR'S "here h~ an~:e~ton came from? Or is MALAYSIA?" Since I bad been foUow· he merely uyar~g to make people forget Sudalt tujuh raltcm A/iran /1/ollfiJI\ ing all the happening~ in our countl'y, the actual fact that he is not a pure diterbitl.an Cuba 1audara srhutkan ~atu as highlighted by Aliran and other inde· Malay (of Mahy parentage)'! pr111 rencana dalam mana-mana keluaran pendent media, I decided to find out II is not proper for the PM to speak .l'OI{l: mmttambarkan /slum sebagai \\-hat it \\a~ aU about; i.e. what foreign lilce this - he makes 11 as though Uf,ama ArJam. maguines had to say about our country. "THFSF PEOPLE" are not part of -Editor 15 NATIONAL POLITICS THE RAZALEIGH STRATEGY engku RaLaleigh Ham73h, The ruling National Front and These factors suggest the need who now leads the combined the combined Opposition are for a serious look at what a govern T opposition, may do exactly both confident of winning ment led by Tengku Razaleigh the opposite of what the incumbent the imminent general election. would be ltkc. But 11 will certatnly have to be one that accommodates government is doing to solve Malay Whichever group wins, its sia's cthmc woes. The Razale•gh opposing viewpoints of many strategy IS openness. priority will have to be Malaysians. The pnnce from Peninsular Malaysia's ethnic woes, says a This is because Tengku Raza Malaysia's east coast State of CORRESPONDENT leigh's Semangat 46, formed from Kelantan has not said so in so many contributing to AM. the core of the deregistered UMNO, words, but h1s remarks at numerous is teaming up with parties re meetings with supporters 1n the presenting vanous ideologies as past year strongly point to tlus. well as communities Smce independence 33 years They include DAP. wtuch IS ago, rhe Alliance and its expanded Chinese based, PAS. branded as version called the Barisan Nasional Islamic fundamentalist, Malay have been trymg to tackle the slan DemocratiC Indian Party, ethnic problem piecemeal without Parti Rakyat, Ham1m and Berjasa. openly discussing and find1ng long The rauonalc behind the move term solutions. to get such a di\erse group under It seems to have adopted a one umbrella is e\.plained b} one policy of pretending that problems Scmangat o ffic1al as the need for do not exist hoping that they will 3CC0111J110da t10n go away. This policy is enforced by He says: "Because we do not stringent laws that ensures pro agree With these VIews, can we blems are not publicly aired. alford to 1gnurc them? Can we Thus ethnic tension is bottled pretend that they do not ex1st up in sp1te of the apparent super or even pre... ent them lrom holdmg ficial sense of unit) expounded viC\\-S rhat do not agree With our Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah: Cabinet by leaders of the BN, who publicly own'!'" expe.rience and a multi-ethnic call on each community to stand Close aides sa} that Tcngku Opposition may tip the election united to protect their intcre~t. Ratalcigh has expressed many tunes scales in his favour. The general election is expected that ~ l alaysw\ ethmc problems can to be in mid-September ahhough only be ~oh·eu b} JOmt efforts of Pailiament's hie of five years by a credible Mala} politician w1th all M alays•an~ and not by a selec.: t expires only late next year becau:.e government experience. Tcngku few. the government wants a I resh Razaleigh had been in the C'abmet By this. he means open mmded mandate. for many years before going tnto discussions ol the many problem~ Whether it will get it or not 1s Opposition. of a mult1 ethnic society with a a question for two reason!>. Firs tly. Now voters are able to excrc1SI! v1ew of finding uccept:.~b le solutions the government has been in ofl1ce their nghts wnhout being accused as agautsl the current system of for too long, and people rna} want of communal bias. Formerly; sweepmg problems under the carpet to opt for a change. and secomll}. supporting the opposJtion had Tengku Razale1gh is not pre a strong opposition has emerged. communal 10ne~. Bickering w1thm pared to d1~uss his plans '-"llh the For the first time. the opp<)Si· the component parties of rile BN meilla for l'-"O reasons: one that he tion is muh1-ethnic embracmg a is also g1ving we1!Ull to the oppo~i dues not want ro pre-empt h1~ cross section o f viewpoints and led tion. party manifesto, und secondly. for 16 fear that what he says will be twist noans of United Nations gUlde bigotry, nepotism, greed, crime ed by the official media. lines. and pollution," he adds. However, those who attend Another aide says the process The intensity of the campaign opposition meetings are able to of national integrauon will be a by both sides for votes, although piece together what the plans are. major effort, and this will start with the date of the general election It appears that the shadow the future ge neration. "We will has yet to be announced, indicates government will repeal many start with young children in schools, the seriousness of the challenge to current unpopular laws that restrict who will be groomed to be honest, the government. freedoms like the Official Secrets upright, God fearing citizens. This Will Tengku Razaleigh have his Act (OSA), the Internal Secunty will elirninate the current ills - way? Time will tell. 0 Act (lSA) and laws on printing and publishing. Tengku Razaleigh believes that a popular government should not have secrets from citizens. The THf .SELF government must trust the people and those few who digress should be dealt with under nomiallaws. The ISA, under which deten uon without trial at the govern ment's pleasure, is a relic of the Indonesian confrontation and the war against insurgents. The JSA has outlived its usefulness because of normalisation of relations with Jakarta and the laying down of arms by the Malayan Commu11isl Party. The control on the media stifles free discussion of opinion and There was once 11 scientist who discovered the art of views and the Semangalled opposi reproducing himself so perfectly that it was impossible tion wants the media to be de to tell the reproduction from the original. One day he controlled, and ownership taken learnt that the Angel of Death was searching for hin1 out of political control ar1d placed so he produced a dozen copies of himself. The Angel with independent public corpora was ala loss to know whicll of the thirteen specimens tiOns. before him was the sc1entist, so he left them all alone The opposition also feels that a.nd returned to heaven. citizens must be taken into the pro~ess of decision-making. But not for long. for, being an expert r.n human nature, Towards this end. all bills to be the angel came up with a clever device. He said, "Sir, tabled in Parliarn~nt _wo uld be you must be a genius t6 have succeeded in making published and sufficient time given such perfect reproductions of yourself. However, I for public discussion and comment. have discovered a ilaw in your work, just one tiny little An aide to the Tengku says: flaw." "What we are trying to do is to form a practical democratic govern The scientist Immediately jumped out and shouted, ment where the citizen can partici "Impossible. Where is the flaw?" pate in the running of !he cow1try. Where he has a rightful say .. "Right here," said the angel. as he picked up the scien "Citizens will not have to Uve tist from among the reproductions and carried him off. under fear of reprisals like arrest aml detemion without trial for • holding views contrary to the * * government's." ANTHONY DE MELLO • The Prayer of the Frog The opposition will maintain a free enterprise economy, but ensure that management and labour compliment, and not contradict each other. But trade unions will be de-controlled to ensure that workers enjoy rights within the 17 ELECTIONS KIJAL BY-ELECTION BN makes a mockery of the electoral process The press had come up with he results of the Kijal by· its own analysis - which is not agencies were fully mobilised to election ca.n1e as a surprise entirely true - why the marshal votes for Barisan. T to ffiatlY around the country. opposition bad lost the Kijal Under this programme a number not because Semangat 46 lost but by-election. There are other of households - as many as 1.000 because of the margin of victory reasons to explain t.llls loss. according to certain cstmlates - scored by the Barisan Nasional. It were identified and two anak angkat Aliran member, OMAR BIN was conceded by both panics right or foster children were placed with who Kijal up to the eve of the by-election OTHMAN was .in each household. nlose who that the margin of victory was for the entire period of assumed the role of foster children likely to be ruurow, between 350 campaigning has filed this were enhcr members of UMNO to 500 votes only. But when the analysis for the Aliran Baru or were linked to agencies results were announced at Monthly. which were pan of the government 9.25 p.m., the Darisan had scored a machiner). stunmng victory of 1,689 vote These anak a.ng.kat were each majority - an increase of 180 votes paid S100- S200 each the as com~red to i" ma~n of of this. WATAI\ of August 4 cited the sum victory of 1,509 votes in the 1986 Let us now examine what really as being berwecn S200 and S500. election. happened preceding Ute by· which is not unbelievable - atld How does one ex.pla1n this election. they moved into these households majority which must have come as The anak angbt programme for the enure durahon of the a complete surprise even to the was certainly a factor in tllis campaign penod. attending to the Rarisan itself'? What are the factors poverty-stricken constituency. To needs of these families wb.tch had contributed to this give effect to this programme, Dunng this penud. the impove· unexpected margin of victory? KEMAS, the Economic Planning rished families became totally lt was generally acknowledged Unit of Kerajaan Negeri, the Unit dependent on these foster children that the Barisan, given its huge Perpaduan Ummah and other state economical!} for this brief period machinery. media blitz and inex· haustible resources, would have won the by·election. But the majo· rity of its victory was something else. And ihis must be explained.. TI10ugh t11e state-controlled press had given its own distorted version for lhis victory, the entire truth was never told for obviOus reasons. We were never told how the poor, innocent voters in Kijal were barricaded from the opposi tion, how they were barred from listening to other views, how they were bribed into voting for the Barisan. We were never told how they were threatened by samsengs, how they were taken away a.nd indoctrinated. how they were held incommunicado. prisoners in their own homes. We were never told any Kijal by-election: Promise of dirtier tactics to come. 18 of economic dependence, these unfortunate voters paid " heavy price in their p:::l\Ol,:U liberty. They ··•ere not allowed to attend opposi tion ceramah and were effectively barred from communicaling with Kijal residents met with a caring and sharing Barisan - but why the opposition. It was also reported always only before an election?' that doors were closed shut when ever the members of the oppo~t ton approached these households voters were told that if there was a of the estate who showed some All this sudden sharin~ and split am0ng the Malays then the sympathy were summarily dis caring did not come about out of Chinese would take over the missed on the spot. One of those lo\'e or charity, not even ve<.:ause ccuntr}. dismissed had nine children to these people needed protert!~n or It was also mentioned that the support. That did not prick the ass~tance, but to make sure that goVernment ir trying to portray conscience of those who claimed the man and woman of the house itself as benevolent and caring to have a tradLt1on of ''membela hold and others liVlllg with them dished out land titles, scholarships rakyat"! Jt did not matter who got voted solidly for the Barisan. fN chi!rl.rt>n, fertilizers and kam hun as long as 11 protected the This was a shameful case of pelekat at these ses~ions. Isn't it a interest of Barisan. economic assistance in return for wonder how these poor fol.lcs Besides this inLimidation and support for the Hansan. It was a managed to survive all this while high-handedness, the management case of selective assistance with before the campaign period? also prevented the opposition from stnngs attached. lt was a blatant It was made abundantly clear going into these estates to hold exploitation of poverty to gain they must vote 10 the Barisan candi· their ceramaJ1 and put across their maximum mileage for the Barisan. date or else there will be conse views as should be the case in a However one looks at it, it was quences. And these consequences democracy. But the Barisan, on the nothing but bribing and buying could be ugly and difficult. Imagine other hand. had unlimited access votes. It was a total travesty of the what it would do to their poverty into these estates and they travelled democratic process and clearly should their boats be confiscated or all over unhindered in their cars and constituted an election offence. their TOI...s withdrawn. conducted their ceramah to their What free elections are we talking The mighty Bansan shamelessly hearts' delight. Tltis understandably about when voters are prevented used the full state machmery to angered the oppoSition who pro access to the VIews of the allure and. induce the poor voters tested to the management vehe opposition? to support it. mently after which they were Another contributing factor And whenever there was any allowed access into these wcu the pupuk semangat pro Sign of opposition sympathy, it estates but were forced to leave gramme which was run by the Biro acted as a ruthless bully. threa their cars outside the estates. This Tata Negara ( BTN). From· report,s tenmg at times, and smacking down meant walking miles into the received it lS confirmed that a few hard at other times. A case in point estates to speak to the estate hundred voters identified as fence· was at Ladang Kubu , a state-owned workers. sitters and slightly 10clined to the estate with 800 workers. These It should therefore come as no opposition were gathered and taken workers, under threat of sufferance, surprise when out of sheer frustra away from their homes for brain· were told to vote for the Barisan tion some ISO supporters of wa.shu'lg and mdoctrination sessions candidate. They were compelled to Semangat peacefully gathered for days on end. It was said that attend the Barisan ceramah and outside Ladang Kubu TDM Estate these sessions were very communal ordered to stay away from the Hall, half a kilometre away from m nature. It was alleged that these opposition ceremah. Nine workers the estate entrance, on the eve of contmued on page 22 19 ANT ID r:'D W -r•·t: I "Afr:. NE I t1 SuRE· I £:X.Aft11 ({AL- c::~£C:Tl> ~uf?.£. II NYTf/11'-16 •. r;; R.OU5 · · • I A j ~ ® 0 Ltt 20 @ ••. AI'ID f:>EF~I 0 ... AN!> WHETHE~ Po UTICA L fAR.TIE-> AND i/JEIIZ CANDfi>ATtS AR.£ oocH I=OLLoWIHG- TH€ f 21 mmimu·J jrom pogt' 19 1hc: Kijal h)-cb.llon to lthow 1he1r i~olatcd case "Where a man rt:pol ted becomrng the Prime! Mlllisrer ul 1ltspleasure agamst the outnght btas that h1s .:ar wmu~creen \\a~ bwk~:n Mala)sla be~.ause ul the 1.oupcra· lihown by the estate manaf.!Cment. 111 Air Putth'". tion betv.een Semangat 46 and However. thi~ pea~cful gathenng Tlu~ \\U!> one Jn~;ldent ~hen DAP It \\d\ ~u~gcstetl that 1f the was tw1~tcd out ol all proportton fortunate!} the Bansan wa:> caught Mala}!> did not reJC< t Selllan~:ll b) the Barisan. wllhoul any rcl>pect lytng and COlh.lu~wely proven that 46. the Clune~e "Will take ove, the lor truth and JUStice, and termed 11 had hed b) none uthcr tha1 the countr> as a result of ~1alay as a mob or 500 out to dc.rupt its Internal secunty and puhltc mder disunity. ~..cramah It \\JS alleged. as reported dtrector. But there had been other It I!> difficult to lullu"' the logk tn the STAR of August ~-that "the hes and abust:~ wh1ch had gone that the cooperation het~een 500-strong group blot.ked the unexposed but hud done urcparable Sem:1ngat 46 .mJ DAP would pro entrance to the hall with a van and damage tu Ule electton proces~ duce a Clune~e Pnme Minl\tt:r but shouted abuses •II Baris an Nasl\lnal Then there was the lase of about on the other hanJ the cooperation leaders at about 10 p.m .. a (ew 250 Burmese Muslims who had between UMNO .tnd MCA. an mmutes after Tan Sn Rahun (the settled here '>'li1W }earl> ago and exdu~1ve C'l Ule:>c part). will Clacf Mtnbter of Malacca) started y. ho had been gtven cltllenshlp m prehnt th1s pol>ltlbtht)! Ius spee<:h recent years. They were rounded up As lor the llppo<>IIIIJn. they were "The ~ltUallOn bel.301C \Cry and threatened that thctr Cllltcn equal!} guilty ol adoptlJlg thC' same tense Tan Sri Rahim cut short hts ship would be revoked 11 the\ did gang)tcr tad1ces at Barisan speech and \\e <:alled the police not vote lor the Barisan cera111ah . It may be a quest1011 or tir from our rnob1le phone· It w.u also reported that the for l:tt bur 11 dtd nut absolve them The State E\c1.utive Councillor 1denut)' ~ards ol 200 voters "Were Tim kllld of l:l~tlC pll I~ off H.I!Cr!> Datuk Mohamed '\h Rustam. as taken o~way fur cash inducements A couple ol Scmangat 4h lcJders reported by STAR. satd. "Bartsan hy the Bansan from voters who had used ro tgh language m rtfernng supporters at the ceramah told us were inclined towards the oppoM· to thei1 Barban counterparts Thts that the group Walt breaking car 11on thus efle ... u\'el) prevenung kind c I language dtd nut ~..ndear wtndscreens and throwing acid on ~00 pro·opposltton voters from the111 tu the ka111pung folks who are car~ outs1de the ho~ll." voting on polling day. Yet two days used to gentle and nuld descnp Compare thiS concot.ted story to later the Secrctar} General of tiono;! It produced negatr-.e effed:. what the mternal secunty and UM!'.O and lnlormatton Minister. There \\:15 .1:..v some over publJc order duet:tor Oatuk Ang Datuk Mohamed Rahmat appeared Lealuu~ camassmg at the last Phaik Chm had to sa} in the STAR on TV accusing the opposltlon of minute on pollmg day. This rohu!>t of August 4. 1t beconn:~ crystal collel:ttng identity cards lor cash canvassmg d1d not gu down well clear ho"W blatantly the State mducemenl$ and "Warning tllem that w1th 1he '1l!rr-. and 11 .:ost Scma n Fxecutive Councillor h.td hell 11 was a cnm111al offcrH::e to do ~o. gat 46 some \IJtcs. According to Datui. Ang the Certalll members m the Barisan Apart from tht~ . the Semangat "Malacc:) Ch;d Mnmter Tan Sn have certamly become adept at sin 46 ma~.hmery "'as., er) "'eak 1n that II.IJI Abdul Rah1m Tamby Cluk "Was transfers! area and c:o lid not matc.h the abu not 'trapped' by oppo~lt•on It d1d not stop with th1s dtrty BarJSan Nas10nal machinery. It campatgners". as earhcr daimed by trick. The duty trick!> department lad;.ed n ..>Sour~.cs and did not have the Baman. was on lull l1me duty dunng the the Bansan-t}pC ol )tate agenctcs to "Datuk Ang said Tan Sri Rahim campaign penod. It took these allure and mduce voters and his entourage were transported Simple kampung folks hy surpriSe Ever} thmg said and done. what 111 a police vehicle to the Kemaman when a group of hired young~lcrs cnnduslons cuuld one draw from polu.:e headquarters at m1dntght appeared at opposit1011 ceramah. the KlJal b) -elecuou'' bc..:ause there were about 150 bent on makmg a nu~ance of them It i~ ub\IOUS that the electoral people. believed to be opposition selves. Tilese volaulc and voc1ferous proccs~ had su flered u heav} hlu\\. supporters. blocking the way about samsengs were 22 ELECTIONS THE SABAH STATE GENERAL ELECTIONS n the recent Sabah State General Elections held on Jul) 16-17. I 1990 Sabahans once again gave the PBS another fhe-)ear mandate to adnunister the State. 1 hi) election also sa\\. the largest number of cantlidates and political partie~ ever to have ~omeqcJ 111 art} <;tate General Election:.. 1\ total uf 25J cand1date~ contested. of Y.i)uch 228 rcprc<;ented seven political parties. Another 24 stood as mde pcndents. In this arude. we w1ll examine some of the mam issue~ lughhghted. We wtll then take a closer look at the results. l'inally. ""e w1ll fool. at <;orne of the imp!J· canon<; from rhe standpoint of Federal-State relations. MAIN ISSUES The maJOr 1ssue that arose m the course of the campaigns appears to be. tromcally, a common concern for Sabah's nghts within The PBS election manifesto addressed the Labuan iuue. the Federatiqn. These pcnamed to the federal c1v1l services in Sabah, Sabah's share of oil revenue. the namely. "anu-lederar· sentiments by Musluns. Astde from rctutmg return of Labuan and the control Apart from the above common these allegations. PBS also of illegal lllltnlgrauon. These were concern. the Oppo'lliiOil highlighted remmded the voters uf the uwolve h1ghJighted m the man1lestoes ol the crcatton of hlllopmc Corpora ment of key leaders of USI\0 and PBS. BLRJA'IA. PRS and AKAR tion Sdn. Bhd. wluch they allegcd BERJA YA in t11e 1986 demon The Federal Government was was an altempt by Or. Jeffrey strauons and riots. The ISA deten dearly not happy with this. USNO Killllgan to ''rob" Sahahans of their tion. the ratds on houses of PBS was the only part} that did not shaJc of profit from umber con leader~. and cnrrupuon charges e\.press any of these concerns. ce~Mons given to the Sabah f ounda agaimt Dr Jeffrey were also Just before the dissolulton of the uon by the State Gmernment. ratsed by the PBS in the1r ccramahs, Assembly. Dr. MahatJur was Other IS'Iues pertained to the failure presumably to md1cate how the reported to have stated that in the or PBS to ta~kle the Illegal 1mnll· PBS go\crnment and its supporters case of an election. BN "'ill st11l grant problem. corrupuon and were being unfa~rl;y treated b}' the wrn smcc both the PBS and USNO nepottl>m in the PBS government. 1-ederal authonue~. are 1ts members. However, several and r3Cial dJscrinunat ion ag 23 trresponsible PBS government. and 3) For all kinds of reasons. but in Federouon. S:tbab's share of alternatively, as further endence parttcular Mustapha·s and Harris 011 revenue. lhe dommatLon for the PBS of unfair Federal Salleh's past records. the Chinese of the upper echelons of the treatment. prefer to work with the PBS Federal C1vil Service by non Similarly the announcement by rather than wilh USNO or Sabohans and their allegedly the Deputy lnspector of Pollee Berjaya uns;,.mpathctic altitudes to that those arrested under the ISA 4) Whether the fa1lure of other the PBS government; etc. were allegedly involved in a plot mul u-eth me. mu ltJ-reltgtous 2 Many of the~ tssues. including to take Sabab out of Malays1a also parties such as AKAR. PRS and the quesuon of re-acquinng became an issue, and cut both 1 BERJ AY A tndicates the end of Labuan, have nP\\ been included ways. Not surpnsmgly. public mulu-ethn1c polJtics m Sabab is in the PBS manifesto for the tension and fears read1ed new not yet clear. TJus lS because 1990 ele.:uon. If the PBS' he1ghts as electmn day approached. the PBS. while Kadann-Dusun recent \ICtOr) may be inter It was also clear that a lot of dominated, ~an still be con preted as popuiJr support for fu nds had been expended und much sidered multi-l! thnic . But the the issue~ rabc:d in the PBS money had changed hands. results probably ind1cate the end manifesto. and insofar as the of PRS, n l RJ A Y A and proba· PBS government feels pressured ELECTION RESULTS bly AKAR as weJl to fulfil ih pror-uses. Federal TI1e turnout was above average 5) The continued fatlure of the State relatJons "Ill conunue to but ranged from 57t; m Sukau to DAP, ..1 PcnUlsula-based party be stratned. if not deteriorate. 1 86 1c in Kcdamatan. All the 48 wluch curren tly holds four 3. T" o inuned~atc problems are State Legislative Assembly seats Sa ball parhamen tary seats. does pendmg. the ~orruption charges were won by only two partie:.. not necessarily mdtcatc prefe made agamst Dr Jeffrey PBS obtained 36 seats while USNO rence for the Barisan NasJOnal kiungan and the ISA detentions. garnered the remaining I:!. A total over the DAP, the pilrliamentary Both mailers mvolve people of 149 candidates, including many oppOSition. Consu.lcred m lhe dosel) a~WCLated With PBS and Opposltion leaders lost their context of the common con its top leader~lup. How these dcpos1ts. The election results reveal cerns among all the parties for problem~ are resolved will affect certain important trends. Sabah's rights withm the Fede Federal-S· ate reLmons too. 1) Although PBS is a muhi·ethnic ration, 11 more per linen tly indi and non-religious based party, cates a preference for home CONCLUSION nonetheless its vtctory does not gro\1. n parues The out...ume of the recent negate the fact that ethmc elecuons 1\~\eiil:. that the PBS has and religious idenmies have IMPLICATIONS FOR the support of a ma.JOrity of become consolidated. FEDERAL-STATE Sabahans. In particular it re..:eived 2) The PBS essentially succeeded in RELATIONS sohd suppurt among Kadat.ans Kadazan/Dusun-majoriry, 1. Throughout the four years of Dusuns, Muruts ami the C'lunese. Chinese-majority and the PBS rule between J986-1990, It IS ab;o probabk that the PBS "mixed" constituencies. relations between the Federal pronme to fight lor Sabah's rights Altl10ugh it also won in some and the State Government had v1s-a·VIS the FedcraJ govern men r Muslinl-majority areas, the bulk not been altogether cordial. swmg the \oters behmd the party. of Muslim consutuenc1es were Issues which caused tensions But there are difficulne~ ahead. won by USNO. This was so not included It has to w u1 more Muslim support. only where USNO stalwarts a) the Federal Government's At the same ume m relations contested. It was also true even leruent treatment of USNO \1.-ith kuala Lu mpur remam rather when USNO fielded newcomers. and BERJAYA leaders who stramed Oespne liS electoral VIC· The case of Balung where had been implicated and/or tory there :.till remain charges of Datuk Al1mad Bahurom involved in the illegal 1986 corruption, ncpousm and discrinu Titinga n, the most senior PBS demonslrntions and riots: nation In hghung for the rights of Muslim leader was defeated by b) corruptiOn cases initiated by the Sabah:ms. therefore, the PBS an USNO newcomer supports the Internal Revenue Depart· must t:.nsu re that us own govern· this observation. Whet her such ment and the Ami-Corrup ment I!> clean. tau and JUSt. res support for USNO IS because of tion Agenq agamst senior poru.tble and democrauc. Now that the alleged dtscnmination of PBS leaders, it has ''on the elccuons_. the PBS Musluns in Sabah and/or the caU c) the handhng of illegal immi must now tnve for a higher, to vote USNO m order to ensure gration wluch become moral VIC lOT). WJthout rhis. its a Muslim-led government. IS not increasingly JCute: discrepan electoral victory will be a hollow clear. But obviously, Musluns are cies m the electoral rolls; one. 0 becoming consolidated and questions on the erosion of rallying behind USNO again. Sabah's nghts withln Lhe AURANSABAH 24 FEDERAL/ STATE RELATIONS SABAH- ONE OF THIRTEEN OR ONE OF THREE? t 1~ sigruficant that almost all federal government. Hence. not to the polltical parties uwolved in Sabahans resent the whittling have addressed these issues would I the recent Sabah state ele.:tton) away of the State's autonomy. have been qu1te Irresponsible of included in thetr marufestocs some but they must realise that poliuc1ans seek1ng to represent the general statement ou how, upon their own state leaders were Sabah people. COI111J1g to power, each of them partly responsible, says Neither shou ld the raising of would do its utmost to \ecure and FRANCIS LOH KOK WAH swh issues by any poutical leader, matntatn the nghts or S.lhah within who also discusses the whatever hts party. or mdeed by any Sabahan, be construed as the Federation of Maluy s1a These Twenty Points which fonns parties included the oppostuou a uemp tmg to break away from the basis of Sa bah's rights the federation. There 1s a big Partt Rakyat Sabah, Angkatan within the Federation. Keac.hJan Rak yat Sabah. Berjaya, dtstin1.11on bet ween seced tng and dem:lllding more and and the Uberul Demucrut1c Part> . for nghts and the mwmbent. the Pani greater au to no my within the exist Bcrsatu SabaJt (PBS). ttsell a 1sland: and a rev1e"' of the Internal mg polittcal framework. And 1t is obvious that 1t IS the latter that the member of the Baman 'lilSIOnal. Sei.':UIIt}' Act untlcr which auspices Sabahans are demandmg. And when Only the Untteu Sa bah Na bona I some Sabahan) close to the PI3S Organisation (USKO) was reticent had been arrested for. allegedly. vtewed w1thm the context of lustory. such demands tn fact about 111dudmg ~uch a ~tatement plotung to take Sabah out of seem very legitimate. m tts marufesto Malays1a. It is therefore pertinent to 1 he range of demamls tndudeu Whatever the merits of each or return to history to understand the a fairer shart ol otJ revenue wh1ch all of these demands. Sabahan present Sabah standpoint. currently amounts to only five polJtJ~.1ans and leaders obv10usly per cent of the total for Sahah: felt t11ul they y,crc pressmg tssues effect1ve control or the iJJegal which hat! to be addressed. While THE TWENTY POINTS Filipu10 and Indonesian imnu· 1t m1ght be true. as Prime Mmister 1 he first person to express grants. conservatively est una ted at Or Mahathir Mohamad argued, that concern for Sabuh"s rights Within 500.000 and who wme under the ra1smg such ":lltll-federal issues" the f ederation in a systematic charge of the federal authonttes: WUS "p(U)'lllg With fire", OOilC· manner was no less than the late Borneo-nisat1un. m ~.:nntrast to Utclcss. it should also be recognised Tun Fuad Stephens. the t1rst Malaya-nisatmn of the federal c1v1l that such sentiments were al re.ady Chief Mmister of Sabah. Before service, the federal statutory au tho· rather w 1despread among ordinary leading his state into Malaysia nttes and thetr vartous subsidiane~ Sabahans even before the electoral on 16 September 1963, h1s own a larger allocation of development campa1gn!> began. party UNKO (the Unitetl National funds for Sabah espectally tn v1cw Tim is obvious to anyone who Kad3/.an Organisation) and the of its relative lag behmd pemn· has )pent some time in Sabah Sabah Alliance (comprising UNKO, sular achievements; and a greater recent I:,. Indeed. the roots of such USNO. and the Sabab Chinese devolution of powers from the senuments run deep into the his· Assoctation) had msistctl upon and federal government to Sabah. tory of Sa bah's mvolvemcn t tn acquired certrun guarantees from In the case of the PBS. other 1\Waysia - a history whtch. from Kuala Lumpur with regards to specific demand~ mcluded thc the Sahah standpoint, IS one of Sabah·~ nghts generally and the establishment of a separate tch: tm:reastng dom1nation, even ..colo· Kadatun peoples nghts specifically. vision station: the return of Labuan nisauon" of the1r state by the What were these nghts? 25 In this way. the 1\venty Poims these occasions, the context ts were given official recogruuon usually of how SabaJ1 has become in an tndirect manner by the increasing)} dominated by the federal authonties. Whtle this federal authoriues or how "coope d1d not amount to accordmg rative federalism" has become the Twenry Points legal status. "coercive federalism··. Put another an amicable settlement was wa}. the complatnt is that the nonetheless reached. prin~:tpally T\\'en (I PotfitS have not been because the federal government honoured What ts Ll1e basis for gave assurances to the Kadazan such comments7 Below we b11efl} Tun Fuad Stephens: Rights for (and other Borneo) leaders that the discuss how the t!roston of the Sabah under Twenty Points spirit of the 1\venty Potms would Twenty Points hu~ occurred over agreement. be honoured. the past 17 years. Hence.· Sabah (and Sarawak) rlr!>tly. while Islam would be the were gnen spectaJ righb to which EROSION OF THE TIVENTY official religion of the country . none of the other peninsular POINTS they tnSISted that tlus should not states were entitled. For thb Under Mustapha's rule (1967 appl} to Sabah. Tllis \\-as unpor reason. many Kaduan and 75) for instance. a bill "as intro· tant s 1n ~:e the rnajonty of Sabahans Sabahan leaders cons1dered the duced before 10 )ears ol lndepen· espedaUy the Kadanns. who consi status of Sabah to be different dence had passed. to make Bahasa dered themseh..::. to be the "mu! from that of the other states Malay)la the sole uffictaJ language. natircs nf Sahah ··. and the Chinese Some harboured the opm1on. still AJthough m retrospect tlus move were not Mushms. Second. the very much alive today, that Sabah has helped to btnd Sabah to Malay leader) argued that while Malay had entered u1to the arrangement as sia. it dtd cause much anxiety for wa~ to be tJte national language. an equal panner with the Federa many Sabaham "hen Mustapha so "rngh!>h should contmue to be tion of Malaya. Sabah wa:. "one oj acted ahead of tune. Moreo.,.er. used fur a permd of ten years three·· (four if one includes Singa· in 1974 he mdt!red all broadcasts after Malaysia Oay" Other pore) signatories to the London in Clunesc. Kat.laLan. Murut and demands mduded the '·Borneo· Agreement and as such. should other indtgenous languages rusanon" of the public services as not be treated as "one of the termtnated. soon as poss1ble; state control thirteen" states. still less be More controversial were his over unmigration. local government dom10ated by Kuala Lumpur. efforts to lslanmc the state. The and land mauer!>. consultauon with It was in this manner that Sabah Constitu tton was amended regards to changes 10 Sabah's Stephens and the other Sabah to make Lslam the offictal religion. educauoual system: specml right~ Alliance leaders hoped to preserve 1-unds were then maJe avatlablc for the "natives" (includtng Sino· their autonomy. ln this regard the lor the butldmg of mosques. the Kad:vans): the dtannelling of deve Twenry Pomts tS an 1mportant promotion and the admtnistratton lopment funds !rom Kuala Lumpur symbol of the terms under whtch of the Islamic rehgion. The pro to Sa bah: and representation in Sabah became u part of Malaysia. pogation of C'hnstianity, 111 parti· Parhament tn a~:cordancc with "tts It stgnifies a futr deal and being cular. was curtailed causmg much sue and potenltalities" and not rreated as an equal partner. anxiety among non-MtiSiims Lndt!r merely on the baS1S of Its popula· h is not surprising therefore hun too, Sabah·s educational tion we. that on various occasions over the system was also brought in line These and other demands ''ere past :!7 years smce 1963. various wnh the national one. What was llnally fommlated as the "Twenty Sabah leaders have referred to the particularly annuyrng for the Pmnts". They were incorporated in Twenty Poims when they felt KadaLons. however, was that amended form as part of the Inter· themselves under siege by tht! arrangements were not made to Go.,.ernmcntal Committee Report. Federal government. ror tnstance. teach J... aduan as a Pup1l's Own 196:!, dtscu'\slng the Lndependent:e when Singapore was expellet.l with Language as provtded for under arrangements and approved by the out Sabah's consultation 111 1965. the Education Act. 1-inally. it was SabaJ1 Legtslattve As-.cmbl} in and when Stephens was forced to of course dunng Mustapha\ time March 1963 Subsequent!). the step down as leader of Sabah that Syed Kechtk from Kcdah ran Report formed pun of the basis Alliance in 196 7, Stephen~ remark· the Sabah Foundat1on ami wielded of the London Agreement paving ed that the Twenty Points were much power. the way for the formation of not being honoured. Even Tun \lext. under llarrts S.tlleh's Ber Malays1a Ul September I Q6J. Mustapha talked tn these terms Jaya government ( 1976 84 ). Alter these demands were incor· when he was removed in 1975 Labuan was ceded away Without po1atcd into the new Sabah State as a resu 1t of Federal pressures. consultatton of the people what· Con!itllution. the). too. found thetr More recently. we have heard. soever In contJast to the $3 way through amendments, mLO the too. reference to the Twenty billion paid to Selangor lor the Feder:~! Constttution of Malaysia . Points by the PBS leaders. On acquisition ol Kuala Lumpur, 26 scrvu.. e. all state oll1ccrs ~conded ~u an no} ed wull 1he older polili· 10 federal deparunent:. also became cians. Indeed, Mustapha's and federal officers. By 1978 more than Harris' f.O\ernments abo included 20.000 such publK servaJlts had several promment Kadazan leaders been so affected. As a resuiL. the as Mmisters who must share res State government lost almmt all say pons•bilit> for what has LOme to m the appouwnent and promouon pass. But m a sense the Sabahan of employees 111 these federahsed electorate itsdf must also be held departments. includmg these re~ponsible for allowmg theu rights 20.000 plus former state emplo to be whitlled. ror these leaders yees. Much an\icty resul ted. ~one were elected by them! In tillS Sabahan intellectual l::unemed regard. we also need to reOcct on '·Theoreu.:ally. 11 ts poss1b le for a the money politics and undemo federal dcpanment to be staffed cratic rule 1hat the people allowed entire!} by recruit:. from Penin to become Widespread Junng. at sular Malays1a.'' leas t Mustaphu's and Harris Salleh":. In 198<). the Public Services tunc. Ocpanmcnt. Sabah branch. noted Quite apart from the q uestlon Sabah State mosque: Islam became 111 a stutement that there were some of 1he Twenty Poll/IS and the lOll~ the official religion and caused 23.000 peninsular Malaysians or autonom~. the nature of the much anxiety among Sabah's serving m Sabah. They ~:onstlluted economic relallonship between ethnic communities. ahou 1 50 per cent ol the total Sabah and the pemnsula 1s also a 46.780 employed in the federal cause ol concern and gro\\mg Sabah rece1ved no compensation pubhc.. l.erv1ce. A review of the dissatisfacuon among the S:.~bahans whatsoever for the 1ransfcr of l·ederal agem:ies in Sabal1 Labuan. conducted b} tJ1e Insutute of DIVTSION OF LABOUR AND In promotiOn of what he mter Development Stud1es (Sabah) UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION pretcd to con~Iitute the "na11onal· further noted that some 85 per OF BENEFITS c..ulture policy" llarns also attempt c.:ent of the 64 agenc1es were headed ed to :meambne the cultures of the by people from peninsular MalaysJU From the outset 11 ts necessary vanous groups. furthermore. he that same year. It is clear therefore. 10 clarify that 1hc ~otatistics referred Introduced the category of '· Pn that Borneu-msation of the pubhc to m this section ha\e been obtalll· humJ" 10 1nclude not only the scrvtces has not occurred. Instead. ed from officia l publications of the Kadazans, Muruts. Bajau. Sulu and Sabah ·s bureaucracy has become federal and Sa bah governmen tl>. u1 her mdigcnous peoples of Sabah increa~ingly federahsed and most of They include the \anous hve but lndonesmns. Fil1p1nos. natJvel> the top pos!ltons have been filled Yeur Plans. the Sabal1 Regional of Sarawak. and Cocos Islanders as by officers from the peninsula. Planning Study. Mm!Stry of well. The Kadatan~. 111 pan1cular. from the foregomg. we may Fmance reports and the Annual wns1dered thc~e moves as try mg 10 conclude that many of the pro· Bulletin of Statistics. deny them the1r 1denmy a~ 1he \ISions of the Twenry Points have In I CJ71. the manufacturing "'true natives·· of Sahah and as the not been upheld. Consequently sec1or's contribution to GDJ> for largest of all the md1genous group!.. Sabah has increasingly lost its Malaysia as a whole was I 4. 7 They further feared that IIams. autonomy and come under the per cent wh1le that for Sabah "a!> like Mustapha before rum, was domma lion of the federal only :!.5 per cent By 19~3. the I rying to Malay1se and hlamJSe g.ove r n men 1 percentage for Malaysia as a whole 1hem. However. II must be stressed bad increased to 18.3 per cent Lo add1t1on to the above. Harris thai these developments occurred wh1le that for Sabah was registering Salleh further pres1ded over the with the cooperation of the Sabah only 2.9 per ~:ent Simultaneously •·federalisatwn" of Sabah's :>tate state governments. first under whereas the prm1ary sector's (agn· bureaucracy By the early 19l:!Os, Mustapha and subsequent!} Harns cuiLUre. fo1estry. lishing and nunmg only 19 departments ~:ontmucd to Salleh Indeed all of the changes and quarrymg) contribution to be under the control uf the Sabah that we have men11oned were duly Malaysia·~ GDP dropped from 37 I government. while 1he number ol passed in the Legislauve Assembly. per cent to n.:.. per cent over the departments under the control of ln other words. previous Sabahan same period. that for Sabah only the federal government had leaders themselves cooperated with dropped from 54.5 per cent to increased Irom 13 in 1963 1o 51 the Federal government to remove 5 1.6 per cent. The corresponding m 1981. many new ones being the Twenty Points safeguards and figures for the tertiary sector were created m the process. to allow for domination by Kuala 47.1 per cent ristng to 54.3 per Moreover. followmg the Cabinet Lumpur. Perhaps this is why ll1e cent for Malaysia as a whole. and Committee Report of ~lal) young Sabahans. and in parucular 43 per cent rising to 45.4 p~r cent revisions. terms and conditions of the young Kadazans m 1he PBS. are for Sabah during the same period. 27 Accordmgly, produtuon worker~ us Sahalt amoun1ed tu \ IS....I~() tt(ClJilkd greater autoHolll}. In la~.:t a proportion of tht: total labour millton In other \\Ords there wa~ it appear~ that 11 J!; merelj seen a~ force m the Penm)ula rose lmm a further net uutlllw. of snme "oil( uf tlt1 tllirtn~n ". This b apparent. 1111 1nstun.:e, in the ::!7.3 per cent to 33.3 per cent $7.~75 nnlhun frou1 Sab:d1 to 1he between 1970 and 1980 ln the federal go\ernment recent r espouse h~- the r ctleral M111istcr of Information to Sabah\ case of Subah. however. they only In lieu of ~:un1pamblc Llata on rose from 3.3 per cent to 4 per ~.:ent irkome diStrtbuuon bel\\ ceo the request for its uwn television ~tatement. In Ius mind Sabah between 1970 and 1978 Taken two repon~. we hJ\e to rc:mrt tu together. these ~tatistics suggcl>t should not be treated tn any ~tai!SIH:s on the inudl.!lll'e 111 that Malay~ta·s reputauon as an 'Pt:~otal ~a)' \\hat~oe,er Thus if povert) to gauge ltm~< su1.h a emergmg Newly lndu~trialt~ed dtvision of I:Jb our and net outflow ~a bah·~ rcque~t slll)uld be a~:ced~:d Country ~ pnncipally a result ol of publtc lunds nught ha\e .life, ted to \'.hat wa\ to prevent other rapitl tntlustnuliLatton 111 the Penm· statt.:. from makmg the same I he c.:orrespomltng wealt It llf tit~: ~ula, not 1Il Sabah. There appear~ two regions i\lthour.h steadtly requ~o:st'' therefore. that a dl\l~ton uf labour lkchning s1n~.:e 1970. noncthele,~ . That federal l..:aders anJ the exiStS between the two rep.1u1b. )abah still regJStereJ MJI11e JJ. I tedcral go\'crnmen 1 should be llu~ dJVJsion between a more per cent of m population a~ poM in thmkmg along thee;~ lines should tndustnaliled Penmsula and a 198-L B; conttrnt. the mcu.len~e uf al~o rhH be 'urpmmg. For not Sabal1 speciahLing m the protlu.: pmerty in the J>eumsuLt was down on ly is our federal sy~tcrn an uon of commodtttes I) further to I b .4 per cent that )ear There e\1 rem ely ccntrah~d ont: and the renected in the terms of trade was. tt would appe.tt. som~,. material centrah~atton pn>..;C:.:. uco.:urred for betwt'Cn the two region~ Wh1le c.:ause liH the Kadalan-; and ~11mc I iml: llO\\ 111 Sahah Cen the total value ol Sahah'-; trade Sabahans more generally to lcel tralisallon 111 Sa bah" .ts al~o adlh!V· had been intreasing rapidly duTlng that they were being ".:ololllicd" CU COIIStiiUIIOilall) With the the 1970s. nonetheless. certain by the feder.tl government. ~oopuation of the pa:.t Sabah unhealthy trends vts-a·VIl> that pto· lenders elected by the Sabah porllon of its trade with the Pentn· people This fact ~hould also be INCREASING sula have developed. recogni~d. Whereas in 1970 the value ul CENTRALISATION Thu ~. unless the prel.ent you11ge1 export~ to the Peninsula amounted The~e then are some of the generauon lll Sabahans acknow to only $4.6 million. Jt uh:reascu I SSUe~ that ~hape the llttture uf ledge that the whittl1ng away of to S 360.::! millton by I Q84. some federal-state relat tons hetwc~ n the state's autonom; wa:. also 6.6 per cent of the total value of 1-.uala Lumpur anu 1-.ota Kmahalu brought about by thw 0\\.n eleo.:tcd Sabah's exports. Over the same today. It ii. on the bac;h 1)1' these state le.tder~ - thus demanding period, the value of imports from issues that the Sabahans datm that much retrospc~.Lion about. say. the the Penmsula im:reascd from the Twenty' Poil11~ safeguards have prevalence \If mono:) pohtics 111 S I 01.7 milhon to S 1.340.7 milhon. been cro1kd anti a loss of Sabah the same o.:ould continue some 36.6 per cent or the 10tal autonomy resulted Ill fliiUIC value of Sabah's imports. Con I- rom the rev1ew of d~vch)p· Thus lar no dear resolution ol ~equently. Sahah's balance of traue menb above 11 ll> undeniable that the tensiOn bet"een 1-.uala Lumpur with the Peninsula worsened some Sahah has becomt! increlll>utgl> and Knta 1-.inabalu M:cms Lll sight. ten-fold over the same period. "one of rh<• thirteen" rather than In fact the substantive issues from -$97 I milhon to -$980.5 "one of rite rlm·e ··. r rl,JI11 the h1ghli1 htctl b; Sab:Jhans are not million. Not surprismgly. ih llll!Jllr Sabah standpomt. 11 1s perfectly belllg g1ven senous consideration. tmports from the Peninsula tom· 111 keepmg wtth the onginal terms Instead. the lcderal authorttiC) prised manu facturctl goods and of thetr parttctpatlon in MalayMa seem 10 thmk about mtcgrauon amcles. machinery and transport to demand for. 'ay. a -.epaiate in supcrltdal terms and that it ..:an equipment, chemil:aJs, beverage and television station, a higher per· be achtevcd h}' havmg more anti tobacco. food and mineral fuels ceotagc of oil revenue and Bornco cheape1 lligh ts between the two i\s a result of the diVISton of labour m~tiun of the pubh~.: \Cf\ttCS. rq.ton~. mor~; patriotic songs and between the two regions. therefore. fhese arc ~ub~tantive issues lhtlS However. the substantive JSl>Ues Pemnsula. when one of the major aspects of ou tlinell above must he atid rcssed, hmhermore, according to any demm:ra~..y comes fullluch: aml m the nght sptrtl of building MiniStry of Finance statistics. The problem wtth IC~olvmg such a trul; unncd community, before federal expenditures in Sabah have issues howeve . ts that the federal the ~trams on be uoncd awa; On totalled some $8,213 m1lhon government tollay uoes not seem their parr. Sabal1an.... tndeed aU between 197 L to 1985 Over 1hat preparetl to accept (if it ever did) Malaysians should take thcu poh same period of tmle, however. Sabah\ demand that tt be treatctl u~.s seuously and usher m respon~t· federal revenue collected from us "one oj tile three" and bt: bJe 311U JUSt go~ 28 INTERNATIONAL POLmcs THE GULF CRISIS The gulf crisis, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on invasion should also be dismantfed. THE IRAQl 2 August 1990, has been However, this does not mean the major news story all that the Emir of Kuwait should INVASION over the world in the last be re-instated. The invasion has few weeks. In a series of shown that the Emir and the ruling OF KUWAIT short articles, some of which family have very little support were released as press among the populace. In fact, dis· he whole world condem?s the statements, CHANDRA affection with the ruling elite Iraqi invasion of Kuw:ut. To MUZAFFAR examines had developed even before the T make it worse, the Iraqi various aspects of the crisis. recent invasion. Many Kuwaitis regime has chosen to annex the were unhappy with the Emir for tiny oil-rich Kingdom. the dissolution of a fragile, feeble The annexation has been camou parliament which had existed in flaged as a ·merger'. This is a vivid Iraq should withdraw from one form or another since 1962. illustration of the sinister decep Kuwait immediately and without tion that the Iraqi regime is capable any conditions. The puppet regime of. that it installed following the Kuwait invaded and annexed. 29 There was, bes1des. a financw establtsh with Iraq, other Arab Council resolution These sanctions scandal a few months ago involving nations, the Umted States and the will have the desired effects, even the Emir's family. The Emir is also rest of the world. thoush it will take a bit of tin1e. perceived by a sigruficant cross Of course. the solution we Some Arab and non-Arab coun section of Kuwaiti society as a have propounded here is only tries are also actively involved in mere lackey of the Umted States. possible after Iraq withdraws from diplomatic moves to persuade Iraq N; soon as Iraq withdraws, the Kuwait Iraq should be forced to to leave Kuwait. United Nations should establish a withdraw from Kuwa1t through It is best to allow the Arab peace-keepmg force in Kuwait. diplomatic pressure and economic states and nations in the Gulf The peace-keeping force should sancuons. region to resolve the crisis arising pave the way for democratic elec In this connection, ail nations from Iraq's illegal occupation of tions and the establishment of a and peoples should give their full Kuwait, with the assistance of the genuine, legiumate government support to UN efforts to force UN. The military mvolvement of which has the support of the peo lraq to withdraw from Kuwait. the United States in the cnsis will ple. It will be up to the govern It is Significant that a number of only aggravate an already tense ment to decide - without inter countnes have begun to impose situation. • ference from any quarter - on the econom1c sanctions upon Iraq in type of relationship 1t wants to accordance with the UN Security THE ESCALATION OF THE GULF CRISIS he United States is largely condemnation of Iraqt occupation al objective, the Untted States has responsible for the dangerous and annexation of Kuwait. the solid backing of almost ail the T escalation of the gulf cnsis Why d1dn't the Untted States, or Western industrial economtes and The United States has escalated more appropriately Saudi Arabia. Japan. the crisis in two ways - one, seek UN help in defending its For Kuwait and the other gulf through 1ts massive m1litary build (Saudi's) terntorial integrity? There kingdoms help to mamtain petro up along the Saudi-Kuwaiti border are two poss1ble explanations. One, leum prices at a level which is and two, through its naval blockade the Unued States does not have the consonant with the larger economic of Iraq and occupted Kuwait. sort of evidence which can stand up interests of the United States and The United States has sought to to international scrutiny to show the other mdustrial nations. They JUstify us m1htary build-up on that Iraq was about to invade ensure that these nations have Saudi soil in the name of protect· Saudt Arabta Two, the real pur easy access to their otl. Even their mg Saudi Arabia from an imnunent pose behind the United States investments, which are constdera Iraqi attack. If the Umted States military build-up in Saudi Arabia is ble, are geared towards reinforcing government had incontrovertible not the defence of the latter's the fiscal instruments and mstitu • evidence of Iraqi destgns on Saudi territorial integrit). Its pnrnary tions of the Western economies . Arabia, it should have placed the rrussion in Saudt Arabia is not the Iraqi annexation of Kuwa1l is a evidence before the United Nations protection of the Saudi people. major challenge to thts en tire Security CounciL The Unned Why then has the United States system of control and dommance Nations could then have been deployed so much military power over gulf oil, of which the United persuaded to estabhsh a multi· at the Saudi-Kuwrut border? States is the principal beneficiary. national force under HS own banner Because it mtends to re-take With the annexation of Kuwait, to protect the mtegrity of Saudi Kuwait for the Emlf and, of course, Iraq and occupied Kuwau would Arabia. The UN Charter aUows for its own economtc and political now control almost one-fourth of the world body to come to the mterests. The United States will the oil ex ported from the whole of assistance of member states not allow Kuwrut to get out of its West N;ia Accordtng to some threatened by armed aggression. It grip. F01 that matter, it will not sources, this would put them allows the UN to act collectively allow any of the other oil-nch ahead of Saudi Arabta, current against a member-state whtch has gulf kingdoms to chan out their ly the world's largest exporter of violated the Charter After all. own petroleum and financial poli· crude oil. the United Nations Secunty Coun c..tes, independem of the Umted Losing control over Kuwatti oil cil was almost unanimous in Its States. In pursuing tl1is vital nation- to Iraq is going to jeopardize 30 American interests in West Asia. up its own multi-national force, The blockade. like the mass For Iraq, together with fran, Alge with the assistance of some of its deployment of troops, planes and ria and Libya. use pelroleum as a European allies like Britain and warships in the gulf region has strategic weapon - and not merely Australia. and some of ils Arab raised tensions 10 West Asia. There as a trading commodity - to friends like Saud1 Arabia, Egypt is widespread fear that a war may buttress their economic and poilu and Morocco. Iraq's invetrate foe. break out any tlme. cal independence. While Iraq's Syna. has also JOined m. Bur no TI1e Iraqi regune has begun to bargaining power not only at the one is under any illusion: It is react to the US blockade and mili OPEC table but also in the vola basically an American military tary mobilization. It is quite tile politics of West Asia will be operation. obvious now that Americans in enhanced, the Un11ed States' ability It is for the same reason - its Kuwait and Iraq are going to be to manipulate the unportant politi self-interest - that the United held as hostages m strategic military cal and econom1c actors in the States has dec1ded on Its own naval and civilian locations. llolding region will durun1sh considerably. blockade Without the consent of people who may not be dHectly or It is because of tht! economics the UN itself. It would be a gross indirectly linked to a conflict as and politics of oil that the United violation of the UN Charter for hostages is a despicable act. 1t States has put together such a huge any country to implement UN should be condemned by aU those military expedition in Saudi Atabia. sanctions through military means. who cherish civiliLed norms of To reiterate, it has calculated that It IS significant that United States behaviour. it lS in its economic, political and President, George Bush , bas ignored This is what happens when belli strategic interests to regam control the advice of the UN Secretary gerency confronts belligerency m of Kuwatt. This is why it has by General, Javier PereL de Cuellar, an escalating connict. • passed the United Nations and set on this matter. IS THERE A SOLUTION? s it possible to work out a peace Kuwait-Saudi border. region, including the denial of a ful solution to the gulf crisis? 3) The freeing of all hostages held homeland to the Palestinians, I Theoretically, 11 is possible by the Jraqi regtme m Iraq and disputes over state boundaries provided the United Nations is Kuwait. created by colonial rule. the allowed to play a much bigger and 4) The holding of democratic elec presence of foreign bases and more effective role. Below we tions in Kuwait to determine military facilities in the region outline a five-point solution. who would constitute the and the role of superpowers in I) The simultaneous withdrawal of government. The elections West Asian politics. Apart from both Iraq from Kuwait and the should be conducted by the UN. all the states in West Asia. the United States-led multi-national 5) The holding of a comprehensive five permanent members of the force from Saudi Arabta. West Asta Conference under the UN should also be invited to 2) The immediate establishment of auspices of the UN to flnd solu· participate in the conference a United Nations peace-keepmg tions to some of the fundamen force in Kuwait and along the tal problems confronting the • THE UNITED STATES AND SADDAM HUSSEIN rom most accounts, Saddam total monopoly over power in his But Soviet arms were not enough to Hussein. President of Iraq. country. who received massive make Iraq a regional military F is a harsh dictator. He rules military support from the United power. It was United States mili· his country with an iron hand. The States from 1980 to 1988, during tary assistance which transformed ruling Baath party is Saddam's the eight-year Iraq-Iran war. Before that country into a regional vehicle for one-man rule. the war, Saddam's main source of military power. It was this d1ctator, with a military atd was the Soviet Union. The United States backed Iraq 31 to the hilt in its war against Iran tereJ to the l 'niteu State~ was thJL wa\ the result of the annexathJil even though Iraq wru. dearly the [mam Khomem1 and the !raman and uccup:mon ot Pulc~linlan lam! aggressor. It was Iraq that unila leadership haJ to be defeated by Jews from outside the reg.~on, terally violated the 1975 Shall Today. George Bush prodam1s who had the \\ hoJchearted )upp01t at-Arab waterway agreement which to the world that Saddam llussem of tht: Unrted State') and Bntbh Saddarn himself had signed with the ma} use chemit:al weapons ::tgaiu~t governments. So l1e beg:ms to a~k then Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlav1. American Sl>ldlers. He war>ts the h.unse.lf. what right has the United But the United States, fearing the whole world to conuemn S::tddam States to marshal its for~es to rise of revolutionar} Islam, m the for even contemplaung the use of defeat Iraqi ll1\'a~mn and anne:\a wake uf the overthrow of their chem1cal weapon~ m a \\·ar which tion of h.uw ...it when the; Unued fond ally, the Shah, decided to give may erupt at any ltme. State!> Js~l~t~cl Juectl) a.ud rnut all the help it could to Saddam. The Today. US State Oepartment recU)'. iu Ute allrii~Xation anu United States reckoned that a dicta and Pentagon offictals call Saddam oc~.oupaliorr of Pale:.une? torial Arab nationalist regime was Hussein a 'Hitler'. If he is a ffitler, As a re!>ult o1 that annexatmn less of a threat to its interests than let it not be forgotten that the and the contmuecl expulston of Islamic resurgence. United States was quite happy to Palestinians from their homeland, This explains why the United use him when it suited its mtere~ts . about three million Palestmtans live States was prepared to tolerate a lot Today, fnend h~ berome foe in as relug..:e~ u1 otht:r peuplc ~ coun of Saddam's misdeeds. Saddam's West Asia. The only rhing thatlllls trie!>. The Unued State~ su wn use of chemical weapons against n(Jit changed is the role of the cemed about Ute mvasion and Iranian soldiers - a well-docu United States in West Asta. It annexatmn of Ku\\ JJI - has shown mented fact placed before the remains that one alien powt:r v.hkh hard!} an} compassion fo1 1 be councils of the world - was never has no scruples about manipulating agony anti ordeal ul the Palestinians. given much attention by United every situatiun to serve its narrow What l!> worse the Uruted States States officialdom. All that mat- lflterests ~ 4t continues to conuuue hrael1 aggres sion a&ainst the Palc:.tmtan~ anu other ArabS. e\ell when the whole world. iuclud mg some of its Westem allies, cunJemn the Tel Aviv reg:~me. Tlu:. \\as what h.ip· pencd when Is1 ael m .1d~.:u lebanon DOUBLE STANDARDS m I%::! The United State:. du! nut ewspaper, radio and televi sizeable segment of Ute Arab ask the dvlllLed nauons of the sion reports from the population. For the Arabs, these world to mtpose sancthm:> upon, or N United States and Britain on double standards become so ll> blockade, Israel when 'its troops the gulf crisis have generally been obvious the moment they reflect massacred mnoccnt women and biased in favour of American inter upon the present gulf crisis. against children at Shubr 32 Media Massa ETIKA KEWARTAWANAN Jubatan Sams Politil.. jau pi/ihanraya itu. JO Julai I 9Y(J ii) Pada umumnya pililtanraya di Malaysia berfalan de11gan Utusan MaJaysia, akhbar yang Ketua Pengarang adil pada hari pilihanraya mengaku dirinya sebagai iltu!>tm MalaysuJ itu (moksud saya, llari segi "Penyebar Fikiran Rakyat", Jalqn Chan Sow Lin pembuangan da/1 pangiraan 55200 Kuala Lumpur. memang diketahui wnum undi dan sebagainya). sebagai akhbar yang tidak Tttan. iii) Para pemarltati luar mung kin akan menimbulkan mengenal erti prinsip Saya memfttk kepada bertta di rnasalall berita-berita di kewartawanan. Apabila Utusa/I.Malaysia pada 28ftJiai 1990, suratkllabar. termasuk, Utusan bertanya pendapat muka stJ,rat 4. berrajuk "Pendapat Utusan Malaysia, dan media Ketua Jabatan Sains Politik wkuh-tokoh akatlemfk · Pemerhati massa lain yang terlab.J herat Uruversiti Kebangsaan luar tak diperlu awasi pililumraya sebelqh dan lidak memberi. Malaysia, Prof. Madya Dr. wnum ". Di da/am berita itu hasil p,e/uang kepada pihak pem Haris Amir Abdullah, tenwduga dengan dua orang hangkcmg. Misalnya, saya mengenai pemerhati luar akademik, cennasuk saya sendiri. kata bahawa saya belum dilaporkan. _pernah mclihat temudux~ untuk mengawasi pilihanraya dengan Lim Kit Siang d1 umum, beliau berkata, "Putih, Berfta 2 tersebut sama sekali tidak ttlev1:ry~n. putih, putih dan putih." mencenninkan pt!ndupat yang saya iv) Para pemerhati luar mung tetapi Utusau Malaysia kemukakan kepada pemlx!rita tttan. f..7n akf,{n merasa biinbang memu tarbelit dan Pnikan-perikan dalam berita itu. me/ilwt peranan sesetengah meugubahnya menjadi bukanlah kata-kata ~aya tetapc jentc:ra kerojaan yang tidak "Hitam, hitan1, hitam dan Jireka sa!z(I}a oleh pemberita ftiz. bersikap belkecuali retalJi hitam." Beriku t disiarkan Sava tidak mengatakan balwwa nwubantu kempen BN "ddak pemah timbul sebelum ini secara aktiJ: kandungan surat beliau kepada sebarang keraguan" Say a tidak 4. Berita .lUan bukan sekMar Ketua Pengarang U tusau mengaJokan bahawa 'lkerajaan menwtarbelitklm pefulapat saya Malaysia. tidak horus taAur dengan ugutan tetaPi merupakan rekaan helaka pembang/...ang" Soya tidak ym1g thlak kNm-m~tJgena dengan men~atakan bahawa "fni memper apa ~·ang dikenwkakan dafa:m temu Jfhatkun pthak pembangkcmg dug~ ittt. Pengalaman ini telah seolalz·olah tidak mempany(Ii tlu" men~;.ruatkan kesan bahawa berita dan saya tidak berkata ''kalau berita Utusan Malaysia berkaitan pihak pembangkang m¢rin benar dengan plliltwlraya memang hera! bi!JJJr adil mengpPa ia dironbulkan dw1 kurang dop(lt di sef.;.arang". sebelah perta)'ai.Oleh para pel!lbaca. 3 Pendapat J!r.mr: sayu kemukaka11 daJam tenwduga sing-kat me/alui } ang beuar. telepon itu ada/(lh seperti berikut:- PROFMADYA DR IIARJSAMIR 1) Masyarakur Malaysia boleh AlJDULLAH nienerima kedatangan pe Ketua merhati luar unntk menin· Jabatwz Saim Politik. Unwersiti Kebwtgsaan Malaysia. 33 CURRENT CONCERNS TV STATIONS FOR the national TV networks have SABAH AND SARAWAK so httle coverage on Sabah and Sarawak. It is not a bad idea for Sabah nformation Minister Datuk and Sarawak to operate the1r own Mohamed Rahmat announced stations. This will ensure that I recently that the Federal Go the media interests of the people vernment will not allow Sabah to there are well taken care of. It operate its own radio and tele will also help to reduce the insen vision stations. He expressed satis sitivity, even though unmlentiona.l, faction that TV2 was now available on the part of the Semenanjung in Sabah and Sarawak. producers, towards the culture and It should be pointed out that people of Sabah and Suawak. the real issue is the content of Given the histoncal and cultural TV programmes with regards to uniqueness of the two states, as Sabah and Sarawak which have well as the diversities there, 1t is their own histoncal and cultural more efficient to decentralize the lrad1tions. The present three TV TV networks. · networks do not cater to the cul This brings us to an Important tural mterests of the peoples in point, that is, it is misleading to Sabah and Sarawak. The local merely treat Sabah and Sarawak as Registering voters: Compulsory programmes cater more to the any other states in Malaysia. A registration will prevent a lot of interests of Malays, Ch~ese and maJor problem m the relations hanky-panky in the electoral indians of Peninsular Malaysia who between tht> Semenanjung and process. have their communal parties to East Malaysia is due to this alti ensure that certam ethnic and tude of Semenanjung politicians religious mterests are taken care who treat Sabah and Sarawak as COMPULSORY of. merely a state in Malaysia, and it REGJSTRAT ION OF There is very httle which caters has became common for our to the cultural interests of the national leaders (who are politi· VOTERS Iban, Bjdayuh, Melanau, Kayan, cians of political parties in the Kenyah, Kelabit, Lun Bawang and Peninsula) to say that Sabah or LIRA. N su pport.s wholehear others of Sarawak; and Kadazan, Sarawak cannot have this or that tedly the recent call by Bajau, Tagal, Kedayan and others because otherwise every other state A Elect1on Watch member, of Sabah, to mention only the will demand to have it too, as Tan Sri Ahmad Noordm to intro major ethnic groups. Even the indeed expressed by the Informa duce com~ulsory registration of present national news do not have tion Mmister recently with regards voter!> in tht> country. sufficient reports on the socio to the TV st.aL1on for Sa bah. Compulsory regiStration of cultural and economic development One must realize that Sabah voters would mean that persons in Sabah and Sarawak, except at and Sarawak agreed to form Malay who attain a certain age would times when there are crises, maJor sia together with the Peninsula not be required by law to register as crimes, or maJOr political events. JUSt like any other states in the voters. It would be very similar Even then. like in the case of the Peninsula. ln a sense, they were to registering birth or death or election in Sabah, the newc is equal partners to the Peninsula. marnage. Compulsory registration mainly from the perspective of There were condjt1ons agreed upon of voters is done in a number of certain politicians and do not when Sabah and Sarawak agreed parliamentery democracies. take mto account of the perspec to Corm ~lalaysia with the Seme· It JS particularly important that. tive or either the politicians or nanjung. I have already mentioned compulsory registration of voters the people of Sabah, as in the the distinct historical and cultural is introduced in our country as case of the Labuan issue or the tradit1ons of East Malaysia. In soon as poss1ble, smce a lot of the call for a Sabah TV station. In terms of size, one must not. forget hanky-panky in the electoral fact. ther4' is more news about that Sabah and Sarawak are bigger process is linked to voter registra U.S.A (including traffic accidents than the whole Peninsula com· tiOn. Many oi th.e complaints by there) than about Sabah and prising the eleven stales. Ali these voters in the last few months Sarawak. have implications on lhe alloca about names rusappearing from There IS therefore an urgent tion or fund and the rustribulion electoral rolls, about names being need to have at least a "channel of resources. It is important that transferred to other constituencies, whi<•h can rectify the neglect of the politicians and the people about the same 1dentlty card the v1ewers in Sabah and Sarawak. in the Semenanjung are sensitive numbers for different names are This will help to bnng about to this reality. all connected, in one way or greatt"r territorial integration. There another, w1th the registration of is no point talkmg about mtegra 31 July 1990 Dr. Tan Chee Beng voters tion when even the content.s of Exco Member Compulsory registration of 34 voters is one of the most effecil"e pared to respond positively to tinctive contribution is in the ways of ensuring a clean electonLI their plea strengthenmg of democratiC insti· roll. Once registration as a TOtfi is The plea of the Kcnyah com· tutions in member countries. Ht'ads required by law, political par.ies munity or Long Geng in Belaga of Government have long recog will have no role in ilie ~Uon deserves the full support of all nised a commitment to democra· of voters Both go' ".rnment and Malaysians. As a community, its tic processes as being among the opposition partie:;. will not be able coUect1ve right t.o it.s ancestral values they most cherish " It is to manipulate voter rCI1:tstratton. lands must be recognise-d and not possible for a Commonwealth ALIRAN would alw hk:e to respected by both the political observer mission to the elections suggest that. the rotin ate be t>lites and t.he timber barons. to help strengthen democratic insti· lowered from 21 to 1 l' ca!'S. In Besides, indiscnminate loggmg leads tutions 1f it is regarded as a simple a number of parlia.mentary demo· to severe environmen lal destruc· look·see trip. cracies, eighteen ts t.he '"otin& age. tion.. Though there may be short· Indeed, later in the paragraph, it India, for inst.anet>, lowered the term economic gains from the becomes very clear how the voting age a few yean o, to 1 !:1 type of logging that is taking Commonwealth hopes lo st.reng· year!>. In a youm: country like place in Belaga, it.s long-term con· then democratic institutions ours, th~re is every reason to lower sequences for the Kenyah com· through elections. It says, "Heads t.he voting age munity and the people or Sarawak of Government agreed with the But more than lowenng the are bound to be disastrous. The Secretary·Gen~ral's proposal that voting age at is the compul.sory rapid dE"plction of a natural one <>f the Commonwealth's contri registration of Yoters that merits resource which bas been a major buticns to strengthening democracy ammediate attention from the revenue earner for the state, is might be the provision of Common· powers-dtat IJ" not in the economic interest of wealth assistance in helping the ordinary Sarawakian. member countries to reinforce their 31 July 1990 P Ramakrisb nan ALIRAN calls upon the Umber election and other constitutional E.l:co 'fember companies and the state authori· processes through a fac1lity for ties to heed the just, legatimate mounting observer missions at the plea of the Long Geng community. request. of member governments, Logging operations should cease. and in respondmg to such The e1ght mem bers of lhe Long requests in other relevant ways. Geng community who have been They requested that the modalities arrested should be released of such a facility and related ARRESTS fN BEL .\.GA, immediately. assistance sllould be examined in SARAW -\K greater detail by the hagh·level Dr. Chandn Muzaffar group on future Commonwealth 3 August 1990 President roles." LIRA.'-: b deepl)' concerned Working out t.he modalitiel> of about the arrests of eight. a facility for mounting observer A natives from Long Geng in m1SS10ns carmot possibly mean the Belaga D trict of Sarawak who detailing arrangements for look· had put up a human barricade t.o see visits! Obviously, what the stop togging activities on their communique envisages is a proper ancestral Ull~ OBSERVING ELECTIONS mission which would assess var1ous The eight ho are being detain· asp~ts of an election. ed m the KapJ t police station are ertain quarters feel that the If the numerous observer Gara Jalont:. Batang Lenchau, proposed Commonwealth missions of the last few years Ahang Ejam, Likit Balan, Luyu C observer mission to the initia~ed by different groups Lawai, hmail Ding, Bit. B1long and coming general elections should including the United Nations are Baya Aiang. The relatives of the function like foreign individuals anything to go by, a Common· detained have been g1ven very and groups invited to witness the wealth observer mission will also little informauon by the police American presidential election. have to examine voter registra· on why the eight were arrested. There is a serious misconception tion, campaign fac1lities, the way They are concerned about the here that should be corrected. polling is carried out, the counting physical and mental well-being of The foreign invitees to Amencan of votes and of course electoral their loved ones What. is disturbing presidential elections, whether they grievances. It will also have to are allegations that some of them are middle-level politicians or meet candidates and political have been tortured. budding journalists, are on 'look· parties and prepare a report on its Arresting or using force on :;;ee' visits. These are trips to enable evaluation of the election. It would tho..e protesting agamst logging them to see the American electoral be wrong of an observer mission operations 1n Belaga will only and political system at. work. to confine its observations to agc:ravate the situation. Instead of This is not what the Common· voting and counlang of votes on re$0rting to such tactics1 the wealth Heads of Government en· polling day. authorities should make a smcere visaged in their communique issued Members of the Commonwealth effort to understand the real in Kuala Lumpur on 24 October who are known to hold fair and griennCE-s of the natives. 1989, at the end or their six day honest elections, in every sense ALIRAN has been informed meeting. The whole idea bebmd of the word, would be quite happy that .illlCe m1d-June, the Kenyah "mounting observer missions" is to to welcome observer missions that commuruty of Long Geng has strengthen democrat1c institutions seek lo examine every aspect of been neiolialing with timber com· in member countries. As the an election. They would be pre pame$ oJ)('rating in their area to opening lines in the relevant para· pared for international scrut.my Slop md~&enminllt.e logging. The graph in the communique put it, because they have nothing to hide human banacade was t>rected only "Heads of Government also agreed after tbf communhy realized that that one area where the Common· The Executive Committee the umber companies were not pre· weallh might usefully make dis· 4 August 1990 35 SY ARIAB & POLYGAMY renowned throughout Asia for its shoppmg factlit•es, their education· agricultural research. There is so al opportunitie!;, therr tourist spots, much onginaJ research to be done and most of all, because of the LmAN commends the in the cultivation of a greater Jductive images of affluence that Syariah Court of Selangor variety of better quality local these socielJ~.>s convey through A for its just decision yester fruits and vegetnbles. We have the mass-media day in a civil suit involving the yet to develop a wide range of It is simply absurd that the question of polygamy. food indu~tries based upon locaJ j!overnment should spend ~o much It was a baJanced, rational fruits. on a silly stuptd proJect such as judgment guided by the lt>lll'r Cov~.>rnment leaders have also Lhe temperate park when a lot of and the spirit of Lbt> Quran ll argued that Malaysians who spend people have yet to be provided established in unambiguous millions of ringgit va,iLing tempe with the baste amemties of life. language that polygamy, while rate cour1tnes every year do not More than one-thtrd of the popula· sanctioned by the Quran, has its have to d(\ so now, since we have Lion of Sabah and Sarawak, for limit.s The Quran does not our own temperate pari<' In other in~lance do not have accPSS Lo encouragt> polygamy. On the con· words, they can experience 'wmter' p1ped water and E'lectricJty. Even trary, 1L is only an exct"ptional without. l(omg to counb-iP.a which in Pemnsular Malaysia, educational circumstances that polygamy is have wmter In this W'l:\< we will and health fac•lati('~ are far from permitted. save a lot of fore1gn Pxchange. adPquate. There are so many Tht> Selangor Syariah Court Thi& ill a fooll!'h argument. Well· double-session ~ehools in the coun decision is a tremendous moral to-do MaJaysians and Malavsums try because the ~tovernment says booster to Muslim women in who llkP visiting WPstem ·coun it does not ha~e the money to p~t particular and Malays1an women m tries will contmue to do so They up more school buildines. And yet, general. It is an explicit acknow are not gomg to be sati~hed with it spends mne million rinl!git ledgement of their right to fair the cheap t.hriU of a make-believe giving Malay-.ian~ a sensat1on of and just treatment in marriage. winter m Shah Alam. In any ca<;e winter! At the same time, the Judgment it is not. because of winter that emphasises the importance of men Malaysians VlSJt teruperato coun I Dr. Chandra Muzaffar observing their responsibilities in tries. Nort.h Amenca and West Presidenl life. Sell-control and sell-discipline European countries attract a Jot. of 20 Au~tust 1990 would be among the more impor· Mala}-~ lans becauc;c of their tant of these responsibilities. Most of all, the Syariah Court decision has shown our multi-religious society what Islam really stands for in the controversial question of polygamy. Dr. Chandra Muzaffar President 11 August 1990 'WINTER IN MALAYSIA' PROJECT - A WASTE OF PUBLIC FUNDS ... , he creation of a nine million ringgit ' temperat.e park' at the ' .. , T Cabaya Sr1 Alam Agricultural park is a colossal waste of public funds The two reasons given by the authorities for the creation of the temperate park are both ludi· crous. The Malaysian public has been told that the park will facili· tate cesearch into the suitability of certain temperate crops It is totally illogical for us to research temperate crops when local research on tropical crops remains under-developed. Though the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development. Authority (MARDI) has done some good work on tropical fruits in recent years, researcb·wise, we lag far Cahaya Sri A lam Agricultural Park: Nine million ringgit for 1 sensation behind Thailand, which is now of winter I 36 \\atch, and the Cr up Commonwealth Secrctanat knows that ear!Jcr he had stated that he ~d Cititcm tGOCC). h that a fau aml honest elccllon dtd not wan1 tht: observer team to noted that the mem~B o techm must encompass the en tire process meet the opposiuon parties. cnl llll%1011 m<>t the Prune hrus of competmg and campa1gning for For the above reasons it is not ter on \\'rdnesda· , 18 J I} 1990. power. The Pnme Mtn1~1 cr seems to surpnsing that the Prime Minister l'H'Il bt:lorc th~ met " th ppo 1 he afraid that the broader. more is having second thoughts about tion political parties and other logical and more rational vtew of a the Commonwealth observer team. tndividuals and erou The sole fait and honest elcctulll would be It is not inconceivable therefore p111p0~e of the entue exetctSe. inimical to lm interests. that the mvllatton to the Common tt app.:ars wa!. to acq e a proper fwu as a result of the vtsit of wealth team may be withdrawn. utu.lerstarlliing of MM elec the techrucal mission. the Prime But the Prime MIIUSter needs a tions and tltt> elcctoral S) tern in ~ster has rcah~cd that he cannot pretext to withdraw the invitation. prcparJIIOn lor the t WF ol control the Commonwealth obser And the pretext he has concocted 1he coming geueral e ver team. He dtd not want the is that the observer team may be Stnce it "as the P mtssJon to meet m~.:mbcrs of "biased". The Prime Minister needs Election Watch. but he fa iled to a scapegoat for this action. And get his way It would be recalled that scapegoat is Election Watch. nb,ervc rJ,e elecuo obHnus that the te.:luucaJ that W 37 ' T Is that too much to ask? Below is a joint statement dated should comprise personalities put any restnctlon, limitation July 24, 1990, signed by: of tmpeccable standing and or constr31llt in the way of the 1. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah background w1th regard to Mi!>Sion but pledges full co President, Semo.ngat 46; their experience in election operation and support for its 2. Dr Sanusi Daing Marich watching as well as thetr activities Vice President, PAS; commitment to the promotion 9. that the \fiss1on should be in 3. Lim Kit Sial'lg of parliamentary democracy; the countf) two or three Secretary-Genera/, DAP: 3. that the terms of reference of weeks before tile election 4. M.G. Pandithan the Commonwealth Observer campmgn. President, AM!PF; M1ssion· arc broad and wide 10. that the MlSS.ion should prepare 5. Dato Sudin Wahab enough to ensure that the and make publk a report on President, 1/AMIM: general elections is free, fair, the conduct of the general 6. Dr Syed Husin Ali clean and honest: elections m ~talalsia President, PRM; 4. that the Mission should not 7. Dato Wan Hashim just confine itself to the e OTE WITH CONCE~'l that President, BERJASA; tasks and duties of the Elec the Pnme M1ruster Datuk Seri Dr 8. Yeoh Poh San tion Commission and the vot MahatLur Mohamed. seems to be Secretary-General, MSP. ing process on polling day. backtracklng from hlS c.:ommllment but the enure election cam· announced tn Parhament on June paign. such as freedom of 21. 1990 to mvite the Common· E. tbe followmg Opposi speech and assembly available wealth Observer ~tission: tion Political Part1es in to competing political parties and candidate~ . including W Malays1a, having met in e CALL on Dr. ~1ahat.hir not to ma uers like public rallies. free Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. 24th renege on his wmmitment to and fair treatment by the July 1990, to d1scuss the proposal invite the Commun\l.ealth Observer media, whether radio, tclevl for a Commonwealth Observer Mission to prove that he has SIOn or newspapers; and cam· Mission 'for' the commg general nothmg to h1de from international paign funding and cxpcndnures: elections in Malaysia : or local scrutioy of the general 5. that the Mission should also elections campmgn and process, e RESOLVE to endorse and monitor any abuses ol govern especially as this I!> in line with accept in principle the invilauon or ment funds and facilities by the Kuala Lumpur CHOGM Com a Commonwealth Observer MissiOn any political party or can munique of Ouobcr 1989: for lhe coming general elections; didates durintt the general elections; e I:.MPHASISE that the Observer e DECLARE tbat for the 6. that the M1sston should have Mtssion should not be confmcd Commonweahh Observer M1ss1on fullest freedom of movement only to the Commonwealth, but to play a meaningful role with and access. including contacts extended to countries and orgarusa· credibility and legitimacy. it should with political parties, organisa tions mternatlonaJly and locally comply with the following prin· tions or individuals concerned recogmsed lor their commitment to ciples and guidelines: about the general election~ and concern for democracy and I. that the Miss1on members meet.ng the four cnteria of human rights, A~D should come from countries bemg free, fair, clean and y, 1th internattonally-recogmsed honest: e RESOLVI to form an All parliamentary democracy with 7. that the Miss1on be allowed to Party Act1on Committee to ensure mu hi· party systems in their decide on its modus operandi a free. fair, clean and honest respective Parliaments: to fulftlns terms of reference . general elec:.uon~. 0 ., that the Mission members 8. that the government would not 38 .rt 1 * 7TJ ~ PfWCf. T> ·riJ J./AtiATI//1\ <. (WJE 1 7 39