[asia-apec 752] Washington Post Editorial: Malaysian Justice (fwd)

[David Webster]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 04 Oct 1998 08:41:07
From: tapol at gn.apc.org
Reply-To: "Conference act.indonesia" <indonesia-act at igc.org>
To: Recipients of indonesia-act <indonesia-act at igc.org>
Subject: Washington Post Editorial: Malaysian Justice

From: tapol at gn.apc.org (TAPOL)
Subject: Washington Post Editorial: Malaysian Justice

Washington Post Editorial

Malaysian Justice

Sunday, October 4, 1998; Page C06 

THE TRUE FACE of "Asian values" appeared in a Malaysian courtroom a few days
ago. It was the face of Anwar Ibrahim, his eye blackened from a police beating
he received while handcuffed and blindfolded. The display exposed Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a prime exponent of the "Asian values" theory, as a
man who in truth cares only for power -- and who will do anything to hold on
to it.

Mr. Mahathir and other Asian autocrats have long claimed that "western-style"
democracy does not suit their region. Their nations value stability over
personal freedom, they have argued. But they have never been willing to put
their claims to the test -- to allow their people to decide for themselves,
with access to open media, what kind of government and which leaders they
want. Now Malaysia has neither democracy nor stability, and the positive
aspects of Mr. Mahathir's legacy -- the nation-building, the peace among
ethnic groups -- is in danger.

Mr. Anwar, 51, was until recently Malaysia's deputy prime minister and protege
of the 72-year-old Mr. Mahathir. But tensions over when the succession should
take place, aggravated by Mr. Anwar's advocacy of political and economic
reform, snapped what had often been described as a father-son relationship.
One month ago, Mr. Mahathir offered Mr. Anwar a chance to slip quietly into
retirement; the alternative, he threatened, would be humiliation and ruin. The
deputy stood up to the threats. On Sept. 2 he was fired, and on Sept. 20 he
was arrested, to face a poisonous mixture of allegations of corruption and
sexual misconduct.

Mr. Mahathir controls the nation's press, so many Malaysians may not be aware
of the maltreatment Mr. Anwar has suffered in custody. They read instead a
torrent of accusations against him, none backed up by evidence. Even so, there
are signs of popular discontent that suggest Mr. Mahathir's heavy-handed
repression could prove his undoing. Already it has stained his reputation
indelibly. 


© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company

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