ID :
100171
Fri, 01/15/2010 - 02:13
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https://www.oananews.org//node/100171
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News Focus: MAHATHIR SPEAKS ON DEMOCRACY IN MAKASSAR
By Otniel Tamindael
Jakarta, Jan 14 (ANTARA) - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad who arrived on Wednesday in Makassar, South Sulawesi, for a two-day visit, acted as a keynote speaker on democracy at the Hasanuddin University (Unhas) campus on Thursday.
Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister and also one of the longest-serving leaders in Asia was invited by the university to speak at an international seminar on "Democracy for People's Welfare" which was hosted by the Hasanuddin University Alumni Association.
In the seminar, the fourth prime minister of Malaysia who held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003 , said the democracy Malaysia was adhering to was considered to have led the country to achieve prosperity.
Mahathir said Malsyian-style democracy was able to put the nation on a path to prosperity because government by the people or their elected representatives was not a threat but an instrument or system to increase the people's welfare.
"The concept of Malaysian democracy, although adapted to the monarchy system, was not a government system with feudalistic strappings of the past," said the former Malaysian leader.
He said under the Malaysian style democracy it was understood that the king did not have any power as in ruling the country he relied entirely on the advice of leaders elected by the people.
The leaders, according to Mahathir, acted as a bridge between the king and the people to avoid friction or conflict between them.
Mahathir said his administration was considered a success because it was able to turn Malaysia into a more progressive country to make its people more prosperous.
Responding to a question from the floor about President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's efforts emulate Malaysia's success, Mahathir said Yudhoyono would need enough time to do so.
"These efforts are being made little by little by President Yudhoyono and therefore the people should be patient," Mahathir said, adding that Malaysia had been developing itself with its own financial resources so that it could not be dictated by developed countries.
Comparing Indonesia's progress with Malaysia's, Mahathir said the Indonesian government's efforts appeared to be slow but this was related to the geographic vastness of Indonesia and its big population.
The seminar committee's chairman, Prof Abdul Razak Taha, said Mahathir was a keynote speaker beside Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo and Unhas Rector Prof Idrus Paturusi at the seminar.
According to Taha, the seminar was part of Unhas's effort to formulate an ideal concept of democracy that could be applied in Indonesia.
After being formulated, the result of the discussion would be launched at the 54th Unhas anniversary in October this year and to be brought to the Indonesian University Rectors' Forum to be rediscussed.
The seminar was attended by around 1,500 alumni of Hasanuddin University living at home and overseas.
He said Mahathir's spirit of democracy to improve harmony among, and the welfare of all elements of the Malaysian public should serve as a good example for other countries.
After speaking at the seminar, Mahathir took a few moment of his time to meet with at least 100 of 400 Malaysian students at Hasanuddin University's research hospital.
Terrorists
In a talk with the media at the university''s research hospital after meeting with the Malaysian students, Mahathir said the current definition of the word "terrorist" should be rejected because it was actually made by western media to put a stigma on terror actors in developing countries.
The western media had ignored the fact that the number of victims of terror acts in developing countries was much lower than that of victims of humanitarian tragedies in Palestine, he said.
"We need to reject the prevailing interpretation of terrorist and redefine it," he said in a talk with the media at Hasanuddin Univerty's research hospital.
Mahathir said that in its general definition, the word terrorist means a person who creates the feeling of insecurity and fear, and threatens the life of an individual or a group of people.
Therefore, he added, terror actors in developing countries in Asia who were branded by western countries as terrorists should be defined alike for terror actors from developed countries against weak countries, for example, the Israeli attack on Gaza which had claimed thousands of innocent lives.
"So whoever commits terror acts by threatening the lives of other people and creates the feeling of fear and insecurity are called terrorists, and thus Israeli and American soldiers are also terrorists," Mahathir said.
Concerning the bombing attacks by extremist groups which had claimed the lives of a number of people in ASEAN countries, Mahathir said the source of the problem was the case of Israeli occupation of Palestine.
According to Mahathir, the fact that Israeli attacks on Palestine had made many human victims, had irked or outraged the world's Muslim community and some of them were forced to use un-orthodox ways by tying bombs on their bodies to commit suicide bombings.
The former Malaysian leader said that some Muslim people committed bomb terror as a form of protest against the maltreatment of Palestinian people in the Middle East, and although its surrounding countries adhered to Islam, the Palestinian people did not get assistance from them.***
Jakarta, Jan 14 (ANTARA) - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad who arrived on Wednesday in Makassar, South Sulawesi, for a two-day visit, acted as a keynote speaker on democracy at the Hasanuddin University (Unhas) campus on Thursday.
Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister and also one of the longest-serving leaders in Asia was invited by the university to speak at an international seminar on "Democracy for People's Welfare" which was hosted by the Hasanuddin University Alumni Association.
In the seminar, the fourth prime minister of Malaysia who held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003 , said the democracy Malaysia was adhering to was considered to have led the country to achieve prosperity.
Mahathir said Malsyian-style democracy was able to put the nation on a path to prosperity because government by the people or their elected representatives was not a threat but an instrument or system to increase the people's welfare.
"The concept of Malaysian democracy, although adapted to the monarchy system, was not a government system with feudalistic strappings of the past," said the former Malaysian leader.
He said under the Malaysian style democracy it was understood that the king did not have any power as in ruling the country he relied entirely on the advice of leaders elected by the people.
The leaders, according to Mahathir, acted as a bridge between the king and the people to avoid friction or conflict between them.
Mahathir said his administration was considered a success because it was able to turn Malaysia into a more progressive country to make its people more prosperous.
Responding to a question from the floor about President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's efforts emulate Malaysia's success, Mahathir said Yudhoyono would need enough time to do so.
"These efforts are being made little by little by President Yudhoyono and therefore the people should be patient," Mahathir said, adding that Malaysia had been developing itself with its own financial resources so that it could not be dictated by developed countries.
Comparing Indonesia's progress with Malaysia's, Mahathir said the Indonesian government's efforts appeared to be slow but this was related to the geographic vastness of Indonesia and its big population.
The seminar committee's chairman, Prof Abdul Razak Taha, said Mahathir was a keynote speaker beside Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo and Unhas Rector Prof Idrus Paturusi at the seminar.
According to Taha, the seminar was part of Unhas's effort to formulate an ideal concept of democracy that could be applied in Indonesia.
After being formulated, the result of the discussion would be launched at the 54th Unhas anniversary in October this year and to be brought to the Indonesian University Rectors' Forum to be rediscussed.
The seminar was attended by around 1,500 alumni of Hasanuddin University living at home and overseas.
He said Mahathir's spirit of democracy to improve harmony among, and the welfare of all elements of the Malaysian public should serve as a good example for other countries.
After speaking at the seminar, Mahathir took a few moment of his time to meet with at least 100 of 400 Malaysian students at Hasanuddin University's research hospital.
Terrorists
In a talk with the media at the university''s research hospital after meeting with the Malaysian students, Mahathir said the current definition of the word "terrorist" should be rejected because it was actually made by western media to put a stigma on terror actors in developing countries.
The western media had ignored the fact that the number of victims of terror acts in developing countries was much lower than that of victims of humanitarian tragedies in Palestine, he said.
"We need to reject the prevailing interpretation of terrorist and redefine it," he said in a talk with the media at Hasanuddin Univerty's research hospital.
Mahathir said that in its general definition, the word terrorist means a person who creates the feeling of insecurity and fear, and threatens the life of an individual or a group of people.
Therefore, he added, terror actors in developing countries in Asia who were branded by western countries as terrorists should be defined alike for terror actors from developed countries against weak countries, for example, the Israeli attack on Gaza which had claimed thousands of innocent lives.
"So whoever commits terror acts by threatening the lives of other people and creates the feeling of fear and insecurity are called terrorists, and thus Israeli and American soldiers are also terrorists," Mahathir said.
Concerning the bombing attacks by extremist groups which had claimed the lives of a number of people in ASEAN countries, Mahathir said the source of the problem was the case of Israeli occupation of Palestine.
According to Mahathir, the fact that Israeli attacks on Palestine had made many human victims, had irked or outraged the world's Muslim community and some of them were forced to use un-orthodox ways by tying bombs on their bodies to commit suicide bombings.
The former Malaysian leader said that some Muslim people committed bomb terror as a form of protest against the maltreatment of Palestinian people in the Middle East, and although its surrounding countries adhered to Islam, the Palestinian people did not get assistance from them.***
