Donors urged to respect rights

Donors urged to respect rights

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that foreign donors helping countries in distress should respect the rights of citizens to determine their own future, Bernama news agency reported.

"While we can accept views that are reasonable, the citizens' right to self-determination has to be respected," he was quoted as telling reporters, echoing recent remarks about Indonesia by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

"Let there be no such thought, a new form of colonialism, that seeks to determine the form of leadership or who should take over national leadership or what systems a country should adopt," Anwar reportedly said.

"I don't think the people should suffer just because we want to bow down to the donors' demands," the finance minister added.