|
Malyasia: Gore Manhandled By Malaysian Minister
by Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA (IslamOnline and News Agencies) - Malaysia does not seem to like the idea that Al Gore, the U.S. Vice President, might clinch the presidency in the controversial recounts in Florida.
Influential and popular Minister of Trade and Industry Rafidah Aziz dubbed “Rapid Fire” by her friends, has sharply criticized Gore.
She said whoever wins the U.S. presidential election should stop the American practice of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries and trying to push its model of democracy ''down everybody's throats''.
Rafidah Aziz sharply criticized Gore, as she has in the past, for siding with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim two years ago when he led a reform movement against Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed.
In an interview during this year's annual Asian-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) meeting in Brunei, Rafidah attacked Gore's ''busybody attitude''.
''He and his big mouth, he doesn't know what's happening,'' she said, looking back on Gore's speech. ''It's sheer stupidity to try and comment on something that, first of all, it's not correct and secondly that irritates a whole lot of Malaysians.''
A week ago, Malaysian media reported that Mahathir said he would be sorry if Gore won the November 7th presidential election, adding that relations between the U.S. and Malaysia may turn sour in that event.
''We know Al Gore - he's the only man who can go to a country and tell the people to rise against the government in front of the government,'' Mahathir was quoted as saying.
Malaysian officials are sour after the success by the Opposition National Justice Party (NJP) in triggering a possible House of Representative sanction against Malaysia on the Anwar Ibrahim issue.
Several American lawmakers in Washington, including influential congressmen, have supported a memorandum that calls on Malaysia to free Anwar, or to offer him another chance in the courts.
Both Rafidah Aziz and the Malaysian Prime Minister severely condemned the lawmakers in strong terms, saying they were deliberately interfering in the internal affairs of Malaysia.
Rafidah said her government has no preference over the choice of the new U.S. president, provided who ever wins does not interfere in the affairs of other countries.
''What we expect is that the president of the U.S. should have the interests of all countries at heart and not try to push their views around, not to become the great policeman of the world and push the U.S. democracy concept down everybody's throats...and don't interfere in internal affairs of countries,'' she said.
Gore, who is said to be very close to Anwar Ibrahim and would do everything in his capacity as President in his eventual victory over George Bush showed support for Anwar supporters while making a speech to a summit of the APEC forum in 1998 in Malaysia.
The Malaysian government was infuriated by Gore's remarks, which officials compared to an incitement of violence and support of terrorism, not to mention a violation of APEC's agreement to avoid discussing the internal affairs of its 21 members.
|
