Mahathir steals Summit spotlight<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali<\/p>\n
The retiring Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has
\ndominated the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN)
\nsummit, revealing his seniority and statesmanship in his last
\npublic appearance at the regional forum.<\/p>\n
When asked whether the fate of former Indonesian president
\nSoeharto, who was deposed from office in disgrace, overshadowed
\nhis decision to quit the leadership, he said: \"I don't want to
\nstick around until the people kick me out.\"<\/p>\n
He expressed his confidence that ASEAN would continue to grow
\neven after his departure.<\/p>\n
\"ASEAN will make progress whether I am around or not, I do not
\nthink that it will make a difference. ASEAN has a collective
\nthinking, they know where they are going and they will make
\nprogress,\" the prime minister remarked.<\/p>\n
\"ASEAN has seen many changes of leader and it will not affect
\nASEAN policy or its progress ... people do not know how big
\nSoutheast Asia is,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The senior leader noted that many achievements had been made
\nby ASEAN and he considered this week's summit to be one of the
\nmost successful as it had managed to secure many new agreements
\nfor security and prosperity in the region.<\/p>\n
Mahathir defended the softer stance that the regional grouping
\ntook on the Myanmar issue, saying that pressuring the military-
\nruled country would not do any good for the people of Myanmar.<\/p>\n
\"We have to be patient because when we impose sanctions we are
\npunishing the people. We are depriving them of medicines, etc.
\nDemocracy should not be imposed,\" Mahathir said.<\/p>\n
\"We would like to see, of course, Myanmar move towards
\ndemocracy, but we also understand the problems faced by Myanmar.
\nThere are hundreds of differing ethnic groups, many of the people
\nare armed and they are used to fighting against the government,\"
\nMahathir said.<\/p>\n
The ninth ASEAN Summit in Bali is his last official appearance
\nas Malaysian prime minister at a regional grouping event as he is
\nslated to resign later this month after 22 years leading the
\nmajority Muslim country.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri as the
\nchairperson of the regional grouping delivered a tearful farewell
\nspeech to the senior leader and presented a token of gratitude
\nfrom his ASEAN colleagues.<\/p>\n
At the press conference, Mahathir also called on Asian
\ncountries to fight for their rights to determine their own
\nbeliefs and stop being dependent on superpower countries such as
\nthe United States.<\/p>\n
\"It is up to us whether we are going to allow them (to occupy
\nus),\" Mahathir said. As expected, his retirement plans have done
\nlittle to tame his acerbic tongue, and he lashed out at Australia
\nfor seeking to be one of the dialog partners of the regional
\ngrouping, along with China, Japan, South Korea and India.<\/p>\n
\"Australia has make known to the world that they are America's
\ndeputy sheriff in Asia. It is very difficult to get along with
\nthe deputy sheriff, when he is looking over your shoulder,\" the
\nprime minister remarked, when asked about the chances of
\nAustralia joining ASEAN summits.<\/p>\n
\"Australia must decide whether they are Europe, America or
\nAsia. If they are Asian then there is no problem, but as far as I
\nam concerned they are not Asian,\" he said commenting on the
\nAustralian request.<\/p>\n
\"It was the Australians (who) distinguished us by race, not
\nwe. If they think of themselves as Asian, they will not be
\ncritical of other nations ... but of course by the end of this
\nmonth I will not be around anymore, people will change their
\nminds,\" Mahathir added.<\/p>\n
He said that he would enjoy his retirement by visiting many
\nbeautiful places around the world. However, he also issued a
\nwarning: \"Many people will continue hearing me making nasty
\ncomments about other countries.\"<\/p>",
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