KUALA
LUMPUR, December 26 (IslamOnline.net) - The year 2003 marked a
new beginning for Malaysia with the resignation of Mahathir Mohamad
after 22 years at the helm of power, while a terror scare continued to
grapple most South East Asian countries, particularly Indonesia.
"Malaysia
is however one rare country in this region that has taken everyone by
surprise due to the absence of serious incidents on the terror
front," Sayed Morad, a political analyst in Kuala Lumpur, told
IslamOnline.net.
"Business
in the country has also registered high returns with the holiday
seasons, thanks to the huge supply of money on the market, boosting
the purchasing power of the people, " he added.
Sayed
asserted that Malaysia had a great year in 2003 despite losing
Mahathir who stepped down after a long spell in power.
His
successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has imposed his own methods of
governing and has impressed many in the country so far, he opined.
"Nevertheless,
the year 2004 remains the year that may see more changes in Malaysia.
It will be election year, and that is where Abdullah will have to
prove his worth, " said the analyst.
One
issue that is expected to dominate 2004 in Malaysia is the continued
jailing of Anwar Ibrahim, considered by some to be the prince of the
Malays.
"There
is hope that the Abdullah regime will finally come to terms with
reality and release the jailed leader. However, it will all depend on
the consequences of such a release," said one of Anwar
supporters.
In
the tiny city of Kampung Baru, the mosque was filled with Muslims who
went for the Jumaah prayers, many still remember the day Anwar
delivered his first ‘reformasi’ or reform speech outside the gates
of the mosque in 1998.
He
is currently serving a 15-year term for sodomy and corruption, in what
is said to be a parody of justice in the country.
Terror
Scare
Of
all the South East Asian nations, Indonesia won much acclaim for its
swift handling of the terrorism issue, slapping down death sentences
against perpetrators of the October 2002 Bali bombing that killed more
than 200 people.
It
has also arrested scored of suspected terrorists and went through Eid
el-Fitr and the Christmas holidays in total peace and harmony.
The
economy is still dwindling dangerously but decisions are slowly being
turned into action by the Megawati Sukarnoputri regime, which has
started to battle the ills that have ravaged Indonesia on different
fronts.
"We
lived in fear since the Bali bombing, fear of our children being
arrested and jailed summarily," said the mother of a former
Mujahideen solider in Afghanistan.
Living
at Medan, in Sumatra, the aged lady told IOL she feared her two sons
will be arrested and accused of being terrorists.
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Indonesian security personnel stand guard outside the gate of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta
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"They
are simply fighters who went to Afghanistan and fought for the
Muslims, how can they be accused of anything?" the lady wondered.
Several
other families did not have her luck, since their sons are either
rotting in jail or have taken to their heels after an indiscriminate
crackdown on suspected militants tin the wake of the Bali bombing.
Some
were arrested just because they went to Afghanistan and others because
they were seen demonstrating against the so-called war on terror.
The
Mujahideen Council of Indonesia (MMI), headed by Abu Bakar Baysir, who
is currently being jailed even though his lawyers succeeded in reversing
an earlier jail ruling against him, has also seen its membership
dwindling.
"Many
people are afraid to come out in the open, yet there is no problem for
Mujahideen people in Indonesia, it’s the country where the Muslims
will not compromise on Islam," a member of the MMI told IOL.
"Much
of the terror-related fears among Indonesians find their roots in the
fact that authorities -- the government, police, the Indonesian
Military (TNI) and even the country's National Intelligence Agency
(BIN) -- are not prepared to face, or are simply incapable of tracking
and cracking down on terrorists," says the Jakarta Post in
a 2003 analysis.
Besides
terror, corruption and nepotism continue to dominate the scene in
Indonesia.
The
World Economic Forum this year ranked Indonesia 60 out of a total of
102 countries surveyed in terms of business competitiveness due mainly
to corruption and an ineffective bureaucracy.
"Corruption
has worsened since the people identified it as a cancer that must be
cut out of the country at the beginning of the reform movement in
1997, " said another article in the Jakarta Post.
However,
besides reforming the Anti-Corruption Body or the Public Servants'
Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) set up in 2001, the government in
Jakarta has also signed the United Nations Convention against
Corruption.
It
is expected to be ratified next year and the country has enough
legislation to curb corruption.
And
the New Year’s wish for officials and many in the public at large is
that the country gets rid of corruption, in the hope that things will
be better in the largest Muslim country on earth.
