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Rights Group Influenced by the West Says Mahathir
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Malaysia's Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, on Thursday lambasted the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM), accusing it of being biased and influenced by the West.
Mohamad said its report on an illegal gathering was not in the interest of the nation but meant to please the West. He called on the group to review its stance and to adopt a more local approach to problems in Malaysia.
The attack against SUHAKAM, though expected, took the opposition and commission by surprise. However, SUHAKAM defended its position by stating that human rights were universal.
SUHAKAM said that Western police shooting at protestors was as much anti-human rights as Malaysian police actions against local demonstrators.
The government in Putra Jaya, the new administrative city, is opposed to SUHAKAM 's demands for greater freedom and respect of human rights in Malaysia.
In the past, the Malaysian government had dismissed reports or suggestions by SUHAKAM on the grounds that the rights group was not the one running the country. It said police were given the authority to act against illegal gatherings and to take severe actions against demonstrators who broke the law.
In Malaysia, it is almost impossible to hold political rallies and demonstrations. They are deemed illegal and permits are seldom given to political parties to hold rallies.
Mohamad said the Commission was not inclined to make an independent decision based on Malaysian values, fearing that white people in the West would not praise it.
The aging Malaysian premier said SUHAKAM's report was "very Western-bias[ed], which was at odds with local values."
"We expect them [SUHAKAM members] to be fair, to understand that they are Malaysians and that they should think in terms of being Malaysians.
"But they are influenced by the West, let's say, very much influenced, because they want to prove that we are very liberal, and all that, but the Western countries themselves are not that liberal.
"They are going to beat up any demonstrator. Just wait and see when they have the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Australia [in September].
"I expect, there will be demonstrations, and there will be violence and police brutality," he told Malaysian reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
The Commission's report released this week stated that Malaysian police had violated several aspects of human rights during a gathering at Kesas Highway on November 5, 2000.
In the report, SUHAKAM commissioner Tan Sri Anuar Zainal Abidin said that violations included the use of force and damage and confiscation of private property.
The premier said the Commission portrayed the police force as "very nasty", accusing the rights group of failing to give weight to the police's side of the story.
"The police had given their side of the story and that should be given some weight because they were working under pressure. They had to contend with this new phenomenon [street demonstrations], which is being encouraged by the West," he said.
He also said the Commission was "too enamored" with values set by the West as opposed to the government and police.
He added that police in Malaysia were unconcerned about what the West said, so long as the interest of public safety and welfare was protected.
The government and police, he said, also wanted to look after the interest of the people, including their human rights, but if they acted violently, the law must be upheld.
Mohamad also said stronger reaction from the police was needed to quell demonstrations because the opposition was trying to turn Malaysia into one some countries where street demonstrations topple governments.
Commissioner Anuar Zainal Abidin, of the SUHAKAM, said on Thursday that human rights are a universal matter and comparisons should not be drawn.
"Just because the police in the West shoot at protestors, it does not mean the police here can do the same thing. It is just against human rights," Anuar said.
Abidin said, "Perhaps one should read the report in detail first before deciding whether the report is influenced by the West.
"I don't agree that we are Western-influenced just by pointing out some cases of human rights violations," he said.
"The main thing is that there were human rights violations. We don't have to be liberal to know that holding back medical attention from injured protestors is wrong. We don't need to read from Western medical journals to know that it is wrong," Anuar added.
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