Abdullah a more subtle Mahathir
Ralph A. Cossa, The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is proving to be a kinder, gentler, but no less candid, thoughtful and thought- provoking version of his mercurial predecessor.
The soft-spoken devout Muslim leader has surprised critics and supporters alike by taking an exceptionally firm stand against corruption and extremism since taking over from Mahathir Mohamad last October.
He has also delivered the type of pointed criticisms of both the West and the Islamic world for which his predecessor was noted, but without the deliberately racist, anti-Semitic invective that served to largely overshadow Mahathir's otherwise important message.
Speaking before an international audience in Kuala Lumpur last Tuesday, Abdullah observed that many Muslims were "in denial", refusing to acknowledge that "Islamic teachings have been corrupted by some groups to serve their militant cause".
"Nothing can make a virtue out of the massacre of innocent men, women and children," he asserted. Undemocratic government, oppression, poverty and poor governance -- all contribute to terrorism and must be addressed.
Most significantly, he acknowledged the need to "confront the militant teachings in the peripheries" and discredit them, including by radically altering the curriculum of religious schools in some countries.
The broader international community, especially the United States, was also in denial, he asserted, pointing to both the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in Iraq as prominent among the root causes of terrorism that are not being sufficiently addressed.
While critical of past actions, Abdullah noted that the latest plan for Iraq offered "some hope for progress". For it to work, however, certain criteria must be met: The Iraqi people must exercise full sovereignty; foreign forces on Iraqi soil must be part of a United Nations-mandated multinational force; Iraq must develop indigenous capacity to provide its own security; and the interim government must be seen as credible and independent.
Washington shares these goals in principle. The challenge will be to convince the international community it accepts them in practice as well.
More often than not, his criticisms of the U.S. were indirect, but no less pointed. When he observed that "we are not only refusing to recognize some root causes, we are consciously and deliberately aggravating them", it was pretty clear which "we" he had in mind. One can also say he was somewhat disingenuous when he observed that the Geneva Convention had been "brutalized", and that "such inhuman actions will not be easily forgotten or lightly forgiven".
True, but it is useful to note that the U.S. government exposed, condemned and is actively investigating the abuses at Abu Ghraib -- unacceptable actions which appear to be not unlike and perhaps even less egregious than those now alleged to have occurred in Malaysian detention centers.
All things considered, Abdullah's comments were balanced, thoughtful and filled with good advice for both the Islamic world and the U.S. and the West. Ironically, however, the absence of racist, anti-Semitic rhetoric, while making the remarks more acceptable, also resulted in minimal international coverage. (The International Herald Tribune made brief reference to the speech, but only the anti-Western portion.)
The writer is president of the Pacific Forum in Hawaii.