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U.S. Congressman Lashes Out At Mahathir
by Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA (IslamOnline) - A U.S. congressman last week lambasted Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia for his comments regarding a group of U.S. House of Representatives members over their concerns on the case of jailed former deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim.
Christopher H. Smith, chairman of the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, said he was deeply concerned about Mahathir’s comments.
Smith sponsored House Resolution 658 that deals with the Anwar Ibrahim case in Malaysia and calls for the U.S. to sanction Malaysia on human rights abuse charges.
Elaborating on Mahathir’s comments, Smith said he hoped that Mahathir did not regard disagreement on important policy issues as evidence of unfitness for office. Mahathir had said the U.S. co-sponsors of the said resolution "should not be congressmen . . . they are not fit to become congressmen in the most powerful country in the world."
Smith revealed that the Malaysian Embassy in the U.S. requested that some sponsors of the resolution meet with the Malaysian ambassador to clarify the matter.
Smith said that although some of the sponsors of the resolution met with the Malaysian ambassador, he had yet to meet with him. He said that he believed he was speaking for his colleagues when he said that the Anwar case remains extremely troubling.
Smith added that Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Micheal Toyad was in error when he said that all seven of the resolution co-sponsors were now satisfied with the Malaysian government’s explanation of its actions in the Anwar case. Toyad's statement was inaccurate, Smith said.
In addition to concerns about the irregularities during Anwar's trial, the possible political motivations behind the charges levied against him, and a number of other actions of the Malaysian authorities discussed in detail in the resolution, Smith said he "now [has] grave concerns about recent reports that Anwar's health is deteriorating rapidly and that he may not be receiving proper medical treatment."
"I regret that because of scheduling difficulties, it was impossible to bring House Resolution 658 to the floor of the House during the short time remaining in the session after its introduction.
"I hope the government of Malaysia will address the serious human rights concerns expressed in the resolution as quickly as possible. If not, I will pursue the matter vigorously in the 107th Congress," Smith warned.
"I believe these concerns are shared not only by my colleagues who were co-sponsors of the resolution, but also by the overwhelming majority of Congress and of the American people," he said.
In November, Mahathir was angered upon hearing reports that the U.S. Congress might debate a resolution dealing with the Anwar Ibrahim case in Malaysia.
He lambasted the U.S. congressmen on their move and said Malaysians who sought help from outside the country were "cheap skins" and rejects of the society who would do better to leave Malaysia.
The Malaysian government was gravely concerned over the affair but was relieved when the resolution was not debated before the U.S. elections.
The jailed leader is currently in hospital being treated for severe strains in his back, allegedly the result of beatings conducted by former police chief Abdul Rahim Noor while in detention.
In October, seven congressmen of the U.S. House of Representatives submitted the controversial resolution expressing the House’s sentiments regarding the Anwar Ibrahim case.
The co-sponsors of the resolution include Smith (R-NJ), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Thomas Lantos (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Edward Royce (R-CA), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) and Robert Wexler (D-FL). The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on International Relations.
The resolution resolved that the Government of Malaysia should provide Anwar with due process of law either by offering him a new trial under fair and transparent procedures, or by dismissing all charges against him.
It added that all Malaysians should be allowed to exercise their fundamental right to peaceful expression of political opinion without fear of arrest or intimidation, and should be afforded due process of law in all cases.
Observers said in November that U.S. sanctions might be imposed on Malaysia if the House adopted the resolution.
Anwar is currently serving a 15-year jail term for corruption, abuse of power and sodomy, charges that he rejects categorically. The jailed leader said he is the victim of a conspiracy by Mahathir and his cronies.
He has also accused the Malaysian government of bailing out Mahathir cronies who went bankrupt during the 1997 economic crisis. The government has recently bought over the Malaysian Airlines shares of a close Mahathir friend, Tajudding Ramli, at a price higher than market value.
The opposition claims this buy-back is the salvaging of a crony.
The National Justice Party (NJP) and the Free Anwar campaign are also pressing the Malaysian government to free Anwar Ibrahim.
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