Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi lamented today that many nations were not doing enough to address conditions that breed unrest, militancy and terrorism in their countries.

In these countries, legitimate political aspirations were denied, democratic space lacking and socio-economic conditions continue to be desperate, he said in his keynote address at the 16th Asia-Pacific Roundtable 2002 meeting in Kuala Lumpur today. The event was attended by 247 government and non-governmental officials from Asia-Pacific.

"When people have no other avenue for redress, they will take up arms and embark on a path of violence. This kind of phenomenon has occurred in many countries, from France in the 17th century to South Africa in the last," he added.

Since Sept 11, Malaysia has been zealously joining the US-led 'war against terrorism'.

In its efforts to stamp out terrorism, Malaysia has detained more than a hundred people alleged to be involved in anti-government and Islamic militancy, seeking to overthrow the government through violent means.

Domestically, the government has also clamped down on the opposition by banning peaceful assemblies and political talks.

On the other hand, Abdullah said, not enough is being done in Muslim countries or countries with large Muslim population to prevent the religion from being subverted by militants to "serve their own narrow end".

"Jihad (holy war) or struggle is a much abused concept and is employed to justify violent action even against innocent civilians," he said.

"Hate against the establishment and non-believers is being propagated in countless madrasahs or religious schools in some countries," he added, taking a swipe at the ruling coalition's arch political rival, PAS, which has widened its influence in such organisations over the years.

Losing competitive edge

On China's entry into the World Trade Organisation last year, Abdullah said Malaysia is worried that a sizeable amount of foreign direct investment was going into China.

As more than half the total FDI inflow into developing countries went to China in the year 2000, many Asean economies were concerned about losing the competitive edge in strategic sectors like manufacturing, he said.

"Indeed, China is difficult to ignore. Its economy is worth US1.6 trillion and is currently growing at one-fourteenth its size each year. It is half the size of the US economy and one and a half times the size of the Japanese economy. The Asean economies combined are only one-third of the Chinese economy.

"These concerns are real and justified but I would like to suggest that enormous though the China challenge is, equally enormous is China's opportunity," Abdullah said.

"Countries that fail to recognise this are only [in denial]. China will be the new growth engine for much of East Asia. I believe we must fully participate in China's development and seek to prosper ourselves even as China prospers," he added.