[asia-apec 702] The RAG, Issue No.3 (part 1 of 3)

[PAN Asia Pacific]

*************THE RAG************* 
(Resistance Against Globalisation) 
The Monthly Newsletter of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly 
Issue No.3, September 1998 
 
In this issue: 
-State terrorism visited upon Indonesia's Chinese women
-Malaysia's many-sided economic policies
-The APEC Food System
-Plantation workers' campaign postponed
-Over 120,000 gather in Kuala Lumpur to support Anwar and his call for 
reformation

MALAYSIA BOLEH!  AFTER 17 YEARS, AN HISTORICAL CALL FOR REFORM

Sunday the 20th of September, 1998 was a historic day for Malaysia; the events 
of that day represent the most significant threat to Malaysia's record of 
political stability in recent memory. It was a day of high drama and emotions, 
as supporters of Anwar Ibrahim, the now sacked Deputy Prime Minister, came in 
droves to hear him speak. The huge gathering of people at Merdeka Square was a 
climax of sorts, as many felt that Anwar would soon be detained after the 
Commonwealth Games, and that Sunday's gathering would take the 'Reformasi 
Movement' a step further. 

Never before in the 17 years of Mahathir's rule, has Malaysian society, 
particularly the Malay community, come out and openly defied the Prime Minister, 
bravely demanding his resignation.

Anwar Ibrahim, in a fiery speech, criticised Mahathir, the police force and the 
judiciary and led a march of more than 100,000 people from the National Mosque 
to the Merdeka Square, some 500 metres away.  People chanted and sang songs of 
support for Anwar while calling for Mahathir to step down. A declaration for the 
Reformasi Movement was read out by his wife Wan Azizah, and repeated by the 
thousands of supporters gathered there.  

For many justice seekers, Sunday's gathering was more than a call of support for 
Anwar Ibrahim, it was a call for reform, and a call for a true democracy.

GANG RAPE IS A VIOLENCE OF STATE TERRORISM! 

"Gang rape is more than a racism issue, this is state terrorism!"  said an 
Indonesia woman social worker when commenting on the gang rape against 
Indonesian Chinese women, which took place in several cities of Indonesia in 
mid-May during the mass riots.

The woman, who cannot be identified, works with a women's groups that is a 
member of the Team of Volunteers for Humanitarian Causes.  The team is now 
conducting a fact-finding  mission on the gang rape cases. To date, they have 
recorded 168 cases, 126 of which took place in Jakarta and 12 of which took 
place in Surabaya. Out of these 168 gang rape cases, 20 victims died either by 
being burnt to death in a blazing building or by committing suicide out of the 
shame suffered from the rape.

The result of the facts finding by Volunteers Team for Humanity, which was put 
up in a report, strongly suggests that the sexual violence against the Chinese 
women was carried out in very organized and efficient ways.

According to eyewitness accounts, the mobs were transported in a bus or truck 
coming from unknown places. The leaders of the looting/burning and the 
perpetrators of gang-rape were muscular persons, wearing military boots, having 
the appearance of goons and hitmen.

"The mobs shouted orders such as "attack", "set fire", "retreat" among 
themselves, which are very similar to commands used in military operations", 
said a social worker from another women's group that is involved in the facts 
finding campaign launched by the Team of Volunteers for Humanitarian Causes.

"It was clear that the violence was targeted on the women of Chinese ethnicity. 
All the victims were Chinese, and the gang rape only took place in West Jakarta 
and North Jakarta, which are the main Chinese business and residential areas in 
Jakarta." 

"The most outrages part was that all these violence took place without any 
efforts from the police or the military to stop it!"

She is convinced that there are no other groups in Indonesia, besides the 
military, that have the kind of resources and capacity to launch such a massive, 
destructive action in such a short time.

"The riots are a knife with two edges, they incited hatred between Chinese and 
the Pribumi, thus strengthening the divide and rule policy of the ruling class 
in the society", she concluded.

WORKSHOP FOR URBAN POOR COMMUNITIES IN JOHOR BARU

The first of a series of workshops for urban poor communities was held in 
southern Johor Baru, on 6 September 1998. About 35 community leaders from 
several squatter communities in the area participated in this one-day workshop.  
The workshop was organised to raise awareness about globalisation, and to assess 
its impact on the lives of poor communities living in big cities. 

Participants discussed the impacts of globalisation and APEC on urban poor 
communities and how these processes affected their access to housing and housing 
rights.   They also examined Malaysian law in relation to squatters.  
Participants gave their support to the Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly, and to 
the Urban Poor Issue Forum to be held during the assembly.

Although issues affecting the urban poor communities are wide ranging- low 
wages, health, housing and education- the group decided to focus on forced 
evictions and involuntary displacement as the main issues that will be addressed 
during the urban poor forum in November.

A second workshop will be held in Kuala Lumpur on 27 September 1998.  Contact 
Abdul Rahim Ishak of Party Rakyat Malaysia at 03-6262989 or 03-7744531for more 
information.

>From The Sun, September 18,1998:

REVOLUTION THREAT

UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Najib Razak says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's 
nationwide campaign for reformation can lead to a revolution if unchecked.

He said the campaign could create chaos and spark a revolution which will 
eventually lead to anarchy in the country.

"What the country needs now is evolution not revolution which will cause 
hardship to the people," said Najib. 

Senator Club Chairman Datuk Rahim Baba:
        "[Anwar] has never come out of his Abim (Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement) 
cocoon and will always be a rebel activist and anti-establishment . . . I think 
his revolution is not in harmony with Malay culture.  It is simply not in the 
psychological make-up of Malays to do so . . . Sons and daughters of rubber 
tappers and farmers are now doctors and lawyers.  Poverty has practically been 
eradicated.  So what is this reformation Anwar is talking about?" (The Sun, 
Sept. 21)


***********************************************************************
  The Rag is the monthly newsletter of the Asia Pacific Peoples'
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