Lecture brings Umno and PAS leaders together but rivalry continues
news feature
At a glance, it seemed that the Palestin dan Kemanusian (Palestine and humanity) premier lecture held at Kuala Lumpur's Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka last night, involving rivals of the two most contentious Malay-based parties, Umno and PAS, was an excuse to pave the way for a unity talk.The "unity talk", initiated by Umno last year, was spurned by Keadilan and received lukewarm responses from PAS, despite being hailed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the talk that would unite Muslims in this country.
But last night, Mahathir, the main lecturer, was quick to point out, dismissing claims that there were ulterior motives for holding such a talk, by saying tongue-in-cheek that "although leaders of Umno and PAS are here, it doesn't mean that we are no longer enemies."
This statement was followed by a resounding show of applause by the 3,000-plus participants comprising several Umno top brass and members of the opposition such as PAS, Keadilan and PRM.
Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and PRM's Syed Husin Ali were spotted among the participants at the three-hour talk although both were not accorded any recognition by the organiser, DBP's chairperson Abd Rahim Abu Bakar, who moderated the session.
Conspicuously absent were the rank and file from other political parties like MCA, MIC and DAP. Umno leaders present were vice-president Muhammad Muhd Taib, secretary general Khalil Yaakob, youth chief Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Selangor Menteri Besar Mohd Khir Toyo.
It was indeed rare to see both Mahathir and his PAS counterpart Fadzil Noor on the same platform, speaking in civil and polite tones, about an issue both parties seem passionate about.
Organised by DPP and the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement or Abim, the historic event kicked off with a poem recital by Uthman El-Muhammady who sealed off his poem in tears, followed by a 30-minute video clipping by TV3 on the Palestinian atrocities and ended with the signing of a declaration of support for Palestine by Umno and PAS.
But while Fadzil mostly related the history of the Palestinian struggle, underscoring his points with criticisms against the Israelis, upholding the concept of jihad (hold war) and mati syahid (martyrdom) in his usual modest manner, Mahathir went on to provide a solution for the atrocities against the Palestinians.
Need to agree on Palestinian issue
Mahathir, who appeared confident in his blood red batik shirt, begun his one-hour speech by saying there was a need for Muslims to come to an agreement on the Palestinian issue.
The premier told the well-behaved, mostly Malay Muslim crowd, who expressed no animosity towards either leaders last night but sat clearly divided along political lines [Umno on the right, PAS on the left], that Muslim unity to fight a common enemy as in the Palestinian cause was a requirement in Islam.
"I am grateful that in a way, there is a reason and a topic that has brought us together on this stage," said Mahathir, referring to his political contemporaries present on stage with him, deputy premier and Umno deputy president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Fadzil and his deputy, Terengganu Menteri Besar Abdul Hadi Awang.
One of Mahathir's 'brilliant' solutions to the Palestinian problem was not to react in anger.
He said he was "sad and angry" too over the cruelties that have caused thousands of deaths in Palestine but conceded that nothing could be done by being angry alone.
"It is most unfortunate that when we act in anger we may be satisfied but our goals are not achieved," he added.
'We only destroy ourselves'
Mahathir harped on the same note a few times that some participants felt that Mahathir was taking a swipe at PAS, albeit in a subtle manner, for he went on to say "we may be brave enough to die or kill each other but what is the point...we only destroy ourselves".
"We can shoot all the Israelis but where does this end?" he quipped, adding that Muslims are not equipped with a strong army nor worldwide support to oppose the large Israel nation.
Time is of the essence here but the end is definitely not in sight, sums up Mahathir's views on the Palestinian issue.
Mahathir also revealed that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat knew the Middle East conflict would be a long drawn war.
"When he visited Malaysia some 10 years ago, Arafat told me that he may not see the Palestinian dream come true as it was going to be " a long breath war".
"But the struggle must go on and it may take a long time, may be 50 years from now...now we are weak, therefore we need to plan, we need to strategise," he added.
To some who attended the talk, the most interesting portion of Mahathir's speech seems to lie in one of his "strategies" to overcome the Palestinian issue.
It smacks of a clever opportunity to prepare Malaysians for Mahathir's meeting with US President George W Bush next week.
Mahathir gave the impression that he was planning to bring up the issue with Bush.
"The important thing is we try, whether we succeed or not is another story. We will share our thoughts, it is up to him to accept or not but when people hear your views, they would eventually listen," Mahathir said.
Dilute antagonism
In his lecture, Mahathir attempted to dilute Malaysian antagonism towards US support for the Israel.
"We should not direct our anger towards US or other Western countries as many Americans and Europeans are also against the war.
"To fight the enemy successfully, one must identify the real enemy. The real enemy is Israel, so we must focus on the Israeli government, not Christians or Catholics. We should lessen our enemies so that the Israelis are alone," he said, describing Israel prime minister Ariel Sharon as "a human who is not human but an animal".
"We know the US supports Israel but what can we do...go to war...we are not capable, not only Malaysia but even the Muslim countries. It is not possible that the US will surrender even if it is continuously attacked," he added.
Mahathir urged Muslims to be realistic and concede that their abilities were limited despite their 1.3 billion population worldwide.
Diplomacy and intelligence on how to deal with the problem is necessary, he said, adding in jest, "our brains are all of the same size but people use their brains, we sometimes seldom use them".
For example, Mahathir said, the suicide bombers are not a solution because since the Sept 11 attacks on America, the attacks against the Palestinian and Islam in general have worsened.
'We have not progressed'
"Muslims are now labelled terrorists. We have not progressed. I look highly upon those who dare to die but what is important is not bravery or death, but our objectives.
"Even though it takes time, if we are patient, we will achieve what we want. Even though I cannot see what happens in the future, it does not mean we cannot plan our steps. Our weapon as a weak nation is our tongue, our diplomacy and our actions," he said.
Mahathir also pleaded with all Muslims in the country to agree on the Palestinian issue "just this once".
"Our strategies may be different but our objectives are the same. It doesn't mean if we agree on this issue, we cannot disagree on other issues."
Although Mahathir appeared to be the winner at the end of the night for his initiative and willingness to unite the ummah (Muslim community), PAS scored a few points as well.
The Muslim-based party, labelled "terrorists" by Umno previously seem well accepted now, being given the opportunity to be seen on the same platform with Mahathir.
Mahathir's rhetoric about Muslim unity can also be a trump card for PAS, as the party leaders will definitely use it to criticise Umno should it bad-mouth PAS in future. But like all matters, particularly in politics, trumps cards can be used either way.
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