Tanah Melayu tergadai, wakil rakyat Umno tidak endah
Thu Jul 27, 06 01:23:50 PM
Oleh Wan Nordin Wan Yaacob
KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Julai (Hrkh) - Perjuangan Umno yang kononnya membela bangsa Melayu hari ini tidak boleh diharapkan lagi, segala keistimewaan Melayu yang kononnya diperjuang pertubuhan politik ini hanya 'indah khabar dari rupa'.
Banyak isu membabitkan kepentingan rakyat yang perlu diperjuangkan tidak terlaksana kerana bertindan dengan kepentingan peribadi melalui projek tertentu atas nama kemajuan dan pembangunan.
Hari ini ada sahaja laporan yang menyebut, tanah Melayu diambil untuk projek tertentu yang diberi kepada pemaju bukan Bumiputera.
Nasib yang sama menimpa penduduk Kampung Permatang Pasir, Linggi Negeri Sembilan. Atas nama kemajuan yang 'tidak rasional', satu perempat dari tanah tapak rumah kebanyakan milik penduduk Melayu di sepanjang jalan Kampung Permatang Pasir akan diambil oleh pihak berkuasa untuk projek naik taraf jalan Linggi, Pengkalan Kempas hingga ke Melaka.
Projek tersebut telah dimulakan di jajaran jalan Pekan Linggi hingga ke Pengkalan Kempas sejak sebulan lalu.Berapa penduduk yang ditemui Harakahdaily semalam merungut kerana pengambilan tanah tradisi yang diperturun dari nenek moyang mereka kini dalam bahaya untuk diserahkan kepada pemaju bukan Bumiputera.
Tiada perbincangan
Seorang penduduk, Suhaimi Zubir (mewakili pemilik tanah yang juga ibunya, Saerah Mahmod) berkata, penduduk telah menerima satu notis pemberitahuan pengambilan tanah di bawah Akta Pengambilan Tanah 1960 (seksyen 11) dari Pentadbir Tanah Daerah Port Dickson pada 10 November 2005.
Dalam pemberitahuan tersebut pentadbir memberitahu satu sesi perbincangan mengenai urusan pengambilan akan diadakan pada 14 Disember 2005 di Bilik Gerakan Pejabat Tanah Port Dickson, katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian semalam ketika ditemui wakil Harakahdaily yang berkunjung ke Kampung tersebut bersama Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Negeri Sembilan, Zulkifli Mohammed Omar.
Zulkifli bergegas ke tempat tersebut setelah Suhaimi menelefonnya bagi meminta bantuan menyelesaikan masalah tersebut setelah aduan penduduk kepada wakil rakyat lansung tidak diendahkan.
Menurut Suhaimi beliau (mewakili ibu yang uzur) hadir dalam perbincangan tersebut, penduduk tidakpun diberi kesempatan untuk berbincang sebaliknya hanya menerima arahan dari pentadbir tanah, katanya.
"Kami cuba membawa sesi itu kepada perbincangan tetapi segala persoalan kami tidak dijawab oleh pentadbir tanah, malah dengan angkuh pentadbir tanah menyatakan segalanya adalah Akta Rahsia dan tidak boleh didedah kepada umum," katanya.
Tanah bergeran milik Melayu
Menurut Suhaimi, tanah yang mahu diambil adalah tanah bergeran yang dibayar cukainya setiap tahun, dan tanah tersebut juga adalah tanah milik Melayu di kawasan yang parlimennya dimiliki oleh kaum bukan Melayu.
"Kami ada membuat rayuan kepada wakil rakyat Permatang Pasir (Umno), Haji Ismail Taib untuk membincangkan soal pengambilan tanah, bagaimanapun wakil rakyat tidak mengendahkan permintaan untuk bertemu," katanya.
Selepas itu pada 18 Januari 2006, satu lagi notis yang disertakan dengan nilai wang pampasan atas pengambilan tanah diserah pejabat tanah daerah kepada penduduk, katanya.
Setelah meneliti Borang H, Akta Pengambilan Tanah 1960 itu, Suhaimi melihat, segala pampasan pengambilan tanah yang ditulis kononnya atas dasar persetujuan dalam perbincangan terdahulu (14 Disember 2005) adalah satu penganiayaan kepada bangsa Melayu, katanya.
Pampasan tidak setimpal
Menurut beliau, pampasan yang dijadualkan akan diberi berikutan pengambilan tanah milik ibunya hanya berjumlah RM17,415 sedangkan jika mengikut penilaian, jumlah tersebut tidak memadai.
"Ruang rumah ibu saya hampir satu perempat diambil.Jika pengambilan diteruskan secara paksa bermakna, rumah kami terpaksa dialih ke belakang bagi mengelak jarak yang terlalu dekat dengan kawasan pembinaan.Ini memberi kesan buruk kepada kami,Ini akan menambahkan kos pembinaan." katanya.
Jika projek itu diteruskan penduduk setidak-tidaknya terpaksa membina semula sebahagian besar rumah terutamanya bahagian hadapan yang terlibat dengan bahagian tepi projek tersebut, katanya.
Sementara melihat kepada kos bahagian rumah yang diambil termasuk pagar, jalan masuk, tanah dan binaan lain yang terdapat dihadapan rumah, jumlah pampasan yang diberi tidak memadai dengan kerugian yang ditanggung, katanya.
"Penilaian yang sewajarnya tidak pernah dibuat, malah pegawai yang dapat membuat 'survey' hanya membuat tinjauan dari tepi jalan dan bukannya berbincang atau masuk ke dalam kawasan yang mahu diambil," katanya.
Pada 14 Julai 2006, penduduk dikejutkan lagi dengan satu notis arahan dari pemaju, HBA Sdn Bhd yang ditandatangani oleh wakil Pengurus Pembinaan HBA, Tan Kim Meng, katanya.
Pemaju paksa pindah
Dalam notis tersebut Suhaimi berkata, pemaju mahu penduduk yang terlibat dengan kawasan projek segera mengalih, meroboh dan memusnahkan apa juga binaan yang terdapat dalam jajaran kawasan tapak projek.
"Inilah notis yang membuatkan hampir semua penduduk yang terlibat dengan pengambilan tanah marah.Adakah patut pemaju yang bukan berbangsa Melayu ini berani menyerah notis kepada penduduk tanpa terlebih dahulu berbincang dengan kami.Ini sikap kurang ajar," katanya.
Sementara itu, seorang lagi penduduk, Abdul Karim Sarip pula mendakwa, nasib beliau lebih malang dari pemilik tanah yang lain.
"Tanah yang nak diambil ikut jadual yang diberi betul-betul satu kaki dari bahagian hadapan rumah pak cik.Apa ni, ini menyusahkan pak cik.Sampai ke kiamatlah hidup pak cik merana jika tanah ini diambil.Mana pak cik nak duduk jika jalan raya betul-betul berada sekaki dari rumah pak cik.Ini membahayakan kami," katanya.
Malah lebih malang, bilik mandi yang dibinanya di bahagian hadapan rumah turut akan menjadi korban projek tersebut, katanya.
Apabila beliau meminta penjelasan dari pegawai tanah daerah yang terlibat, pegawai tersebut sebaliknya mengarahkan Abdul Karim mandi sahaja di sungai, dan mengalihkan struktur rumahnya ke belakang, katanya.
"Demi kerana projek untuk mengkayakan kroni dan bangsa lain, orang Melayu sanggup jadi 'pak turut' untuk mengusir bangsanya dari tanah milik sendiri," katanya.
Wakil rakyat tidak boleh diharap
Mengikut notis yang ditunjuk Abdul Karim kepada krew Harakahdaily, pampasan yang akan dibayar berjumlah RM19,630 sedangkan nilai kerugian dan nilai tanah jauh lebih tinggi dari nilai pampasan tersebut.
Sambil melahirkan rasa kesal kepada sikap wakil rakyat yang lansung tidak memperdulikan masalah itu beliau menyelar sikap pemimpin Umno lansung tidak dapat mempertahankan hak bangsa Melayu, katanya.
"Inilah sikap wakil rakyat kami di sini.Masa mengundi bukan main lembut lagi, turun padang jumpa kamiPelbagai janji ditabur, tetapi selepas pilihan raya semuanya hilang, malah hak kami turut tergadai kerana kepentingan peribadi," katanya.
Menurut seorang lagi penduduk Ramlah Zubir yang menetap disitu lebih 30 tahun, beliau tidak nampak rasionalnya menaiktaraf jalan tersebut sebagai jalan utama menghubungkan Linggi ke Melaka.
Malah untuk membesarkan jalan tersebut, pihak pemaju atau pihak berkuasa yang terbabit tidak perlu untuk mengambil sebahagian tanah tapak rumah kami kerana ruang di antara jalan dan bahu jalan masih besar.
"Jika nak ambil sedikit kami tak kisah, tetapi sampai satu perempat, dan ada yang dengan rumah-rumah sekali terlibat,Ini menganiaya" katanya.
Jika dilihat dari aliran kenderaan yang cukup kurang melalui jalan tersebut, tidak menampakkan rasional bahawa perlunya jalan tersebut dibesarkan lagi hingga memakan sebahagian besar tanah milik orang kampung, katanya yang juga bekas tenaga pengajar Kemas di kampung berkenaan.
Sedangkan jalan lain yang menghubungkan antara Linggi ke Melaka terlalu banyak malah Lebuh raya Utara Selatan adalah jalan yang paling cepat dan mudah menghubungkan dua kawasan berjiran itu.
Kesal dengan insiden yang menimpa penyokong Umno itu Zulkifli berjanji akan memberi bantuan termasuk menghebahkan kepada media isu tersebut.
"Saya akan cuba membantu sedaya mampu demi mempertahankan hak orang Melayu.Nak harap pemimpin Umno, mereka ada kepentingan peribadi," katanya.
Sambil meminta komitmen yang jitu dari penduduk untuk memperjuang isu itu Zulkifli berkata, beliau juga akan bertemu dengan pihak berkuasa untuk membincangkan isu tersebut. - mks.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Record heat wilts Europe, strains power supply and hurts crops
Record heat wilts Europe, strains power supply and hurts crops
By Thomas Crampton The New York Times
Published: July 26, 2006
PARIS With Paris, London and Berlin experiencing peak temperatures, matching those of Bangkok, Hong Kong and New Delhi, Europe's heat wave this summer has already headed for the record books. The severe and prolonged heat has prompted the authorities across Europe to issue advice on everything from personal safety to power use.
A 1911 record for the highest July temperature in Britain was broken last week when Wisley, a village in Surrey, hit 97.7 degrees.
Mark Vance, an entertainer at Warwick Castle who wears a full suit of armor and was named the man with the hottest job in Britain by The Daily Express, was photographed frying an egg on the breastplate of his outfit.
In the Netherlands, July will probably qualify as the hottest month since temperatures were first measured in 1706, the Dutch meteorological institute, KNMI, said Tuesday.
Many parts of Germany have hit the highest July temperatures since records began to be kept.
The French health minister, Xavier Bertrand, urged that medical students and retired doctors volunteer for hospital work as more than half the country was placed under the second-highest level of heat-wave alert.
Most of the 40 heat-related deaths in Europe in the last two weeks were in France, recalling the 2003 heat wave, in which 15,000 died in the country.
"The temperatures have not been so high in France as they were in the first weeks of August 2003, but the heat wave has lasted much longer," said Bernard Strauss, head of forecasting for Météo-France. "In the last six weeks we have had one of the longest stretches of higher than normal temperatures since we started records."
Temperatures along the west of France will probably rise in coming weeks, Mr. Strauss added.
The newspaper Le Parisien dedicated five pages to the heat wave, including tips for keeping cool, like wetting feet and hands as often as possible while walking the city.
A second type of warning was also issued in Europe - about strained electricity supplies, along with destroyed crops and forest fires.
Europe's increased demand for air-conditioning could make summer a greater challenge than winter for electricity suppliers, a report by the Datamonitor Group warned.
Nuclear power stations in France and Spain have been forced to cut output because the river water normally used to cool reactors is too warm.
Low water levels in the Po River in northern Italy affected hydroelectric supplies, prompting power shortages in Rome that knocked out air-conditioning and left people trapped in elevators.
Scorching temperatures and drought could destroy up to 20 percent of Poland's grain harvest, warned the country's agriculture minister, Andrzej Lepper. "It is quite simply dramatic, and if the weather does not change we could have a disaster," he said on Polish Radio.
Germany is facing crop losses of up to 50 percent in the worst-hit regions, according to Gerd Sonnleitner, the president of the national farmers association.
Forest fires affected regions as far afield as Corsica, in the Mediterranean, where homes near the capital, Ajaccio, were threatened, and the Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden.
PARIS With Paris, London and Berlin experiencing peak temperatures, matching those of Bangkok, Hong Kong and New Delhi, Europe's heat wave this summer has already headed for the record books. The severe and prolonged heat has prompted the authorities across Europe to issue advice on everything from personal safety to power use.
A 1911 record for the highest July temperature in Britain was broken last week when Wisley, a village in Surrey, hit 97.7 degrees.
Mark Vance, an entertainer at Warwick Castle who wears a full suit of armor and was named the man with the hottest job in Britain by The Daily Express, was photographed frying an egg on the breastplate of his outfit.
In the Netherlands, July will probably qualify as the hottest month since temperatures were first measured in 1706, the Dutch meteorological institute, KNMI, said Tuesday.
Many parts of Germany have hit the highest July temperatures since records began to be kept.
The French health minister, Xavier Bertrand, urged that medical students and retired doctors volunteer for hospital work as more than half the country was placed under the second-highest level of heat-wave alert.
Most of the 40 heat-related deaths in Europe in the last two weeks were in France, recalling the 2003 heat wave, in which 15,000 died in the country.
"The temperatures have not been so high in France as they were in the first weeks of August 2003, but the heat wave has lasted much longer," said Bernard Strauss, head of forecasting for Météo-France. "In the last six weeks we have had one of the longest stretches of higher than normal temperatures since we started records."
Temperatures along the west of France will probably rise in coming weeks, Mr. Strauss added.
The newspaper Le Parisien dedicated five pages to the heat wave, including tips for keeping cool, like wetting feet and hands as often as possible while walking the city.
A second type of warning was also issued in Europe - about strained electricity supplies, along with destroyed crops and forest fires.
Europe's increased demand for air-conditioning could make summer a greater challenge than winter for electricity suppliers, a report by the Datamonitor Group warned.
Nuclear power stations in France and Spain have been forced to cut output because the river water normally used to cool reactors is too warm.
Low water levels in the Po River in northern Italy affected hydroelectric supplies, prompting power shortages in Rome that knocked out air-conditioning and left people trapped in elevators.
Scorching temperatures and drought could destroy up to 20 percent of Poland's grain harvest, warned the country's agriculture minister, Andrzej Lepper. "It is quite simply dramatic, and if the weather does not change we could have a disaster," he said on Polish Radio.
Germany is facing crop losses of up to 50 percent in the worst-hit regions, according to Gerd Sonnleitner, the president of the national farmers association.
Forest fires affected regions as far afield as Corsica, in the Mediterranean, where homes near the capital, Ajaccio, were threatened, and the Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden.
By Thomas Crampton The New York Times
Published: July 26, 2006
PARIS With Paris, London and Berlin experiencing peak temperatures, matching those of Bangkok, Hong Kong and New Delhi, Europe's heat wave this summer has already headed for the record books. The severe and prolonged heat has prompted the authorities across Europe to issue advice on everything from personal safety to power use.
A 1911 record for the highest July temperature in Britain was broken last week when Wisley, a village in Surrey, hit 97.7 degrees.
Mark Vance, an entertainer at Warwick Castle who wears a full suit of armor and was named the man with the hottest job in Britain by The Daily Express, was photographed frying an egg on the breastplate of his outfit.
In the Netherlands, July will probably qualify as the hottest month since temperatures were first measured in 1706, the Dutch meteorological institute, KNMI, said Tuesday.
Many parts of Germany have hit the highest July temperatures since records began to be kept.
The French health minister, Xavier Bertrand, urged that medical students and retired doctors volunteer for hospital work as more than half the country was placed under the second-highest level of heat-wave alert.
Most of the 40 heat-related deaths in Europe in the last two weeks were in France, recalling the 2003 heat wave, in which 15,000 died in the country.
"The temperatures have not been so high in France as they were in the first weeks of August 2003, but the heat wave has lasted much longer," said Bernard Strauss, head of forecasting for Météo-France. "In the last six weeks we have had one of the longest stretches of higher than normal temperatures since we started records."
Temperatures along the west of France will probably rise in coming weeks, Mr. Strauss added.
The newspaper Le Parisien dedicated five pages to the heat wave, including tips for keeping cool, like wetting feet and hands as often as possible while walking the city.
A second type of warning was also issued in Europe - about strained electricity supplies, along with destroyed crops and forest fires.
Europe's increased demand for air-conditioning could make summer a greater challenge than winter for electricity suppliers, a report by the Datamonitor Group warned.
Nuclear power stations in France and Spain have been forced to cut output because the river water normally used to cool reactors is too warm.
Low water levels in the Po River in northern Italy affected hydroelectric supplies, prompting power shortages in Rome that knocked out air-conditioning and left people trapped in elevators.
Scorching temperatures and drought could destroy up to 20 percent of Poland's grain harvest, warned the country's agriculture minister, Andrzej Lepper. "It is quite simply dramatic, and if the weather does not change we could have a disaster," he said on Polish Radio.
Germany is facing crop losses of up to 50 percent in the worst-hit regions, according to Gerd Sonnleitner, the president of the national farmers association.
Forest fires affected regions as far afield as Corsica, in the Mediterranean, where homes near the capital, Ajaccio, were threatened, and the Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden.
PARIS With Paris, London and Berlin experiencing peak temperatures, matching those of Bangkok, Hong Kong and New Delhi, Europe's heat wave this summer has already headed for the record books. The severe and prolonged heat has prompted the authorities across Europe to issue advice on everything from personal safety to power use.
A 1911 record for the highest July temperature in Britain was broken last week when Wisley, a village in Surrey, hit 97.7 degrees.
Mark Vance, an entertainer at Warwick Castle who wears a full suit of armor and was named the man with the hottest job in Britain by The Daily Express, was photographed frying an egg on the breastplate of his outfit.
In the Netherlands, July will probably qualify as the hottest month since temperatures were first measured in 1706, the Dutch meteorological institute, KNMI, said Tuesday.
Many parts of Germany have hit the highest July temperatures since records began to be kept.
The French health minister, Xavier Bertrand, urged that medical students and retired doctors volunteer for hospital work as more than half the country was placed under the second-highest level of heat-wave alert.
Most of the 40 heat-related deaths in Europe in the last two weeks were in France, recalling the 2003 heat wave, in which 15,000 died in the country.
"The temperatures have not been so high in France as they were in the first weeks of August 2003, but the heat wave has lasted much longer," said Bernard Strauss, head of forecasting for Météo-France. "In the last six weeks we have had one of the longest stretches of higher than normal temperatures since we started records."
Temperatures along the west of France will probably rise in coming weeks, Mr. Strauss added.
The newspaper Le Parisien dedicated five pages to the heat wave, including tips for keeping cool, like wetting feet and hands as often as possible while walking the city.
A second type of warning was also issued in Europe - about strained electricity supplies, along with destroyed crops and forest fires.
Europe's increased demand for air-conditioning could make summer a greater challenge than winter for electricity suppliers, a report by the Datamonitor Group warned.
Nuclear power stations in France and Spain have been forced to cut output because the river water normally used to cool reactors is too warm.
Low water levels in the Po River in northern Italy affected hydroelectric supplies, prompting power shortages in Rome that knocked out air-conditioning and left people trapped in elevators.
Scorching temperatures and drought could destroy up to 20 percent of Poland's grain harvest, warned the country's agriculture minister, Andrzej Lepper. "It is quite simply dramatic, and if the weather does not change we could have a disaster," he said on Polish Radio.
Germany is facing crop losses of up to 50 percent in the worst-hit regions, according to Gerd Sonnleitner, the president of the national farmers association.
Forest fires affected regions as far afield as Corsica, in the Mediterranean, where homes near the capital, Ajaccio, were threatened, and the Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden.
MCA blasts Distributive Trade guidelines
MCA blasts Distributive Trade guidelines
Doreen Leong
KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA Youth Economic Bureau has hit out against the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry's proposed trade guidelines that will affect some 400 types of retail businesses.
Describing some of the requirements of the guidelines as "ludicrous", the bureau's chief, Datuk Henry Wong, said the matter should be viewed seriously as it would have far reaching implications.
He objected to the ministry's proposed Guidelines to Foreign Participation in the Distributive Trades as it was contrary to the spirit of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and appeared restrictive, especially to young entrepreneurs.
The guidelines aim to regulate the businesses that have at least a 15% foreign equity.
According to Wong, the guidelines states that all retailers, wholesalers, and specialty stores would be asked to restructure to meet a minimum 30% bumiputra requirement, to raise its paid-up capital to at least RM1 million and to ensure the composition of the directors and employees reflect the racial composition of the country.
"This will also put a heavy burden on the retailers and wholesalers, which are by and large small family-owned businesses.
"The requirement that the composition of the directors, managers and employee structure reflect the racial composition is also ludicrous," he said in a statement today July 24, 2006).
He was responding to The Edge Financial Daily's report yesterday on Cheras MCA Cheras service centre director Jeffrey Goh's statement, urging the ministry to clarify its position on the controversial trade guidelines.
Goh claimed that despite not having Cabinet approval for the proposals, the ministry was "testing the waters" at the ground level with the guidelines, which was mooted about two years ago.
Wong said the guidelines was contrary to the spirit of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to which Malaysia was a signatory.
"It is understood that to be part of the global trade nowadays, we can't shift policies from liberal to non-liberal - this is literally reversing the traffic," Wong said, adding that the bureau would take up the issue when it meets on Wednesday (July 26, 2006).
He said when the Industrial Coordination Act 1975 was introduced, it was targeted at larger manufacturers where only those with a minimum paid up capital of RM2.5 million would be required to comply with the Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) rules where a 30% Bumiputra equity had to be met.
Wong added that there had never been a requirement of employee racial composition in the manufacturing sector.
He said Malaysia's services sector had always maintained a very liberal stand. He said even though the Act was still in place, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and its agencies had applied a very liberal approach to the FIC guidelines.
"We need a clear stand on this because among the Barisan Nasional component parties, we have already agreed that there should not be enforced micro-restructuring.
"We are here to grow new businesses together," said Wong
Doreen Leong
KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA Youth Economic Bureau has hit out against the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry's proposed trade guidelines that will affect some 400 types of retail businesses.
Describing some of the requirements of the guidelines as "ludicrous", the bureau's chief, Datuk Henry Wong, said the matter should be viewed seriously as it would have far reaching implications.
He objected to the ministry's proposed Guidelines to Foreign Participation in the Distributive Trades as it was contrary to the spirit of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and appeared restrictive, especially to young entrepreneurs.
The guidelines aim to regulate the businesses that have at least a 15% foreign equity.
According to Wong, the guidelines states that all retailers, wholesalers, and specialty stores would be asked to restructure to meet a minimum 30% bumiputra requirement, to raise its paid-up capital to at least RM1 million and to ensure the composition of the directors and employees reflect the racial composition of the country.
"This will also put a heavy burden on the retailers and wholesalers, which are by and large small family-owned businesses.
"The requirement that the composition of the directors, managers and employee structure reflect the racial composition is also ludicrous," he said in a statement today July 24, 2006).
He was responding to The Edge Financial Daily's report yesterday on Cheras MCA Cheras service centre director Jeffrey Goh's statement, urging the ministry to clarify its position on the controversial trade guidelines.
Goh claimed that despite not having Cabinet approval for the proposals, the ministry was "testing the waters" at the ground level with the guidelines, which was mooted about two years ago.
Wong said the guidelines was contrary to the spirit of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to which Malaysia was a signatory.
"It is understood that to be part of the global trade nowadays, we can't shift policies from liberal to non-liberal - this is literally reversing the traffic," Wong said, adding that the bureau would take up the issue when it meets on Wednesday (July 26, 2006).
He said when the Industrial Coordination Act 1975 was introduced, it was targeted at larger manufacturers where only those with a minimum paid up capital of RM2.5 million would be required to comply with the Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) rules where a 30% Bumiputra equity had to be met.
Wong added that there had never been a requirement of employee racial composition in the manufacturing sector.
He said Malaysia's services sector had always maintained a very liberal stand. He said even though the Act was still in place, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and its agencies had applied a very liberal approach to the FIC guidelines.
"We need a clear stand on this because among the Barisan Nasional component parties, we have already agreed that there should not be enforced micro-restructuring.
"We are here to grow new businesses together," said Wong
Fight a democracy, kill the people
Fight a democracy, kill the people
By Spengler
Conventional armies can defeat guerrilla forces with broad popular support, for it is perfectly feasible to dismantle a people, destroy its morale, and if need be expel them. It has happened in history on occasions beyond count.
The British did it to the Scots Highlanders after the 1745 rising, and to the Acadians of Canada after the Seven Years' War; Ataturk did it to the Greeks of Asia Minor in 1922; and the Czechs did it to the Sudeten Germans after 1945. It seems to be happening again, as half or more of Lebanon's 1.2 million Shi'ites flee their homes. To de-fang Hezbollah implies the effective dissolution of the Shi'ite community, a third of whom live within Katyusha range of Israel.
A real war - that is, a war that is fought to a decisive conclusion - finally may have begun in the Middle East. To the extent Israel's campaign succeeds, it will have knock-on effects throughout the region, starting with another accident-prone multi-ethnic patchwork, namely Syria, with grave implications for Iraq. It is easy to say that the present war has unleashed chaos, but the question is: Upon whom? The collapse of Lebanon's Shi'ite community opens the prospect of chaos in the region, but to Israel's advantage.
Iran will face the humiliation of seeing dissolved a Shi'ite community it armed and nurtured, at the same time that Western powers demand the abandonment of its nuclear-weapons program. This will be too great for Tehran to bear; ultimately the West will have to take on Iran directly, for Iran has other means at its disposal to make life miserable for the West, including the so-called oil weapon.
"Fight a dictatorship, and you must kill the regime; fight a democracy, and you must kill the people," I warned on January 31 (No true Scotsman starts a war), meaning that one turns a proud and militant folk into a deracinated rabble. Sometimes it is not necessary to kill a single individual to crush an entire people. When a warlike people rather would fight, eg the Chechens, the result is butchery.
Blame George W Bush for this grim necessity in Lebanon, where the refugee count already has reached 15-30% of the total population. In the name of Lebanese democracy, Washington brought Hezbollah into mainstream politics, and the newly legitimized Hezbollah in turn became the focus of life for Lebanon's 1.2 million Shi'ites. To uproot Hezbollah, one has to uproot the Shi'ite community.
One has to evaluate with caution reports trickling in from the battlefield, but it appears that Hezbollah undertook vast works of military engineering under the guidance of Iranian advisers. Who dug the honeycombs of bunkers underneath Shi'ite villages south of the Litani River and in the Bekaa Valley? Hezbollah's fortifications must have provided the lion's share of the livelihood of numerous Shi'ite villages.
Given that Hezbollah emplaced its rocketry in Shi'ite civilian neighborhoods, Israel must reduce civilian areas to stop rocket attacks. The fact that casualties number in the hundreds rather than the tens of thousands shows that Israel has been meticulous about creating refugees rather than corpses. Nonetheless, Israel has forced the burden of uncertainty on its enemies, including by implication Syria and eventually Iran.
At least 200,000, and perhaps twice that number of refugees, have descended on Syria, joining half a million displaced Iraqis and perhaps 300,000 Palestinian refugees. Refugee streams clog the few undamaged routes between Syria and Lebanon. Evidently Syria fears destabilization; Information Minister Mohsen Bilal linked his July 23 threat of military action against Israel to the "evacuation" of Lebanon. He told the Spanish daily ABC:
It is unjustifiable that the superpower [ie, the US] does not work for a quick ceasefire. What is it waiting for - for Israel to destroy all of Lebanon so that it has to be evacuated completely? But Israel is not the only player in this region. I repeat: If Israel stages a ground invasion of Lebanon and comes close to us, Syria will not remain with its arms crossed. It will enter the conflict.
[1] Bilal's outburst is all the more extraordinary given that Israel's most hawkish defense analysts, eg Michael Oren in the July 17 New Republic Online, badly want to draw Syria into the war. It is hard for Israel to root Hezbollah out of its nest, but easy to destroy Syrian armor and air capability. The fact that Israel has not done so already is due to Washington's horror of further instability in Mesopotamia. The destabilization of Syria would produce more chaos in Iraq, as numerous commentators aver. [2] Washington still hopes that it can drive a wedge between Syria and Iran, which must be the second-silliest idea (after "Lebanese democracy") to possess the United States in years.
What, then, provoked Mohsen Bilal to offer to jump headlong into an Israeli trap? Contrary to Washington's hopes, the Bashar al-Assad regime may not be viable after the destruction of Hezbollah. The flood of refugees is painful to absorb. In addition, Syria's economy depends on Lebanon. Syrian workers in Lebanon remit US$4 billion a year, double Syria's reported exports. [3] The Assad regime and its supporters draw substantial income from Lebanon's black market, which Syria continues to dominate despite the removal of Syrian troops last year.
US as well as Israeli analysts assume that the Syrian regime will do anything to survive, but in the wake of Hezbollah's collapse and the breakdown of Lebanon's Shi'ite community, it may not be obvious to Bashar Assad how he may accomplish this. Without the skim from Lebanon's black market and the remittances from Syrian workers in Lebanon, the regime's purse will shrivel and its hold on the reins will slacken. Double-crossing its allies in Tehran at just that moment might not be the wisest move, particularly with remnants of Hezbollah fleeing into Syria.
Peaceful outcomes are possible when people have peaceable things to do. Lebanon's Shi'ites, the country's resentful underclass, have little stake in the tourism industry and other objects of Saudi investment in their country. Their livelihood is a function of war, of Iranian subsidies in particular. The fortification of southern Lebanon was not intended as a public-works project but, like Adolf Hitler's autobahn, it kept people employed. If Hezbollah is destroyed and the flow of Iranian largess stops, much of the Shi'ite population will lose its economic viability, and the Shi'ite community never will reconstitute itself in anything resembling its form prior to July 12. Syria, in turn, may lose a great deal of economic viability if Lebanon is cut off.
When chaos is inevitable, it's best to learn to like it, as I advised on March 14 (How I learned to stop worrying and love chaos). Ultimately the chaos in the Middle East plays to US advantage. In the meantime, it would not hurt to print gasoline ration cards.
Notes
1.Moshe Bilal, ministro de informacion sirio: 'Si Israel invade el Libano, Siria entrara en el conflicto'; my translation.
2. Syria seen as linchpin in Lebanon, San Francisco Chronicle, July 23.
3. Economics of the Syria-Lebanon relationship, SyriaComment.com, April 24, 2005.
(Copyright 2006 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing .)
By Spengler
Conventional armies can defeat guerrilla forces with broad popular support, for it is perfectly feasible to dismantle a people, destroy its morale, and if need be expel them. It has happened in history on occasions beyond count.
The British did it to the Scots Highlanders after the 1745 rising, and to the Acadians of Canada after the Seven Years' War; Ataturk did it to the Greeks of Asia Minor in 1922; and the Czechs did it to the Sudeten Germans after 1945. It seems to be happening again, as half or more of Lebanon's 1.2 million Shi'ites flee their homes. To de-fang Hezbollah implies the effective dissolution of the Shi'ite community, a third of whom live within Katyusha range of Israel.
A real war - that is, a war that is fought to a decisive conclusion - finally may have begun in the Middle East. To the extent Israel's campaign succeeds, it will have knock-on effects throughout the region, starting with another accident-prone multi-ethnic patchwork, namely Syria, with grave implications for Iraq. It is easy to say that the present war has unleashed chaos, but the question is: Upon whom? The collapse of Lebanon's Shi'ite community opens the prospect of chaos in the region, but to Israel's advantage.
Iran will face the humiliation of seeing dissolved a Shi'ite community it armed and nurtured, at the same time that Western powers demand the abandonment of its nuclear-weapons program. This will be too great for Tehran to bear; ultimately the West will have to take on Iran directly, for Iran has other means at its disposal to make life miserable for the West, including the so-called oil weapon.
"Fight a dictatorship, and you must kill the regime; fight a democracy, and you must kill the people," I warned on January 31 (No true Scotsman starts a war), meaning that one turns a proud and militant folk into a deracinated rabble. Sometimes it is not necessary to kill a single individual to crush an entire people. When a warlike people rather would fight, eg the Chechens, the result is butchery.
Blame George W Bush for this grim necessity in Lebanon, where the refugee count already has reached 15-30% of the total population. In the name of Lebanese democracy, Washington brought Hezbollah into mainstream politics, and the newly legitimized Hezbollah in turn became the focus of life for Lebanon's 1.2 million Shi'ites. To uproot Hezbollah, one has to uproot the Shi'ite community.
One has to evaluate with caution reports trickling in from the battlefield, but it appears that Hezbollah undertook vast works of military engineering under the guidance of Iranian advisers. Who dug the honeycombs of bunkers underneath Shi'ite villages south of the Litani River and in the Bekaa Valley? Hezbollah's fortifications must have provided the lion's share of the livelihood of numerous Shi'ite villages.
Given that Hezbollah emplaced its rocketry in Shi'ite civilian neighborhoods, Israel must reduce civilian areas to stop rocket attacks. The fact that casualties number in the hundreds rather than the tens of thousands shows that Israel has been meticulous about creating refugees rather than corpses. Nonetheless, Israel has forced the burden of uncertainty on its enemies, including by implication Syria and eventually Iran.
At least 200,000, and perhaps twice that number of refugees, have descended on Syria, joining half a million displaced Iraqis and perhaps 300,000 Palestinian refugees. Refugee streams clog the few undamaged routes between Syria and Lebanon. Evidently Syria fears destabilization; Information Minister Mohsen Bilal linked his July 23 threat of military action against Israel to the "evacuation" of Lebanon. He told the Spanish daily ABC:
It is unjustifiable that the superpower [ie, the US] does not work for a quick ceasefire. What is it waiting for - for Israel to destroy all of Lebanon so that it has to be evacuated completely? But Israel is not the only player in this region. I repeat: If Israel stages a ground invasion of Lebanon and comes close to us, Syria will not remain with its arms crossed. It will enter the conflict.
[1] Bilal's outburst is all the more extraordinary given that Israel's most hawkish defense analysts, eg Michael Oren in the July 17 New Republic Online, badly want to draw Syria into the war. It is hard for Israel to root Hezbollah out of its nest, but easy to destroy Syrian armor and air capability. The fact that Israel has not done so already is due to Washington's horror of further instability in Mesopotamia. The destabilization of Syria would produce more chaos in Iraq, as numerous commentators aver. [2] Washington still hopes that it can drive a wedge between Syria and Iran, which must be the second-silliest idea (after "Lebanese democracy") to possess the United States in years.
What, then, provoked Mohsen Bilal to offer to jump headlong into an Israeli trap? Contrary to Washington's hopes, the Bashar al-Assad regime may not be viable after the destruction of Hezbollah. The flood of refugees is painful to absorb. In addition, Syria's economy depends on Lebanon. Syrian workers in Lebanon remit US$4 billion a year, double Syria's reported exports. [3] The Assad regime and its supporters draw substantial income from Lebanon's black market, which Syria continues to dominate despite the removal of Syrian troops last year.
US as well as Israeli analysts assume that the Syrian regime will do anything to survive, but in the wake of Hezbollah's collapse and the breakdown of Lebanon's Shi'ite community, it may not be obvious to Bashar Assad how he may accomplish this. Without the skim from Lebanon's black market and the remittances from Syrian workers in Lebanon, the regime's purse will shrivel and its hold on the reins will slacken. Double-crossing its allies in Tehran at just that moment might not be the wisest move, particularly with remnants of Hezbollah fleeing into Syria.
Peaceful outcomes are possible when people have peaceable things to do. Lebanon's Shi'ites, the country's resentful underclass, have little stake in the tourism industry and other objects of Saudi investment in their country. Their livelihood is a function of war, of Iranian subsidies in particular. The fortification of southern Lebanon was not intended as a public-works project but, like Adolf Hitler's autobahn, it kept people employed. If Hezbollah is destroyed and the flow of Iranian largess stops, much of the Shi'ite population will lose its economic viability, and the Shi'ite community never will reconstitute itself in anything resembling its form prior to July 12. Syria, in turn, may lose a great deal of economic viability if Lebanon is cut off.
When chaos is inevitable, it's best to learn to like it, as I advised on March 14 (How I learned to stop worrying and love chaos). Ultimately the chaos in the Middle East plays to US advantage. In the meantime, it would not hurt to print gasoline ration cards.
Notes
1.Moshe Bilal, ministro de informacion sirio: 'Si Israel invade el Libano, Siria entrara en el conflicto'; my translation.
2. Syria seen as linchpin in Lebanon, San Francisco Chronicle, July 23.
3. Economics of the Syria-Lebanon relationship, SyriaComment.com, April 24, 2005.
(Copyright 2006 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing .)
Arabs Disavow Hizbullah by Daniel Pipes
Arabs Disavow Hizbullah by Daniel Pipes
Jerusalem Post
July 26, 2006
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3783
The current round of hostilities between Israel and its enemies differs from prior ones in that it's not an Arab-Israeli war, but one that pits Iran and its Islamist proxies, Hamas and Hizbullah, against Israel.
This points, first, to the increasing power of radical Islam. When Israeli forces last confronted, on this scale, a terrorist group in Lebanon in 1982, they fought the Palestine Liberation Organization, a nationalist-leftist organization backed by the Soviet Union and the Arab states. Now, Hizbullah seeks to apply Islamic law and to eliminate Israel through jihad, with the Islamic Republic of Iran looming in the background, feverishly building nuclear weapons.
Non-Islamist Arabs and Muslims find themselves sidelined. Fear of Islamist advances – whether subversion in their own countries or aggression from Tehran – finds them facing roughly the same demons as does Israel. As a result, their reflexive anti-Zionist response has been held in check. However fleetingly, what The Jerusalem Post's Khaled Abu Toameh calls "an anti-Hizbullah coalition," one implicitly favorable to Israel, has come into existence.
It began on July 13 with a startling Saudi statement condemning "rash adventures" that created "a gravely dangerous situation." Revealingly, Riyadh complained about Arab countries being exposed to destruction "with those countries having no say." The kingdom concluded that "these elements alone bear the full responsibility of these irresponsible acts and should alone shoulder the burden of ending the crisis they have created." George W. Bush's spokesman, Tony Snow, a day later described the president as "pleased" by the statement.
On July 15, the Saudis and several other Arab states at an emergency Arab League meeting condemned Hizbullah by name for its "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts." On July 17, Jordan's King Abdullah warned against "adventures that do not serve Arab interests."
A number of commentators began to take up the same argument, most notably Ahmed Al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of Kuwait's Arab Times, author of one of the most remarkable sentences ever published in an Arab newspaper: "The operations of Israel in Gaza and Lebanon are in the interest of people of Arab countries and the international community." Interviewed on Dream2 television, Khaled Salah, an Egyptian journalist, condemned Hassan Nasrallah of Hizbullah: "Arab blood and the blood of Lebanese children is much more precious than raising [Hizbullah's] yellow flags and pictures of [Iran's Supreme Leader] Khamene'i."
A leading Wahhabi figure in Saudi Arabia even declared it unlawful for Sunni Muslims to support, supplicate for, or join Hizbullah. No major Arab oil-exporting state appears to have any intention of withholding its oil or gas exports out of solidarity with Hizbullah.
Many Lebanese expressed satisfaction that the arrogant and reckless Hizbullah organization was under assault. One Lebanese politician privately confided to Michael Young of Beirut's Daily Star that "Israel must not stop now … for things to get better in Lebanon, Nasrallah must be weakened further." The prime minister, Fuad Saniora, was quoted complaining about Hizbullah having become "a state within a state." A BBC report quoted a resident of the Lebanese Christian town of Bikfaya estimating that 95 percent of the town's population was furious at Hizbullah.
The Palestinian Legislative Council expressed its dismay at these muted Arab reactions, while a women's group burned flags of Arab countries on Gaza's streets. Nasrallah complained that "Some Arabs encouraged Israel to continue fighting" and blamed them for extending the war's duration.
Surveying this opinion, Youssef Ibrahim wrote in his New York Sun column of an "intifada" against the "little turbaned, bearded men" and a resounding "no" to Hizbullah's effort to start an all-out war with Israel. He concluded that "Israel is finding, to its surprise, that a vast, not-so-silent majority of Arabs agrees that enough is enough."
One hopes that Ibrahim is right, but I am cautious. First, Hizbullah still enjoys wide support. Second, these criticisms could well be abandoned as popular anger at Israel mounts or the crisis passes. Finally, as Michael Rubin notes in the Wall Street Journal, coolness toward Hizbullah does not imply acceptance of Israel: "There is no change of heart in Riyadh, Cairo or Kuwait." Specifically, Saudi princes still fund Islamist terrorism.
Arab disavowal of Hizbullah represents not a platform on which to build, only a welcome wisp of reality in an era of irrationality.
Jerusalem Post
July 26, 2006
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3783
The current round of hostilities between Israel and its enemies differs from prior ones in that it's not an Arab-Israeli war, but one that pits Iran and its Islamist proxies, Hamas and Hizbullah, against Israel.
This points, first, to the increasing power of radical Islam. When Israeli forces last confronted, on this scale, a terrorist group in Lebanon in 1982, they fought the Palestine Liberation Organization, a nationalist-leftist organization backed by the Soviet Union and the Arab states. Now, Hizbullah seeks to apply Islamic law and to eliminate Israel through jihad, with the Islamic Republic of Iran looming in the background, feverishly building nuclear weapons.
Non-Islamist Arabs and Muslims find themselves sidelined. Fear of Islamist advances – whether subversion in their own countries or aggression from Tehran – finds them facing roughly the same demons as does Israel. As a result, their reflexive anti-Zionist response has been held in check. However fleetingly, what The Jerusalem Post's Khaled Abu Toameh calls "an anti-Hizbullah coalition," one implicitly favorable to Israel, has come into existence.
It began on July 13 with a startling Saudi statement condemning "rash adventures" that created "a gravely dangerous situation." Revealingly, Riyadh complained about Arab countries being exposed to destruction "with those countries having no say." The kingdom concluded that "these elements alone bear the full responsibility of these irresponsible acts and should alone shoulder the burden of ending the crisis they have created." George W. Bush's spokesman, Tony Snow, a day later described the president as "pleased" by the statement.
On July 15, the Saudis and several other Arab states at an emergency Arab League meeting condemned Hizbullah by name for its "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts." On July 17, Jordan's King Abdullah warned against "adventures that do not serve Arab interests."
A number of commentators began to take up the same argument, most notably Ahmed Al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of Kuwait's Arab Times, author of one of the most remarkable sentences ever published in an Arab newspaper: "The operations of Israel in Gaza and Lebanon are in the interest of people of Arab countries and the international community." Interviewed on Dream2 television, Khaled Salah, an Egyptian journalist, condemned Hassan Nasrallah of Hizbullah: "Arab blood and the blood of Lebanese children is much more precious than raising [Hizbullah's] yellow flags and pictures of [Iran's Supreme Leader] Khamene'i."
A leading Wahhabi figure in Saudi Arabia even declared it unlawful for Sunni Muslims to support, supplicate for, or join Hizbullah. No major Arab oil-exporting state appears to have any intention of withholding its oil or gas exports out of solidarity with Hizbullah.
Many Lebanese expressed satisfaction that the arrogant and reckless Hizbullah organization was under assault. One Lebanese politician privately confided to Michael Young of Beirut's Daily Star that "Israel must not stop now … for things to get better in Lebanon, Nasrallah must be weakened further." The prime minister, Fuad Saniora, was quoted complaining about Hizbullah having become "a state within a state." A BBC report quoted a resident of the Lebanese Christian town of Bikfaya estimating that 95 percent of the town's population was furious at Hizbullah.
The Palestinian Legislative Council expressed its dismay at these muted Arab reactions, while a women's group burned flags of Arab countries on Gaza's streets. Nasrallah complained that "Some Arabs encouraged Israel to continue fighting" and blamed them for extending the war's duration.
Surveying this opinion, Youssef Ibrahim wrote in his New York Sun column of an "intifada" against the "little turbaned, bearded men" and a resounding "no" to Hizbullah's effort to start an all-out war with Israel. He concluded that "Israel is finding, to its surprise, that a vast, not-so-silent majority of Arabs agrees that enough is enough."
One hopes that Ibrahim is right, but I am cautious. First, Hizbullah still enjoys wide support. Second, these criticisms could well be abandoned as popular anger at Israel mounts or the crisis passes. Finally, as Michael Rubin notes in the Wall Street Journal, coolness toward Hizbullah does not imply acceptance of Israel: "There is no change of heart in Riyadh, Cairo or Kuwait." Specifically, Saudi princes still fund Islamist terrorism.
Arab disavowal of Hizbullah represents not a platform on which to build, only a welcome wisp of reality in an era of irrationality.
World divided over Mideast conflict
World divided over Mideast conflict
Sunday 16 July 2006, 0:39 Makka Time, 21:39 GMT
Al-Jazeera, 16 july 2006
World leaders have acknowledged that the conflict between Israel and Lebanon risks destabilising the region, but have so far appeared divided over how to respond.
As the leaders of the United States, Russia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan gathered in Saint Petersburg on Saturday before the G8 summit talks, they all stressed the gravity of the situation.
But while George Bush, the US president, put the blame on Lebanon's Hezbollah for rocket attacks on Israel and the capture of Israeli soldiers, his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, called on Israel to show restraint.
Hezbollah should "lay down its arms" and end the attacks, Bush said, urging Syria to put pressure on it do to so.
Referring to Israel, Putin said that "recourse to violence must be balanced and it must be stopped as soon as possible".
Stephen Hadley, the White House national security adviser, spoke of the dangers of the conflict spreading.
Sergei Ivanov, the Russian defence minister, went further and said there was a "real threat" that other countries could be dragged in.
"Disproportionate" force
Hadley warned of the risks of
wider escalation of the conflict
The European Union, like Russia, described Israel's use of military force as "disproportionate".
A spokesman for Jacques Chirac, the French president, said G8 leaders should not allow themselves to be wedged apart but should put on a united front, "a mobilisation of all of us around this objective of de-escalation".
Tony Blair, the British prime minister, agreed. His spokesman said the summit "shouldn't be a talking shop, it should be setting an agenda" to resolve the crisis.
Hadley said Washington hoped to persuade its G8 partners to agree on a statement blaming Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran and Syria for the violence.
The draft US officials are pushing should recognise Hezbollah as being "at the root of this problem", Hadley said, and also name the Palestinian group Hamas as well as Iran and Syria for supporting them.
"I think it is coming together," he told reporters, referring to work on the statement.
Peace process "dead"
Amr Mussa: The Middle East
peace process is dead
In Cairo, meanwhile, Amr Mussa, the secretary general of the Arab League, said that "the Middle East [peace] process is dead" as foreign ministers met in an emergency session and unanimously condemned the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.
As they struggled to maintain a unified front, the foreign ministers who met at the Arab League headquarters, said they would ask the United Nations Security Council to handle the Middle East peace process.
The Arab League "condemns the Israeli aggression in Lebanon which contradicts all international law and regulations", the final statement said.
But the meeting comes at a time of profound differences among Arabs on how to confront the situation in the region.
On Friday, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, condemned the Israeli military aggression in Lebanon but also indirectly criticised Hezbollah for harming Arab interests.
Similar language was used earlier by Saudi Arabia, which indirectly accused Hezbollah of "adventurism" in provoking the Israeli onslaught and putting all Arab nations at risk.
Lebanon's plea
"Bombs are exploding, innocent people are being killed, infrastructures are being destroyed ... The powerful continue to crush the weak, but unfortunately those who hold the power in the world are keeping mum"
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister
Back in Lebanon, Fuad Siniora, the prime minister, called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the "collective punishment" of his country. He also declared Lebanon "a disaster zone in need of a comprehensive and speedy Arab plan".
Saad Hariri, Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader, urged world powers to stop Israel 's "aggression" on his country and called for fellow Arab states to take a strong stand.
Lebanon failed to secure a ceasefire at an emergency UN Security Council debate on Friday, with the United States standing firmly behind its ally Israel.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, a key US ally and Israel's main Muslim ally, criticised the Israeli offensive and the reaction of other countries.
"Bombs are exploding, innocent people are being killed, infrastructures are being destroyed ... The powerful continue to crush the weak, but unfortunately those who hold the power in the world are keeping mum," he said.
Syria not a target
Four days of raids have killed nearly 100 civilians, mostly Lebanese, destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure and crippled its economy.
In an unprecedented action on Saturday afternoon, an Israeli fighter bomber fired four missiles about 200 metres beyond Masnaa, the main crossing point between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanese police said.
However, Damascus denied that its territory had been hit and General Gadi Azincot, Israel's head of military operations, said later that Syria was "not an objective of our operation".
Lebanon has been mired in its own political crisis since the murder of ex-premier Rafiq al-Hariri last year and is still rebuilding after the devastating 1975-1990 civil war.
Sunday 16 July 2006, 0:39 Makka Time, 21:39 GMT
Al-Jazeera, 16 july 2006
World leaders have acknowledged that the conflict between Israel and Lebanon risks destabilising the region, but have so far appeared divided over how to respond.
As the leaders of the United States, Russia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan gathered in Saint Petersburg on Saturday before the G8 summit talks, they all stressed the gravity of the situation.
But while George Bush, the US president, put the blame on Lebanon's Hezbollah for rocket attacks on Israel and the capture of Israeli soldiers, his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, called on Israel to show restraint.
Hezbollah should "lay down its arms" and end the attacks, Bush said, urging Syria to put pressure on it do to so.
Referring to Israel, Putin said that "recourse to violence must be balanced and it must be stopped as soon as possible".
Stephen Hadley, the White House national security adviser, spoke of the dangers of the conflict spreading.
Sergei Ivanov, the Russian defence minister, went further and said there was a "real threat" that other countries could be dragged in.
"Disproportionate" force
Hadley warned of the risks of
wider escalation of the conflict
The European Union, like Russia, described Israel's use of military force as "disproportionate".
A spokesman for Jacques Chirac, the French president, said G8 leaders should not allow themselves to be wedged apart but should put on a united front, "a mobilisation of all of us around this objective of de-escalation".
Tony Blair, the British prime minister, agreed. His spokesman said the summit "shouldn't be a talking shop, it should be setting an agenda" to resolve the crisis.
Hadley said Washington hoped to persuade its G8 partners to agree on a statement blaming Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran and Syria for the violence.
The draft US officials are pushing should recognise Hezbollah as being "at the root of this problem", Hadley said, and also name the Palestinian group Hamas as well as Iran and Syria for supporting them.
"I think it is coming together," he told reporters, referring to work on the statement.
Peace process "dead"
Amr Mussa: The Middle East
peace process is dead
In Cairo, meanwhile, Amr Mussa, the secretary general of the Arab League, said that "the Middle East [peace] process is dead" as foreign ministers met in an emergency session and unanimously condemned the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.
As they struggled to maintain a unified front, the foreign ministers who met at the Arab League headquarters, said they would ask the United Nations Security Council to handle the Middle East peace process.
The Arab League "condemns the Israeli aggression in Lebanon which contradicts all international law and regulations", the final statement said.
But the meeting comes at a time of profound differences among Arabs on how to confront the situation in the region.
On Friday, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, condemned the Israeli military aggression in Lebanon but also indirectly criticised Hezbollah for harming Arab interests.
Similar language was used earlier by Saudi Arabia, which indirectly accused Hezbollah of "adventurism" in provoking the Israeli onslaught and putting all Arab nations at risk.
Lebanon's plea
"Bombs are exploding, innocent people are being killed, infrastructures are being destroyed ... The powerful continue to crush the weak, but unfortunately those who hold the power in the world are keeping mum"
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister
Back in Lebanon, Fuad Siniora, the prime minister, called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the "collective punishment" of his country. He also declared Lebanon "a disaster zone in need of a comprehensive and speedy Arab plan".
Saad Hariri, Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader, urged world powers to stop Israel 's "aggression" on his country and called for fellow Arab states to take a strong stand.
Lebanon failed to secure a ceasefire at an emergency UN Security Council debate on Friday, with the United States standing firmly behind its ally Israel.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, a key US ally and Israel's main Muslim ally, criticised the Israeli offensive and the reaction of other countries.
"Bombs are exploding, innocent people are being killed, infrastructures are being destroyed ... The powerful continue to crush the weak, but unfortunately those who hold the power in the world are keeping mum," he said.
Syria not a target
Four days of raids have killed nearly 100 civilians, mostly Lebanese, destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure and crippled its economy.
In an unprecedented action on Saturday afternoon, an Israeli fighter bomber fired four missiles about 200 metres beyond Masnaa, the main crossing point between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanese police said.
However, Damascus denied that its territory had been hit and General Gadi Azincot, Israel's head of military operations, said later that Syria was "not an objective of our operation".
Lebanon has been mired in its own political crisis since the murder of ex-premier Rafiq al-Hariri last year and is still rebuilding after the devastating 1975-1990 civil war.
Isu Artikel 11 : Kenyataan PM tamparan hebat buat Nazri Aziz
Isu Artikel 11 : Kenyataan PM tamparan hebat buat Nazri Aziz
Wed Jul 26, 06 10:40:22 AM
Oleh Wan Nordin wan Yaacob
SEREMBAN, 26 Julai (Hrkh) - Kenyataan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi bahawa kewujudan kumpulan Artikel 11 hanya mengundang masalah kepada perpaduan memberi tamparan hebat kepada Menteri di jabatan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Mohammed Nazri Aziz.
Ini kerana, Mohammed Nazri sebelum ini cukup lantang menyelar pertubuhan Islam termasuk PAS yang bertindak membantah perjuangan kumpulan Artikel 11, termasuk menyifatkan PAS sebagai bodoh kerana menentang forum Artikel 11, kata Setiausaha Agung PAS, Dato' Kamaruddin Jaffar.
Beliau berkata demikian ketika dihubungi Harakahdaily hari ini bagi mengulas kenyataan Abdullah berhubung kumpulan Artikel 11 dalam laporan akhbar harian hari ini.
"Siapa sebenarnya yang bodoh sekarang, Abdullah sendiri menyatakan kewujudan kumpulan Artikel 11 boleh mengundang perpecahbelahan, jadi mengapa Nazri pula menyokong kumpulan ini," katanya ketika membalas kenyataan Nazri membodohkan PAS di Dewan Rakyat yang pernah disiarkan Harakahdaily sebelum ini.
Hari ini rakyat Malaysia dapat melihat bahawa PM sendiri tidak bersetuju dengan perjuangan kumpulan Artikel 11 yang dilihat mampu memecahbelahkan masyarakat berbilang kaum, katanya.
Dengan keputusan yang Abdullah buat ini, pihak polis seharusnya membebaskan tiga aktivis PAS Pulau Pinang yang didakwa terlibat dengan penganjuran perhimpunan aman membantah forum Artikel 11 di Pulau Pinang baru-baru ini.
"Polis seharusnya berterima kasih kepada PAS kerana menghalang usaha Artikel 11 untuk meneruskan forum yang dibimbangi memberi kesan kepada perpaduan rakyat," kata Kamaruddin yang juga ahli Parlimen Tumpat.
Tolak IFC
Abdullah dalam satu kenyataannya hari ini berkata, beliau meminta semua pihak termasuk media menghentikan segala perbincangan mengenai agama kerana ia sangat sensitif.
Abdullah berkata, kerajaan kini memerhatikan kegiatan tersebut dengan serius kerana berpendapat ia boleh memberi kesan buruk kepada negara jika diteruskan tanpa sekatan.
"Hentilah (perbincangan agama), jangan buat apa-apa. Isu agama cukup sensitif. Ia lebih sensitif daripada isu perkauman. Jika ia tidak dibendung, dikawal secara berhati-hati, akan lahir situasi tentangan di kalangan rakyat."
"Jika perbincangan (agama) yang berjalan itu tidak dibendung, tidak dikawal dengan perasaan berhati-hati, maka apa yang berlaku ialah ketegangan antara rakyat yang menganuti agama berlainan," katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas tindakan Kumpulan Artikel 11 yang mengandungi 13 pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) termasuk Majlis Peguam yang sedang menjalankan kempen seluruh negara bagi mendapat sokongan untuk meminda Perkara 121(A) Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
Kandungan Perkara 121(A) tersebut merujuk kepada peruntukan perlembagaan yang menghalang mahkamah sivil mencampuri bidang kuasa mahkamah syariah.
Pertemuan pertama kumpulan 13 NGO tersebut berlangsung di Johor Bahru, Johor pada 22 Julai lepas.Perdana Menteri berkata, pihak yang mengadakan perbincangan agama adalah kumpulan yang mahukan Suruhanjaya Antara Agama (IFC) diwujudkan.
"Yang meneruskan perdebatan agama itu ialah kumpulan yang mahukan IFC. Saya katakan IFC sangat sensitif."Mengenai IFC, saya sendiri minta tangguh, jika tangguh ia tak perlu diadakan perbincangan lagi."
"Bila dilaksanakan, inilah jadinya. Dulu tiada masalah, sekarang dah jadi masalah," kata Perdana Menteri.Malah beliau yang juga Menteri Keselamatan Dalam Negeri berkata, IFC ditangguh hasil daripada keputusan Jemaah Menteri pada tahun lalu.
Dalam hal ini, Abdullah berkata, MT UMNO berpendapat dan bersepakat bahawa IFC tidak perlu diadakan langsung kerana ia sangat sensitif.
Nazri anti Islam
Sidang Dewan Rakyat pada 17 Julau lalu hangat setelah Mohammed Nazri mengeluarkan kata-kata kesat kepada PAS dengan menyifatkan 'PAS bodoh' kerana terlibat dalam membantah forum yang dianjurkan kumpulan Artikel 11 di Pulau Pinang baru-baru ini.
Kenyataan Mohammed Nazri berhubung tuduhan PAS sebagai 'bodoh' kerana terlibat menghalang Kumpulan Artikel 11 mengadakan forum disifatkan sebagai satu tindakan yang anti kepada Islam, kata Ketua Pemuda PAS Salahuddin Ayob yang juga ahli Parlimen Kubang Kerian.
Beliau yang ditemui selepas membahaskan Rang Undang-undang Kanun Kesiksaan (Pindaan) 2004 di Dewan Rakyat berkata, kenyataan Mohammed Nazri itu jelas menunjukkan 'tohmahan' pelbagai pihak bahawa menteri itu anti Islam adalah benar.
Tidak pertahan Islam
Sambil melahirkan rasa kesal di atas kenyataan itu Salahuddin mengutuk tindakan Nazri yang dilihat tidak mempertahankan Islam tatkala ada pihak bukan Islam cuba menodai Islam dengan pelbagai usaha termasuk dengan siri-siri penerangan forum Artikel 11 ini, katanya.
Menurut beliau, PAS membantah keras kumpulan Artikel 11 adalah kerana kumpulan ini mempunyai agenda untuk memastikan individu yang beragama Islam bebas menukar agamanya atau dalam erti kata lain menghalalkan 'murtad'.
"Apa lagi yang tinggal kepada umat Islam jika hak ini (Perkara 11 Perlembagaan Persekutuan) dipinda>oleh itu berhak bagi kita mempertahankan hak ini dari dinodai kumpulan seperti Artikel 11 atau IFC," katanya.
Mengecewakan dan sudah diduga
Kenyataan Mohammed Nari itu amat mengecewakan, bagaimanapun seperti yang telah diketahui umum ianya menjadi kebiasaan kepada menteri itu untuk berkata sedemikian, kata Kamaruddin dalam kenyataannya yang terdahulu di Dewan Rakyat.
Mengenai tuduhan PAS melalui kumpulan yang dinamakan 'Badai' menghalang perjalanan forum anjuran Artikel 11, Kamaruddin berkata, Mohammad Nazri sendiri sebenarnya salah dalam tafsiran mengenai kebebasan kerana baginya menurut perlembagaan, Badai berhak untuk berdemonstarsi atau berhimpun.
"Hak untuk berdemonstarsi, berhimpun menyatakan bantahan adalah hak semua rakyat.Badai tidak membatalkan perhimpunan Artikel 11, tetapi pihak polis yang bertindak demikian," katanya.
Baginya, adalah satu kesilapan jika Mohammaed Nazri menyatakan Badai adalah pihak yang menghalang forum Artikel 11, sebaliknya yang menghalang adalah pihak polis yang memberi arahan membatalkannya, katanya.
Sementara itu Abdul Fatah Haron (PAS Rantau Panjang) yang turut diminta mengulas kenyataan Nazri itu berkata, beliau tidak kesal dengan kenyataan Nazri itu sebaliknya telah menduga sikap sedemikian ditampilkan Nazri.
Wed Jul 26, 06 10:40:22 AM
Oleh Wan Nordin wan Yaacob
SEREMBAN, 26 Julai (Hrkh) - Kenyataan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi bahawa kewujudan kumpulan Artikel 11 hanya mengundang masalah kepada perpaduan memberi tamparan hebat kepada Menteri di jabatan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Mohammed Nazri Aziz.
Ini kerana, Mohammed Nazri sebelum ini cukup lantang menyelar pertubuhan Islam termasuk PAS yang bertindak membantah perjuangan kumpulan Artikel 11, termasuk menyifatkan PAS sebagai bodoh kerana menentang forum Artikel 11, kata Setiausaha Agung PAS, Dato' Kamaruddin Jaffar.
Beliau berkata demikian ketika dihubungi Harakahdaily hari ini bagi mengulas kenyataan Abdullah berhubung kumpulan Artikel 11 dalam laporan akhbar harian hari ini.
"Siapa sebenarnya yang bodoh sekarang, Abdullah sendiri menyatakan kewujudan kumpulan Artikel 11 boleh mengundang perpecahbelahan, jadi mengapa Nazri pula menyokong kumpulan ini," katanya ketika membalas kenyataan Nazri membodohkan PAS di Dewan Rakyat yang pernah disiarkan Harakahdaily sebelum ini.
Hari ini rakyat Malaysia dapat melihat bahawa PM sendiri tidak bersetuju dengan perjuangan kumpulan Artikel 11 yang dilihat mampu memecahbelahkan masyarakat berbilang kaum, katanya.
Dengan keputusan yang Abdullah buat ini, pihak polis seharusnya membebaskan tiga aktivis PAS Pulau Pinang yang didakwa terlibat dengan penganjuran perhimpunan aman membantah forum Artikel 11 di Pulau Pinang baru-baru ini.
"Polis seharusnya berterima kasih kepada PAS kerana menghalang usaha Artikel 11 untuk meneruskan forum yang dibimbangi memberi kesan kepada perpaduan rakyat," kata Kamaruddin yang juga ahli Parlimen Tumpat.
Tolak IFC
Abdullah dalam satu kenyataannya hari ini berkata, beliau meminta semua pihak termasuk media menghentikan segala perbincangan mengenai agama kerana ia sangat sensitif.
Abdullah berkata, kerajaan kini memerhatikan kegiatan tersebut dengan serius kerana berpendapat ia boleh memberi kesan buruk kepada negara jika diteruskan tanpa sekatan.
"Hentilah (perbincangan agama), jangan buat apa-apa. Isu agama cukup sensitif. Ia lebih sensitif daripada isu perkauman. Jika ia tidak dibendung, dikawal secara berhati-hati, akan lahir situasi tentangan di kalangan rakyat."
"Jika perbincangan (agama) yang berjalan itu tidak dibendung, tidak dikawal dengan perasaan berhati-hati, maka apa yang berlaku ialah ketegangan antara rakyat yang menganuti agama berlainan," katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas tindakan Kumpulan Artikel 11 yang mengandungi 13 pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) termasuk Majlis Peguam yang sedang menjalankan kempen seluruh negara bagi mendapat sokongan untuk meminda Perkara 121(A) Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
Kandungan Perkara 121(A) tersebut merujuk kepada peruntukan perlembagaan yang menghalang mahkamah sivil mencampuri bidang kuasa mahkamah syariah.
Pertemuan pertama kumpulan 13 NGO tersebut berlangsung di Johor Bahru, Johor pada 22 Julai lepas.Perdana Menteri berkata, pihak yang mengadakan perbincangan agama adalah kumpulan yang mahukan Suruhanjaya Antara Agama (IFC) diwujudkan.
"Yang meneruskan perdebatan agama itu ialah kumpulan yang mahukan IFC. Saya katakan IFC sangat sensitif."Mengenai IFC, saya sendiri minta tangguh, jika tangguh ia tak perlu diadakan perbincangan lagi."
"Bila dilaksanakan, inilah jadinya. Dulu tiada masalah, sekarang dah jadi masalah," kata Perdana Menteri.Malah beliau yang juga Menteri Keselamatan Dalam Negeri berkata, IFC ditangguh hasil daripada keputusan Jemaah Menteri pada tahun lalu.
Dalam hal ini, Abdullah berkata, MT UMNO berpendapat dan bersepakat bahawa IFC tidak perlu diadakan langsung kerana ia sangat sensitif.
Nazri anti Islam
Sidang Dewan Rakyat pada 17 Julau lalu hangat setelah Mohammed Nazri mengeluarkan kata-kata kesat kepada PAS dengan menyifatkan 'PAS bodoh' kerana terlibat dalam membantah forum yang dianjurkan kumpulan Artikel 11 di Pulau Pinang baru-baru ini.
Kenyataan Mohammed Nazri berhubung tuduhan PAS sebagai 'bodoh' kerana terlibat menghalang Kumpulan Artikel 11 mengadakan forum disifatkan sebagai satu tindakan yang anti kepada Islam, kata Ketua Pemuda PAS Salahuddin Ayob yang juga ahli Parlimen Kubang Kerian.
Beliau yang ditemui selepas membahaskan Rang Undang-undang Kanun Kesiksaan (Pindaan) 2004 di Dewan Rakyat berkata, kenyataan Mohammed Nazri itu jelas menunjukkan 'tohmahan' pelbagai pihak bahawa menteri itu anti Islam adalah benar.
Tidak pertahan Islam
Sambil melahirkan rasa kesal di atas kenyataan itu Salahuddin mengutuk tindakan Nazri yang dilihat tidak mempertahankan Islam tatkala ada pihak bukan Islam cuba menodai Islam dengan pelbagai usaha termasuk dengan siri-siri penerangan forum Artikel 11 ini, katanya.
Menurut beliau, PAS membantah keras kumpulan Artikel 11 adalah kerana kumpulan ini mempunyai agenda untuk memastikan individu yang beragama Islam bebas menukar agamanya atau dalam erti kata lain menghalalkan 'murtad'.
"Apa lagi yang tinggal kepada umat Islam jika hak ini (Perkara 11 Perlembagaan Persekutuan) dipinda>oleh itu berhak bagi kita mempertahankan hak ini dari dinodai kumpulan seperti Artikel 11 atau IFC," katanya.
Mengecewakan dan sudah diduga
Kenyataan Mohammed Nari itu amat mengecewakan, bagaimanapun seperti yang telah diketahui umum ianya menjadi kebiasaan kepada menteri itu untuk berkata sedemikian, kata Kamaruddin dalam kenyataannya yang terdahulu di Dewan Rakyat.
Mengenai tuduhan PAS melalui kumpulan yang dinamakan 'Badai' menghalang perjalanan forum anjuran Artikel 11, Kamaruddin berkata, Mohammad Nazri sendiri sebenarnya salah dalam tafsiran mengenai kebebasan kerana baginya menurut perlembagaan, Badai berhak untuk berdemonstarsi atau berhimpun.
"Hak untuk berdemonstarsi, berhimpun menyatakan bantahan adalah hak semua rakyat.Badai tidak membatalkan perhimpunan Artikel 11, tetapi pihak polis yang bertindak demikian," katanya.
Baginya, adalah satu kesilapan jika Mohammaed Nazri menyatakan Badai adalah pihak yang menghalang forum Artikel 11, sebaliknya yang menghalang adalah pihak polis yang memberi arahan membatalkannya, katanya.
Sementara itu Abdul Fatah Haron (PAS Rantau Panjang) yang turut diminta mengulas kenyataan Nazri itu berkata, beliau tidak kesal dengan kenyataan Nazri itu sebaliknya telah menduga sikap sedemikian ditampilkan Nazri.
'The focus should be on Damascus'
'The focus should be on Damascus'
By Rachel Shabi in Tel Aviv
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/010676D6-1F09-456F-8C16-6BD44499A644.htm
Monday 24 July 2006, 9:33 Makka Time, 6:33 GMT
Efraim Inbar, a professor of political science at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, says Israel's priority is to stop Hezbollah's rocket attacks on Israel and then disarm the group.
But he questions whether Israel is taking the right actions to achieve this goal
Inbar has written four books: Outcast Countries in the World Community, War and Peace in Israeli Politics; Labor Party Positions on National Security, Rabin and Israel's National Security and The Israeli-Turkish Entente.
He is director of the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies and also a columnist for the Jerusalem Post.
Aljazeera net: What are the Israeli goals in Lebanon?
Efraim Inbar: The goals are simple: To remove the missile threat to Israel, to push Hezbollah out of South Lebanon and to try to damage its military capability as much as possible. The direct responsibility is with Hezbollah which has a clear intent to destroy Israel and is a declared enemy of Israel. The Lebanese government may be formally at war with Israel, but it does not pursue any measures against Israel. The problem with the government is that it is unable to extend its sovereignty to all the state, which allows Hezbollah to operate as an independent militia and to build a state within a state.
What do you think is the very minimum Israel will accept for a ceasefire?
Basically, the minimum conditions are the same as Israel's goals. But the US will decide when enough is enough and Israel will do what is acceptable to them. Between God, and us there is the United States. America, as well as the international community, is interested in the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for the dismantling of Hezbollah.
Does the Israel public, in your view, consider the killing of now over 300 Lebanese, mostly civilian, as proportionate?
The general feeling in Israel is of support for the government.
The issue here is not the abduction of the two soldiers but that Hezbollah does not hesitate to threaten the life of so far a fifth of Israel's population – and says it has longer-range missiles that can reach more of the population.
In that context, it is the moral duty and the first obligation of the state to defend its citizens.
How many more deaths of civilians, on both sides, will the Israeli public tolerate?
First, each side's tolerance level for casualties on the other side is rather high.
If the goal is perceived as important, the Israeli public tolerance for deaths on our side is also high. In 1948, because of the importance of the goal – the establishment of a state – the death of 6,000 was perceived as tolerable. In 1982, after 600 Israeli casualties, the public called into question the whole operation in Lebanon. Now, the security of Israeli citizens is an important goal, which probably raises the tolerance level of Israeli society.
Personally, I’m not sure what we are doing is the right thing - I think the focus should be on Damascus and not on the poor Lebanese.
Is it likely that the Israeli government has been in contact with any Arab governments?
There may be consultation on various levels with Egypt and Jordan and with other countries like Tunisia, Morocco, in Oman and in Qatar. The diplomatic avenue is not closed at any time and there may be ongoing dialogue.
The last time Israel invaded Lebanon, it left scars that fed extremism in the region. Why does this not appear to be a consideration in the present offensive?
I’m not sure it's Israeli action that fuels extremism in the Arab world. It is primarily the failure of the Arab states to gradually make the transition to modernity, which creates social and political problems that lead to extremism. Islamic extremism is home grown.
The Israeli occupation of South Lebanon helped to establish Hezbollah, but in my view it was a secondary factor because there was already a certain measure of radicalisation within the Shia community before Israel arrived.
Hezbollah is now a much greater threat than before and we have to deal with the immediate threat rather than future concerns.
Would Israel consider attacking Iran or Syria?
The government that can make a difference is not the Lebanese government; it is the regime in Damascus that can cut off support for Hezbollah.
I advocate attacking Syria – to some extent we are wasting ammunition in Lebanon. But I'm not sure the Israeli government thinks in those terms. It has been making statements that it does not want to escalate the situation by attacking Syria.
Iran is too distant and so I think w'’re more likely to leave the Iranians to the Americans – for now
Is the peace process now dead?
Forget about it, it's over.
We are in a post two-state paradigm, primarily because the Palestinians failed to establish a functioning political entity. Similar to the Lebanese situation, the Palestinians allow the existence of independent militias.
The convergence plan is based on the assumption that there is no Palestinian partner for peace in the near future.
By Rachel Shabi in Tel Aviv
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/010676D6-1F09-456F-8C16-6BD44499A644.htm
Monday 24 July 2006, 9:33 Makka Time, 6:33 GMT
Efraim Inbar, a professor of political science at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, says Israel's priority is to stop Hezbollah's rocket attacks on Israel and then disarm the group.
But he questions whether Israel is taking the right actions to achieve this goal
Inbar has written four books: Outcast Countries in the World Community, War and Peace in Israeli Politics; Labor Party Positions on National Security, Rabin and Israel's National Security and The Israeli-Turkish Entente.
He is director of the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies and also a columnist for the Jerusalem Post.
Aljazeera net: What are the Israeli goals in Lebanon?
Efraim Inbar: The goals are simple: To remove the missile threat to Israel, to push Hezbollah out of South Lebanon and to try to damage its military capability as much as possible. The direct responsibility is with Hezbollah which has a clear intent to destroy Israel and is a declared enemy of Israel. The Lebanese government may be formally at war with Israel, but it does not pursue any measures against Israel. The problem with the government is that it is unable to extend its sovereignty to all the state, which allows Hezbollah to operate as an independent militia and to build a state within a state.
What do you think is the very minimum Israel will accept for a ceasefire?
Basically, the minimum conditions are the same as Israel's goals. But the US will decide when enough is enough and Israel will do what is acceptable to them. Between God, and us there is the United States. America, as well as the international community, is interested in the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for the dismantling of Hezbollah.
Does the Israel public, in your view, consider the killing of now over 300 Lebanese, mostly civilian, as proportionate?
The general feeling in Israel is of support for the government.
The issue here is not the abduction of the two soldiers but that Hezbollah does not hesitate to threaten the life of so far a fifth of Israel's population – and says it has longer-range missiles that can reach more of the population.
In that context, it is the moral duty and the first obligation of the state to defend its citizens.
How many more deaths of civilians, on both sides, will the Israeli public tolerate?
First, each side's tolerance level for casualties on the other side is rather high.
If the goal is perceived as important, the Israeli public tolerance for deaths on our side is also high. In 1948, because of the importance of the goal – the establishment of a state – the death of 6,000 was perceived as tolerable. In 1982, after 600 Israeli casualties, the public called into question the whole operation in Lebanon. Now, the security of Israeli citizens is an important goal, which probably raises the tolerance level of Israeli society.
Personally, I’m not sure what we are doing is the right thing - I think the focus should be on Damascus and not on the poor Lebanese.
Is it likely that the Israeli government has been in contact with any Arab governments?
There may be consultation on various levels with Egypt and Jordan and with other countries like Tunisia, Morocco, in Oman and in Qatar. The diplomatic avenue is not closed at any time and there may be ongoing dialogue.
The last time Israel invaded Lebanon, it left scars that fed extremism in the region. Why does this not appear to be a consideration in the present offensive?
I’m not sure it's Israeli action that fuels extremism in the Arab world. It is primarily the failure of the Arab states to gradually make the transition to modernity, which creates social and political problems that lead to extremism. Islamic extremism is home grown.
The Israeli occupation of South Lebanon helped to establish Hezbollah, but in my view it was a secondary factor because there was already a certain measure of radicalisation within the Shia community before Israel arrived.
Hezbollah is now a much greater threat than before and we have to deal with the immediate threat rather than future concerns.
Would Israel consider attacking Iran or Syria?
The government that can make a difference is not the Lebanese government; it is the regime in Damascus that can cut off support for Hezbollah.
I advocate attacking Syria – to some extent we are wasting ammunition in Lebanon. But I'm not sure the Israeli government thinks in those terms. It has been making statements that it does not want to escalate the situation by attacking Syria.
Iran is too distant and so I think w'’re more likely to leave the Iranians to the Americans – for now
Is the peace process now dead?
Forget about it, it's over.
We are in a post two-state paradigm, primarily because the Palestinians failed to establish a functioning political entity. Similar to the Lebanese situation, the Palestinians allow the existence of independent militias.
The convergence plan is based on the assumption that there is no Palestinian partner for peace in the near future.
10,000 Muslims attend forum on apostasy
10,000 Muslims attend forum on apostasy
Fauwaz Abdul AzizJul 24, 06 4:09pm Malaysiakini
More than 10,000 Muslims flooded the Masjid Wilayah in Kuala Lumpur to attend a forum that centred around the contentious issue of apostasy.
The roads surrounding the mosque were littered with hundreds of vehicles, bringing traffic in the area to a crawl. About 3,000 people filled the hall while the rest gathered outside.
Among the personalities who spoke at the forum titled ‘The Syariah and Current Issues’ were former Bar Council presidents Sulaiman Abdullah and Zainur Zakaria, Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria, constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari and Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) president Yusri Mohamad.
Other speakers were Syariah lawyer Kamar Ainiah Kamaruzaman, former Penang mufti Sheikh Azmi Ahmad, and forum chairperson Azmi Abdul Hamid (right), who heads the Malay-advocacy group Teras.
The speakers called on the authorities to continue with what they said was the historic tendency to strengthen the country’s Islamic institutions and not weaken them.
“We have every right to seek the continuation of this process of Islamisation,” said Teras’ Azmi, who also accused certain quarters of using apostasy to weaken that process.
On several occasions during the three-hour forum, tempers flared when the sound system broke down and those outside the mosque were unable to hear the speakers. This led the vexed crowd to chant Allahuakbar.
The overwhelming turnout had also caught the organisers by surprise. Also present were former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and former deputy minister Ibrahim Ali.
The resolutions
Meanwhile, the forum resolved that:
[1] The authorities ensure that the current system and status of Islam as provided by the Federal Constitution be maintained and accepted by all persons;
[2] The Federal Constitution and other laws be strengthened to stop attempts to use the courts to weaken the position of Islam;
[3] All Muslims should act in unison in defence of Islam;
[4] Every threat to Islam signifies a threat to the dignity and position and the Malay Rulers who are the heads of Islam in every state and to the integrity of the Islamic institutions;
[5] Efforts to overhaul and erode the position of Islam in the Constitution and national laws should be stopped;
[6] The mass media should be ethical, professional and firm in not taking sides in issues involving Islam and not advocate the view of Malaysia as not being an Islamic state and Islamic practices as a merely matter of private morality. The media is also urged to give space for the Islamic religious authorities to express their perspectives and not sideline the voice of mainstream Islam;
[7] Religious rights and freedoms should be understood in the framework of Islam, not according to individual inclinations;
[8] All state and federal legislative assemblies should pass enactments that prevent the propagation to Muslims of religions other than Islam, and these should be implemented immediately. The government should reject efforts of the West and non-governmental organisations to coopt and use local NGOs, members of the academic, and individuals to influence laws and policies connected to Islam;
[9] Statements of support by certain Muslim leaders that Islam is an individual and private matter are of concern;
[10] Malaysian Bar Council has taken a partisan stand without considering the views of Muslim lawyers who make up more than 40 percent of the Malaysian Bar. The Council, in the name of human rights, has interfered in Islamic matters and this goes against the objectives of the founding of the Council.
Azmi said the resolutions would be submitted to the Council of Malay Rulers, the prime minister, members of Parliament and state legislators.
Fauwaz Abdul AzizJul 24, 06 4:09pm Malaysiakini
More than 10,000 Muslims flooded the Masjid Wilayah in Kuala Lumpur to attend a forum that centred around the contentious issue of apostasy.
The roads surrounding the mosque were littered with hundreds of vehicles, bringing traffic in the area to a crawl. About 3,000 people filled the hall while the rest gathered outside.
Among the personalities who spoke at the forum titled ‘The Syariah and Current Issues’ were former Bar Council presidents Sulaiman Abdullah and Zainur Zakaria, Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria, constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari and Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) president Yusri Mohamad.
Other speakers were Syariah lawyer Kamar Ainiah Kamaruzaman, former Penang mufti Sheikh Azmi Ahmad, and forum chairperson Azmi Abdul Hamid (right), who heads the Malay-advocacy group Teras.
The speakers called on the authorities to continue with what they said was the historic tendency to strengthen the country’s Islamic institutions and not weaken them.
“We have every right to seek the continuation of this process of Islamisation,” said Teras’ Azmi, who also accused certain quarters of using apostasy to weaken that process.
On several occasions during the three-hour forum, tempers flared when the sound system broke down and those outside the mosque were unable to hear the speakers. This led the vexed crowd to chant Allahuakbar.
The overwhelming turnout had also caught the organisers by surprise. Also present were former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and former deputy minister Ibrahim Ali.
The resolutions
Meanwhile, the forum resolved that:
[1] The authorities ensure that the current system and status of Islam as provided by the Federal Constitution be maintained and accepted by all persons;
[2] The Federal Constitution and other laws be strengthened to stop attempts to use the courts to weaken the position of Islam;
[3] All Muslims should act in unison in defence of Islam;
[4] Every threat to Islam signifies a threat to the dignity and position and the Malay Rulers who are the heads of Islam in every state and to the integrity of the Islamic institutions;
[5] Efforts to overhaul and erode the position of Islam in the Constitution and national laws should be stopped;
[6] The mass media should be ethical, professional and firm in not taking sides in issues involving Islam and not advocate the view of Malaysia as not being an Islamic state and Islamic practices as a merely matter of private morality. The media is also urged to give space for the Islamic religious authorities to express their perspectives and not sideline the voice of mainstream Islam;
[7] Religious rights and freedoms should be understood in the framework of Islam, not according to individual inclinations;
[8] All state and federal legislative assemblies should pass enactments that prevent the propagation to Muslims of religions other than Islam, and these should be implemented immediately. The government should reject efforts of the West and non-governmental organisations to coopt and use local NGOs, members of the academic, and individuals to influence laws and policies connected to Islam;
[9] Statements of support by certain Muslim leaders that Islam is an individual and private matter are of concern;
[10] Malaysian Bar Council has taken a partisan stand without considering the views of Muslim lawyers who make up more than 40 percent of the Malaysian Bar. The Council, in the name of human rights, has interfered in Islamic matters and this goes against the objectives of the founding of the Council.
Azmi said the resolutions would be submitted to the Council of Malay Rulers, the prime minister, members of Parliament and state legislators.
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