Washington Says No, So It Is No

Last week, the Straits Times in Singapore quoted shipping sources to say that ships from a score of Muslim countries may land in US ports but not their citizens, Malaysia one of them. It was unchallenged. The minister of transport, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik let it pass. The MISC, the company whose ships land in US ports, said nary a word. Wisma Putra retreated into its accustomed rigor mortis. The New Straits Times and the Star have correspondents in New York and the former as well in Los Angeles. Neither checked its veracity amidst the biggest story in town. In other words, one must assume truth in the Straits Times report.

But I forgot the US cavalry. It comes to the rescue, as President George Bush implies, when it is most needed. The New Straits Times writes an editorial today (NST, 26 Sept 01, p10, Opinion) entitled appropriately enough, "They Are Lies". These reports of Malaysian seamen barred from US ports are lies. The US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur says so. The editorial cannot understand how such a peaceful people from a peaceful country as Malaysians could be misunderstood with people who lean on Kalashnikovs as a crutch. The US Embassay's word is the absolute truth.

After all, "negative news reports based on rumours will erode the confidence of investors, particularly foreign investors, even further". Yes it would, but more so when false reports are left to stand for days until the cavalry comes to the rescue in the form of a US embassy denial. I do not believe Singapore would have allowed a wrong report on a matter as sensitive to her hinterland neighbour, with special methods to show the island how anger equals undying friendship to circulate for long. But why should it bother when the transport minister of Malaysia implies it could be true?

This editorial is important for what it is: the dissembling of the official Malaysian disgust as US policy, characterised by the Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed, and his now failed attempt for a worldwide consesus for his views amongst countries of the South. All he proved in this crusade, the broad intellectual basis I had no qualms about, is how easily he led Malaysia in 20 years into the gutter as the South countries he champions. And eat his words when the United States wants her Shylockian pound of flesh. It is an editorial I anticipated under the new editor-in-chief, Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad.

It is he who got two unknown and irrelevant Washington think tanks to propound the Mahathirian proposition that Anwar is evil, degenerate, and thoroughly fundamentalist Islamic against the order of politcs and nature in the free world. He is Dr Mahathir's secret weapon to cadge that invitation for the American equivalent of "teh" and "goreng pisang" at the Rumah Putih. As he now moves to turn the one-hated US government into a much-loved friend. This is one public manifestation of a major reversal of Malaysian policy since the horrendous September 11 events in New York and Washington. The US is now a friend. And she has Washington's word for it. So friendly in fact that Malaysia has allowed US overflights and use of her military bases en route to pound a fellow Muslim into history.

Fellow Muslim, did I say? No, how could I, when Washington says the worldwide coalition to bomb Afghanistan is not an anti-Islam move. Terrorists did not have any religion, only freedom fighters have that. After all, was it not an American war hero in the US war against its Indian natives who said that "the only good Indian is a dead Indian"? So, even if Afghans are bad Muslims alive, they would be, Washington expects, good Muslims once this adventure is over.

Do I appear disjointed? Yes, but it is show how silly governments can be when it is forced to eat its words in public as Malaysia has to. The New Straits Times can pontificate as irrelevantly today, but since yesterday is history, no one would notice. But some one does. It adds up to the undeniable view that Malaysia has lost her marbles in international affairs. Not only that. It points to a tired government not knowing what to do when faced with inevitable doom. It tries to tell the world it is in control, but with every action it proves it is not. Its first course of action is to tell its citizens that they should disbelieve all they heard and saw in the past about American perfidy should be forgotten; indeed, they have to forget that. But it does not know how. So, we get editorials as in today's New Straits Times, so that the world, for a change, can laugh at us.

M.G.G. Pillai
pillai@mgg.pc.my