After hearing about the arrest of some anti-war leaders and activists in Kuala Lumpur o­n Saturday, I now seriously doubt if Acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his party Umno is really committed to the worldwide anti-war campaign. Let us not forget that Abdullah, the deputy premier, is also the home minister who gives orders to the police.

Unless and until Abdullah publicly claims he has no effective control over the police, I will hold this man responsible for sabotaging the Malaysian anti-war movement and suppressing the voice of the people.

If he goes o­n like this, what is the difference between him and outgoing premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad?

Indeed, what is the difference between Mahathir and Abdullah o­n o­ne hand and, o­n the other, those Arab leaders who denounce the US government publicly but are helping the Bush regime secretly to suppress their own people?

I am looking forward to read public condemnation of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ( not the police alone) by the International Movement for a Just World, Sisters in Islam, Peace Malaysia and all the anti-war columnists and writers in the government media.

I have always admired these anti-war NGOs, intellectuals, writers, columnists and activists for their vocal condemnation of US imperialism. I pray they will be consistent and not disappoint the global anti-war movement.