Thesun 2009-01-28 Page14 Obamas First Right Step

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theSun

| WEDNESDAY JANUARY 28 2009

speak up! letters

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Obama’s first right step by Eric S. Margolis

LONDON: President Barack Obama did the right thing by closing the US prison at Guantanamo, Cuba, though he allowed a year for the process. Obama ordered CIA’s network of secret, or “black”, prisons closed, and torture to cease, ending one of the worst stains on America’s honour and a grave violation of international and US law. The US conquered Cuba in the 1898 Spanish American War. Washington then installed a US citizen as president who granted Washington base rights to Guantanamo in perpetuity. The US imposed a similar one-sided treaty on Panama. A century later, the US made a similar base deal in Afghanistan and perhaps in Iraq. Obama should return the entire US base at Guantanamo to Cuba. This would be an excellent start to restoring USCuban relations. Obama’s next step in returning America to its senses: ending use of the propaganda terms, “terrorism”, and “war on terror”. Britain’s youthful foreign secretary, David Miliband, is one of its most interesting and brainy politicians. He could very well replace Gordon Brown as prime minister if Britain’s rapidly worsening financial crisis goes critical. Rebuking the Bush administration, the outspoken Miliband urged Washington to cease using “war on terror”, which he calls “misleading and mistaken”. This term implies a unified, international enemy, when there is none. It encourages war psychosis, fear, and employing the military to deal with problems the West “could not kill its way out of”. The Bush administration was a ship of fools steered by crypto-fascist neoconservatives and Israeli-led Christian evangelical fundamentalists. It failed at everything except propaganda. Thanks to White House domination of US media, brilliant news manipulation, propaganda worthy of Dr Goebbels, and a public largely ignorant of world affairs, the White House fib factory marketed fear of “terrorism” to win votes and justify colonial adventures abroad. As Kevin Phillips points out, some of Bush’s strongest supporters were “security mums” in the Midwest and South. These homemakers were terrified into believing Osama bin Laden and his turbaned devils were coming to Pocatello, Iowa, and Tupelo, Mississippi to attack their little Johnnys. Proclaiming “war on terrorism” – a logical and grammatical nonsense – boosted the Pentagon’s budget by 50%, unleashed armies of mercenaries run by big Republican donors, facilitated Dick Cheney’s cru-

sade to grab the world’s oil, and justified invading Iraq and Afghanistan. Americans who opposed Bush’s phony global conflict were branded traitors, appeasers, and anti-American. All who dared oppose America or Israel’s will were “terrorists”. The term “terrorism” is designed not only to arouse potent emotions of fear and loathing, but to dehumanise one’s foes and deny them any legitimate motivations. Israel successfully deployed this effective propaganda weapon against the Palestinians. It was then wholly adopted by the Bush administration. “Terrorists” are sub-humans. Terrorists are a disease. One can never negotiate with them. Only eradicate them. Even their children are legitimate targets, as we just saw in Gaza. The laws of humanity and war do not apply to “terrorists”. Slapping this label on all who oppose the US and its allies proved highly effective propaganda, but it totally distorted reality. I always avoided using “terrorism”, which became the most cherished word in the Bush administration’s version of George Orwell’s totalitarian “Doublespeak”. The proper term we should use is “anti-western groups” or “anti-government forces”, not “terrorists”. The US, which burned alive 100,000 Japanese civilians in one night during the fire bomb raids against Tokyo on March 9, 1945, killed two million Vietnamese civilians, and is responsible for 500,000 to one million Iraqi civilian deaths has no right to brand others “terrorists”. Apropos, the Soviets used to brand the Afghan mujahidin fighting to liberate their nation “Islamic terrorists”. The US hailed them as “freedom fighters”. Ironically, the US now brands them “Islamic terrorists”. Iraqis and Afghans who oppose US and/or Nato occupation should be called “the resistance”, not “insurgents”. The US invaded both nations and overthrew their recognised governments. One might as well have called the French resistance, “insurgents”. I hope Obama will heed Miliband’s good advice and end Bush/Cheney’s Orwellian lies. Americans need the truth about their foreign wars. They need to know al-Qaeda was only a handful of extremists, and 9/11 likely a one-off event. That crimes like Guantanamo, torture, kidnappings and stomping small countries create more enemies of the West than Osama ever dreamed of. Eric S. Margolis is a contributing editor to the Toronto Sun chain of newspapers, writing mainly about the Middle East and South Asia. Comments: [email protected]

Time for all to help rebuild Gaza WE Malaysians by and large are unanimous in denouncing the disproportionate onslaught of Gaza by Israeli forces, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 Palestinians including women and children in the recent war in the Middle East. Our hearts go out to the suffering Palestinians and it’s very encouraging to note that Malaysians are responding favourably to the “NSTP Fund for Gaza”. At the same time, we cannot ignore the sincere and forthright opinions expressed by some Malaysians that Hamas should not have stirred up a hornet’s nest and invited trouble by launching rocket attacks on Israeli towns. Hamas knows full well that such persistent provocations against Israel will be answered by its powerful air force and army. Hamas knows that it can never

defeat or win a war with Israel no matter how hard it tries. At best it can cause only minimal damage to Israeli targets by sending rockets. Considering these factors, Hamas should have instead sought other alternatives to fortify its strategic position in Gaza and in other areas under its control. The Palestinians should now seek the help of the UN and their Arab neighbours including other friendly countries like Malaysia to re-build their war-torn territories economically, politically and socially so as to bring about lasting peace, progress and prosperity to Palestine and its people. If the Hamas government genuinely loves its people and wants to prevent them from continuing to become victims of Israeli attacks, it must stop sending rockets into Israel or carry out other provocative

Why the need for consultants in dismissals? The proper term we should use is “antiwestern groups” or “antigovernment forces”, not “terrorists”. The US, which burned alive 100,000 Japanese civilians in one night during the fire bomb raids against Tokyo on March 9, 1945, killed two million Vietnamese civilians, and is responsible for 500,000 to one million Iraqi civilian deaths has no right to brand others “terrorists”.

RECENTLY, my son was dismissed from his position as a manager. No reason was given by his employer for the dismissal. My son subsequently went to the Industrial Relations Department to file his complaint for wrongful dismissal. While registering his complaint an employee of the department recommended the use of an MTUC representative. My son was told the MTUC representative could handle the case cheaply compared to a lawyer. My son was in no mood to engage a representative. What irked him most was the manner the staff concerned went about canvassing for someone to be engaged on behalf of my son. Such touting should not be encouraged in a government departement. The conciliation between my son and the company officials ended in a deadlock. Sometime after that my son was asked to attend another conciliation meeting in Putrajaya. At the meeting, he was initially told that he had a weak case and advised to accept a sum of three months salary from his employers as settlement.

When my son rejected the recommendation he was told it would be difficult to refer the matter to court. A week later, he had a call from the same conciliation officer who told him that something could be done to have his case referred to court. My son was given the name of a consultant who would prepare the paper of justification as to why my son’s case ought to be referred to court. At a subsequent meeting with the consultant, my son was told the consultant with his connections in Putrajaya could easily get cases referred to the Industrial Court. The consultant asked my son to pay RM5,000 for the consultancy work. My son, who was upset, told the consultant he had no money for the fees. After several months my son received a letter from the ministry informing him his case was not referred to the court. No reason was given for rejecting my son’s case.

S. Ragunathan Petaling Jaya

We want full-time MPs and senators

rolled her car window down and was offering me an umbrella. Her selfless act impressed me immeasurably, and restored my faith in human nature. As a visitor to Malaysia from Australia, I want to express to her my heartfelt gratitude. No wonder I love this country and its people.

HAS anybody noticed that some of our members of Parliament and many of our politicians are working part-time? A number of them run legal firms and appear in court for cases, while others are CEOs and chairmen of big corporations and private companies. How can we allow this to happen? No wonder, some of them only take an interest on issues that personally benefit them and not those that benefit society as a whole. Maybe the people should demand that those who are in politics and especially those who have been elected to Parliament refrain from doing other things. No wonder most of them do not have the time to come to parliament when it is in session, preferring to stay away and only appearing for the opening and closing of Parliament or when the prime minister is around. And no wonder, too, Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara have been described by some to be more like a social club for the elected members to come and socialise, or to use the space to have their press conferences. So can they be said to be full-time parliamentarians and politicians if they are also CEOs and chairmen of companies or government agencies? Are they being fair to their political parties and the voters who elected them to office? Where in the world can we find MPs and senators who are also CEOs and chairmen of companies?

Kevin Randall Petaling Jaya

Mansor Puteh Cheras

Aggrieved Father Petaling Jaya

Thank you, madam ABOUT 6pm on Jan 20, while walking home with bags of groceries from a local supermarket, I got caught in a sudden downpour. I faced the classic dilemma – whether to turn back or continue on, as I was going to get drenched. I took refuge under a big tree outside The PJ Hilton, but I was still getting wet. Then I heard someone call out. A woman driver, leaving the Hilton, had

measures that might precipitate another round of fresh conflict and war with Israel. Meanwhile, let us hope and pray that US President Barack Obama will do everything within his power to ensure the truce now established between the two parties is safeguarded and prolonged indefinitely. The US should also play its role effectively and impartially so that perpetual peace prevails between Israel and Palestine as good neighbours and practising tolerance with each other. Only then will the US be able to gain the full confidence and support of the Muslim world and thus bring about an end to the existing friction and misgivings between Islam and the West.

Let commission probe detainee’s death IT IS heartwarming to know that the deputy prime minister is concerned about the death of suspects in police custody. Criminal suspects are humans too and should be accorded their rights. I am puzzled by the Selangor CPO’s statement that suspect A. Kugan’s death was classified under Section 330 of the Penal Code which reads voluntary assault to extricate confession. To what extent can assault be used to extricate confes-

sion. Does Kugan’s death justify this confession? Certainly, the answer is NO. The Attorney General has reclassified this case under Section 302 of the Penal Code which reads as murder. Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar’s statement on this case does not help the image of the police. He should go after the perpetrators rather than the two deputy ministers who were only doing their job to prevent any un-

toward incident at the mortuary. I think the two ministers have proven that they have the spirit of Barisan Nasional which calls to serve the civil liberties of all Malaysians. The best way to prevent similar incidents is to form a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate this murder and to set guidelines on extraction of confessions. Vijay Shanmugam Taiping