It is indeed a scandal that the UN special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, behaves more as an apologist for the unelected and illegitimate Burmese regime than someone who represents the high ideals of the UN charter.

How else does one interpret Razali's disagreement with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz about doing business in Burma? After all, has not the ICFTU alleged that Razali's company, Iris Technologies, has done business with the Burmese junta? And despite Iris Technologies' denials, the fact that Iris Technologies even ventured into Burma while Razali was UN envoy compromised his position. Had Razali read his Shakespeare, he would have realised that Caesar's wife has to be beyond suspicion.

Thus, today, the impression to the public is that instead of acting as the UN special envoy that doggedly promotes freedom, justice, human rights and respect for the rule of law, Razali's statements reflect that of any overseas Burmese diplomat who encourages and promotes business and investment in Burma in complete disregard to the fact that this military regime shamelessly continues to imprison the rightful government of Burma and torture and even kills its own citizens.

As for Razali's glib statement that sanctions could hurt "wrong and innocent people", well, for his information, the military junta is already hurting "wrong and innocent people" - thousands of them in fact - and has been doing so for decades. Indeed, anyone familiar with Amnesty International's and Human Rights Watch's reports would realise this. For Razali to thus suggest that sanctions could hurt "wrong and innocent people" is to promote a perverse kind of logic as mainstream discourse.

As I have said before in malaysiakini , Razali is clueless about how best to handle this Burmese junta. And clueless envoys make bad guides when road maps to democracy are required.

Instead, Razali would do well to resign his UN commission in light of his previous conflict of interest in Burma. That way, the world does not snigger at him and at Malaysia whenever this UN special envoy to Burma expresses his "happiness and delight" at supposed progress within Asean in democratising Burma.

Resigning his commission would also then free up his company, Iris Technologies, to trade freely in Burma as per Razali's convictions.