MP SPEAKS | M'sia always been part of int'l humanitarian community

Anwar has been elected to represent Malaysians and to look after the nation's interests. We currently have a flooding crisis in our nation which is affecting thousands who need help to relocate and then need further assistance to rebuild their devastated homes. This is just the beginning of the measures which are required. Let us not forget that the biggest cause of flooding was poor land management, namely uncontrolled deforestation approved by State and even the federal government. Billions of ringgit are required for flood mitigation projects with a long term vision. We cannot allow our people to face torrential floods, year in year out and then witness the PMX grandstanding over the Palestinian plight promising millions to them when there is a pressing need at home when we do not know whether their leaders will put the donated money to good use. Anwar has self confessed long standing friendships with the highest echelons of Hamas.They are widely reported to have stashed billions of dollars, stolen from donation money meant for the Palestinians. Rather than sending them money which is badly needed at home, Anwar should use his influence with Hamas , to persuade them to release the alleged billions to help rebuild Gaza when there is peace. Anwar should let Hamas know that much as we would like to help, we have dire needs at home. This will be Anwar's and Malaysia's contribution to the rebuilding of Gaza as very few leaders in the democratic world have the ear of the Hamas leadership which Anwar has. The situation in Gaza is in a state of flux. President Trump had talked about relocating the Gazans because they seem unable to live in peace with Israel. Given there is not even a peace deal in sight, and the fact that all the brutalised Israeli hostages have yet to be returned, why is Anwar prematurely talking about rebuilding Gaza? Anwar should not grandstand over the suffering of the Palestinian people because he comes across as a self righteous moral and political opportunist. It is not about being a good Muslim, it is about bring realistic and practical. The truth is UNRWA is designated by the United Nations to administer relief, education, healthcare and rebuilding of Gaza. In addition, rich Arab and European nations have promised to contribute to rebuilding Gaza. They do not need Malaysia's help. Palestinians would empathise with the flood victims of Kelantan, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak which run into the tens of thousands who also need help in rebuilding their devastated lives. They too live in refuge camps . We Malaysians do not have an UNWRA or donations from rich countries pouring in because we do not spread the lie that we are under a blockade or are occupied. We have to manage ourselves and flooding appears to be a perennial problem of ours. Hamas, the terorist party Gazans voted overwhelmingly for, have promoted the lie that they are " occupied " , but the fact is they have not been occupied since 2005 when Israel pulled out lock stock and barrel. Unfortunately, the world media continue to promote this lie. There is also talk of a "blockade " yet building materials, rockets and food have been passing through the Egyptian Rafah border crossing and through interconnecting underground tunnels between Egypt and Gaza over the last 20 years. So what is all this nonsensical " blockade " all about? You can't have a blockade and still have the capacity to send thousands of rockets into Israel and build a 300 km network of tunnels to house terorists, munitions and yes, even Israeli hostages! If there was a blockade, Israel would not be supplying water and electricity to Gaza at a discounted price subsidised by the Israeli tax payer. The tragedy is that the Palestinians brought the war upon themselves. Their hatred for Israel, and their wish to have it destroyed which has been abetted by surrounding Arab and Muslim countries makes the call for peace a near impossible one. The billions of dollars which they spent on building tunnels and buying guns, rockets and bombs could have been used to give themselves a 1st world lifestyle. Instead, their choices have led to doom and devastation. Before October 7 2023, Gazans had a lifestyle which was the envy of most of the developing world in terms of education, healthcare and income per capita. They had 40 km of beautiful beaches with clear water. As has often been stated, they could have turned themselves into another Dubai or Singapore if they had not invested in building tunnels, buying weapons and having a school education system rooted in anti-Jewish propaganda. There is no doubt that Palestinians would not have allowed their religously informed hatred of Israel to get the better of them by perpetrating the most disgraceful act of human savagery in modern times on innocent Israeli civilians, had they known the utter devastation they would face. They also lost any vestige of moral authority their cause had. They clearly were misled by Hamas.

Dr Peter Jebaseelan Jesudason03:13 AM, 02 Feb 2025