Sulaiman Rejab has called on our government to send the British High Commissioner and the Hungarian Ambassador back to their homelands' for walking out on our former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s speech.

While I do think that perhaps these envoys did overreact, we must keep in mind that they were not challenging our government, but only a man (or maybe Suhakam, but I'm inclined to think they were more disapproving of Mahathir).

Mahathir is no longer our prime minister and was not acting in an official capacity for the government of Malaysia. He was presenting his views at a conference held by a non-governmental organisation.

Why, then, should our government eject two senior diplomats when they have not offended our government in any way? The event was not held by the government; the man they walked out on was not representing our government. Were they rude or impolite? Undoubtedly. But were they right to walk out on Mahathir? Somehow, I don't think that's for our government to decide.

Furthermore, let's look at some of the things Mahathir said in his speech. Among other things, he stated that the invasion of Iraq cost more lives than Saddam Hussein ever did. Putting aside the cruel torture he and his sons inflicted on those they did not favour, Saddam engaged in genocide, gassing 5,000 Kurds in the late 1980s. In that same war (the Iran-Iraq War), which he had started, at least 1.7 million people died (although the most conservative estimates put the total deaths at one million).

In the recent invasion of Iraq, about 26,000 civilian casualties were documented. However, the Lancet estimates that as many as 194,000 Iraqis, including combatants, were killed. Pales in comparison with the Iran-Iraq War, doesn't it? Wait - there's a catch. In the sanctions enforced by the United Nations (not the United States alone), the highest estimate of Iraqi deaths caused is 1.2 million. (Some skeptics argue that the real number is closer to 350,000.) However, these numbers are suspect due to possible corruption on Saddam's part. In addition, the Oil For Food programme that began in 1996 did little to alleviate the problem, indicating possible leaks on either the part of Saddam, the UN or both.

In any case, let's look at the total numbers. Highest estimates for those dead from the 2003 invasion and the sanctions: 1.4 million. Highest estimate for Iraqis dead from the 2003 invasion: 194,000. Highest estimate for those dead from the Iran-Iraq War that Saddam initiated: 1.7 million. Unless it's the other way round, and we take the lowest estimate for the casualties of the Iran-Iraq War (one million dead), Mahathir’s claim appears to be suspicious.

I do not think the envoys of esteemed countries like the United Kingdom and Hungary would simply walk out on a speech where their countries were blamed for a horrible war started for suspicious reasons, after all, many people in their countries feel the same way too. However, when their countries are implicated for being involved in outlandish cruelties with little basis in reality (imagine comparing a war leaving over a million dead, with a war where about 200,000 have died, and then saying the latter war is far worse), I wouldn't be surprised if the envoys took some form of action.

I do agree they could have been more respectful of Mahathir. But I have to disagree with the contention that their walkout should be punished with official action by our government. Our government was not humiliated or shamed at the conference. Mahathir was acting on his own. We have no case against the envoys of the United Kingdom or Hungary.