U.S. move threatens ASEAN's plan<\/p>\n
Mohd Roslan Mohd Saludin, The Star, Asia News Network,
\nSelangor, Malaysia<\/p>\n
The United States is considering deploying marines and special
\noperations forces on high-speed vessels along the Straits of
\nMalacca to flush out terrorists in one of the world's busiest
\nwaterways.<\/p>\n
A quarter of the world's commerce and half of the world's oil
\nsupply pass through the strait each year. Ten million barrels of
\ncrude oil arrive from the Persian Gulf heading eastward daily
\ntoward China, South Korea and Japan.<\/p>\n
The deployment of U.S. forces along the narrow strait
\nstraddling Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia would be part of
\nWashington's new counter-terrorism initiative to help Southeast
\nAsia, said Admiral Thomas Fargo, top U.S. military commander in
\nthe Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n
The Regional Maritime Security Initiative is being devised by
\nthe United States military with questionable intent to combat
\ntransnational threats like proliferation, terrorism, trafficking
\nin humans and drugs, and piracy.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile defense ministers and military chiefs from 21 Asian
\ncountries and major Western powers gathered in Singapore over the
\nweekend where U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld outlined
\nWashington's security strategy for the region and its plans in
\nIraq.<\/p>\n
He diplomatically avoided mentioning specific U.S. deployment
\nof forces to placate moderate Muslim countries Indonesia and
\nMalaysia over reports that the United States would be prepared to
\ndeploy elite troops in the Malacca Straits, a key waterway in
\nbetween ports in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Earlier last week, in Tokyo, speaking at an annual symposium
\norganized by Japan's leading business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun,
\nwhose theme this year was on laying the groundwork for Asia's
\nregional integration, Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
\nBadawi reiterated \"commitment to global friendship, calm and
\nstability, justice and balance -- things we need for our region's
\nfast and sustainable development.\"<\/p>\n
Senior Minister Lee of Singapore told the audience of several
\nhundred in the same forum that Asia should focus on regional
\nintegration and avoid the problems that beset the Middle East.
\nBoth leaders seem to have a committed stand on regional
\ncooperation and regional integration, maintaining peace and
\nsecurity through cooperation and consultation.<\/p>\n
To the Americans, control over the Straits of Malacca is as
\nimportant as controlling locations paramount to Macdonald's fast
\nfood outlets. By analogy the U.S. government places the same
\nimportance on location and strategic control.<\/p>\n
ASEAN, in its ministerial meeting in August 2002, announced
\nincreased co-operation against terrorism, strengthening border
\npatrols, facilitating intelligence sharing, improving
\ninvestigation methods and extradition laws. The U.S. should
\nconsider giving this initiative a chance rather than imposing or
\ngetting itself directly involved like it had in Afghanistan, Iraq
\nand the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Understandably, President George W. Bush came to office with
\nthe intent to strengthen U.S. involvement and engagement in
\nSoutheast Asia. He was particularly concerned over the emergence
\nof East Asian regionalism (ASEAN+3) that excluded the United
\nStates.<\/p>\n
Economically, ASEAN is important to the United States as its
\nthird largest overseas market for U.S. exports, absorbing three
\ntimes the U.S. exports to China.<\/p>\n
Both Malaysia and Indonesia strongly feel they are ready with
\ngreater capacity to govern their territories.<\/p>\n
Both resisted the U.S. leadership role in the region,
\npreferring greater autonomy and reliance on ASEAN measures to
\nthwart any effort to delimit perceptions of the extent of the
\nsecurity threat and prevent terrorism from expanding in the
\nregion.<\/p>\n
The American style of Hollywood imagination to peg the channel
\nas a perfect site for an ambush should not be allowed to work in
\nthe region like it did to Iraq.<\/p>\n
Malaysia and Indonesia are adamant on preserving whatever is
\nleft of their sovereignty and dignity as nations and members of
\nASEAN.<\/p>\n
Certainly the deployment of foreign forces within the region
\nis a bad alternative. The Philippines dislike the presence of
\nAmerican troops in the Subic Bay. The Japanese generally regard
\nAmerican presence in Okinawa as a pain in the neck.<\/p>\n
It is most unlikely that Malaysians and Indonesians would
\nreact otherwise, having learnt from past experiences.<\/p>\n
Another lesson from the history of these parts is that while
\nthe rest of the Muslim world was won by conquest, Islam's success
\nin Southeast Asia came from traders and preachers who spread
\nProphet Muhammad's eternal message of tolerance and moderation.<\/p>\n
Islam in Southeast Asia has long been viewed as tolerant and
\nmoderate. The existence and continuous growth of a strong class
\nof moderate, democratic Muslim voices can hopefully show and
\nprove that Islam is open, democratic and able to support economic
\nand social development -- a key factor in maintaining peace,
\nsecurity and peaceful coexistence nationally, regionally and
\nglobally.<\/p>\n
The present the government's effort to reinforce \"Islamic
\nHadari\" is an example of consistent effort by the leadership,
\ngovernment and people of Malaysia to nurture what is lacking in
\nour world today -- an understanding of human behavior based on
\ntheir values and surroundings.<\/p>\n
We are committed to strengthen our own brand of democracy,
\nbuild our confidence based on national pride, dignity, self-
\nrespect and sovereignty.<\/p>\n
We say yes to assistance given to us to strengthen our own
\nunique democracy, to sharing of intelligence information and yes
\nto security cooperation but we say no to U.S. military presence
\nin the Straits of Malacca that belittle our defense and security
\ncapabilities and threatens our sovereignty.<\/p>\n
Thus the U.S. should reconsider direct interference in the
\nstrait and let us deal with it among us.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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