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Tuesday,
February 25, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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NAM must work for new world
NAM SUMMIT DIARY WINDOW ON PAKISTAN |
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NAM must work for new world order: Mahathir Kuala Lumpur, February 24 Dr Mohammad today once again lived up to his reputation of a straight-talking head of state, fast emerging as a leader of the Muslim world, when he warned against powers acting as global policemen and made a fervent plea for outlawing wars at a time when a US war against Iraq, a member of NAM, was looming large. He said: “Truly the world is in a terrible mess, a state that is worse than during the East-West confrontation, the Cold War. All great hopes following the end of the Cold War have vanished. And with the terrorists and the anti-terrorists fumbling blindly in their fight against each other, normalcy will not return for quite a long while.” Dr Mohammad said the world must be freed from the shackles of the age-old belief that killing people can solve problems of relations between nations. “War must be outlawed. That will have to be our struggle for now. We must struggle for justice and freedom from oppression, from economic hegemony,” the Malaysian Prime Minister said at the opening of the movement’s 13th summit at Putra World Trade Centre here. Dr Mohammad, who takes over the chair of NAM from South African President Thabo Mbeki, said the movement must endeavour to outlaw nuclear weapons, stop the research and development of more and more lethal so-called conventional weapons and control arms trade. In this context, he pointed out that a large number of people in the North, who had been taking to the streets against US preparations for war against Iraq, were on the same
frequency. "They may not agree with us on everything, but on the opposition to war, very many will be with us. They are ready to oppose their warlike leaders. We must work with them”, he stated. He said NAM must work for a new world order and asserted that NAM was not irrelevant or anachronistic. He said the 47-year-old NAM could be revitalised only by closing ranks and acting together. In his characteristically blunt manner, he said: “We are afraid of everything. We are afraid of flying, afraid of certain countries; afraid of bearded Asian men, afraid of the shoes airline passengers wear; of letters.” and parcels of white powder. Throwing a poser to NAM leaders, he said: “Why is there terrorism? Is it true that the Muslims are born terrorists because of the teachings of a prophet who was a terrorist? How do we explain the pogroms, the inquisitions and the Holocaust which characterised Christian Europe for almost 2,000 years? Why did the Jews choose to seek haven in Muslim countries whenever Christian Europeans persecuted them? Do people seek safety in the land of terrorists? This does not sound very likely.” Dr Mohammad said Christians were terrorised not by Muslims but by fellow Christians, who condemned them as heretics, and were persecuted, tortured and forced to migrate for their beliefs. This showed that Muslims did not have a monopoly on terrorism, “certainly not on the scale of the Holocaust.” Dr Mohammad said he did not believe that terrorism was a result of a clash of between the Muslim civilisation and the Judeo-Christian civilisation. Rather, it was because of a revival of the old European trait of wanting to dominate the world. Sounding a note of warning, Dr Mohammad said: “Our people are getting restless. They want us to do something. If we don’t, then they will, and they will go against us. They will take things into their own hands.” In an obvious reference to the USA, the NAM Chairman said: “They are now talking of the use of military conquests to change governments and are even talking of using nuclear weapons...It is no longer just a war against terrorism. It is in fact a war to dominate the world.” Reiterating his stand that the UN must be reformed, Dr Mohammad said the world body must no longer be bound by the results of a world war fought more than half a century ago. A truly international agency beholden only to the UN General Assembly should oversee the military budgets of all countries. Dr Mohammad said in the struggle to outlaw war and control arms, nuclear as well as conventional, NAM would find growing support from many people in the North. South African President and outgoing NAM Chairman said in his address that the NAM neither had the desire nor the means to impose its will on the unwilling. The Nam relies on humane instruments of dialogue and peace, he said. Iranian President
Sayeed Mohammad Khatami made it clear that his country was opposed to war-mongering policies and the use of force to change any regime in any country. He said a military attack against Iraq would subject the suffering people of that country to immeasurable further suffering and endanger the stability and security of the sensitive region. At the same time, he also stressed that the Iraqi Government must also comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions in an unambiguous and transparent manner.
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NAM SUMMIT DIARY Kuala Lumpur, February 24 ««« When the 13th NAM summit opened here today, the 116-member body, formed more than four decades ago, had already created more than a ripple in world politics. Six out of 15 members of the UN Security Council are participating in the summit. A total of 32 countries, including the USA, the UK and Australia, are attending the summit as observers. ««« The mood among a large number of member countries of the 13th NAM summit here is anti-US on the Iraq tangle. Nearly half of the 116-member NAM comprises Muslim countries and they believe that September 11 is being used to recast the terms of US hegemony without the diplomatic facade. The mood here is palpably anti-American. ««« Two countries today formally joined NAM - Timor Leste and St Vincent Grenadines. Timor Leste, a South-East Asian country, got freedom from Indonesian rule last year and was the latest country to get independence. St Vincent Grenadines, a Caribbean country, decided to join NAM only recently though it had won independence decades ago. |
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WINDOW ON PAKISTAN Can anyone tell exactly what kind of a system of government is there in Pakistan? Is it a parliamentary democracy, as elections for the national and state legislatures were held on October 10 last year? Is it some kind of a presidential system, as President Pervez Musharraf continues to run the show? Or is it a military regime with the Chief of Army Staff holding unfettered powers? The only answer that appears to be correct is that it is a sham democracy or a facade of democracy under General Musharraf, who continues to occupy Rawalpindi’s General Headquarters, the office of Chief of Army Staff. The Presidential referendum that he organised to perpetuate his rule could not give him enough confidence to delink himself from the army. Perhaps, he understands that the 95 per cent plus votes that he secured will not be able to sustain him in the position he holds. The referendum controversy could not die down when the time came for the general election in accordance with ruling of the Supreme Court. The General has got a government of his men installed in Islamabad with the facade of having been elected by the people of Pakistan. The elected Prime Minister, Mr Zafarullah Khan Jamali, has to dance to the tunes of General Musharraf. He just cannot function independently. There is an incomplete parliament (National Assembly, as they call it in Pakistan). The Senate elections are yet to be held. So, it cannot come in the way of the military ruler, though that will not amount to more than creating an embarrassing situation for him. Parliament is yet to hold its inaugural session. According to Shaheen Sehbai of South Asian Tribune, “This is deliberate to the last dot as Musharraf and his henchmen are managing and ensuring that each step is according to what they think is the right script. Caught in this depressing situation is Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali, who does not know whether to go to the left or to the right. He has been despatched to several foreign capitals just to show that he was now the head of government, but in all crucial foreign policy discussions not even one trusted man of Jamali has been included. The talks with General Tommy Franks of CENTCOM and Musharraf’s visit to Russia were glaring examples when Jamali or his men were kept out, deliberately.” General Musharraf has given clear instructions to his Prime Minister that decisions having financial implications should not be finalised without taking the Cabinet into confidence, particularly the President’s most trusted nominee, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz. This was proved following the controversy that arose after Mr Jamali’s announcement reducing the official price of wheat atta by Re 1. Shaheen Sehbai says, “Shaukat Aziz vetoed the move and Jamali was helpless.” The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Washington at the end of March, but media people do not attach much significance to it. He is not supposed to make any policy announcement. This is the prerogative of President Musharraf. Influential world capitals are very clear about who is calling the shots in Pakistan despite an elected government being there. When Russian President Vladimir Putin recently invited General Musharraf to Moscow for significant discussions the matter led to a hot debate. Ultimately, it was accepted that there was only a facade of democracy in Pakistan. Col Masud Akhtar Shaikh (retd) says in an article carried in The News: “People more observant than others have been talking about the frequent meetings that have been taking place between the President and the Prime Minister at the President’s House ever since the latter took the oath of office. They interpret this also as an indication that Mr Jamali has to take the blessings of the President in all matters affecting the day-to-day working of the government.” Now is there any doubt that the much-publicised elections have brought no democracy in Pakistan. It is General Musharraf’s rule, nothing more. And his political opponents seem to be learning to live with this fait accompli. |
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257 killed in quake
Beijing, February 24 |
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8 die in air crash Islamabad, February 24 |
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‘Devdas’ fails yet another test
London, February 24 Eminent Polish Director Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” took the best picture and best director award at the 54th BAFTAs attended by an array of top Hollywood stars at Odeon in Central London’s Leicester Square. “The Warrior”, shot mostly in Rajasthan, was adjudged last night as the best British film and also won an award for special achievement in a first feature film category. Kapadia was also adjudged as the most promising newcomer at the Evening Standard Film Awards here recently. Pedro Almodovar won best foreign film and best original screenplay with “Talk To Her”, the movie the Spanish turned down as their Oscar entry. In the best British film category, “The Warrior,” starring Irfan Khan, outclassed four other films including “Bend it Like Beckham” produced by another NRI Gurinder Chadha The Kapadia film tells the tale of a warrior in Rajasthan who has renounced violence to seek peace in the Himalayas. But before he finds peace, he has to deal with the wrath of a warlord who wants him to remain a warrior. “The Warrior” was made on a budget of less than $ 1 million. Hable Conella (Talk To Her) won the award for best foreign film edging out ‘Devdas,’ ‘The Warrior,’ ‘Y Tu Mama Tambien’ and City of God.
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