Laws such as Malaysia's Internal Security Act (ISA), the US' Patriot Act and other similar ones that infringe human rights are not the be-all-and-end-all to terrorism and militancy, a political scientist said today.

In fact, the underlying factors include double standards against minority communities, lack of accountability of governments and uneven development which benefit some while marginalising the rest, said International Movement for a Just World Malaysia president Dr Chandra Muzaffar

He said terrorism and militancy today must be tackled differently than how the communist threat during pre- and post-Merdeka times were handled by the British and Malaysian governments.

He said the ISA, formulated by the British, was only one of many weapons against the underground communist terrorists at that time.

"The others came in the form of the promise for political participation, resettlement of the Chinese in new villages, job opportunities, recognition of the role and education of the Chinese community and many other policies continued after Merdeka," he said at a public forum on 'Human rights and the rule of law' in Petaling Jaya today.

"It is not detaining people per se that curbed terrorism," he added.

General unhappiness

Earlier, a book on Azmi Khalid, a human rights advocate who died of brain tumour 10 years ago, was launched. His widow Rohana Yusuf briefly shared moments of his life followed by a musical presentation by his two children, Nor Alina and Muhammad Rizal, in their early 20s.

Acknowledging that terrorist threats today were from Muslim groups, Chandra asked whether governments were over-emphasising on the simplistic and superficial law and order approach.

He said they should look at the issue of militancy from a different perspective today where it may be rooted in certain misinterpretations of Islamic teachings. "Then one has to think of religious education, the curriculum, the teachers and the message being conveyed to our young. We need to ask why is it that Islam's more universal message of peace is not seen?

"Is it possible that the unhappiness among Muslims everywhere is linked to global factors, such as a reaction to double standards by the Washington elite against Iraq in requesting for nuclear disarmament when no one has even asked them, or Israel, to disarm?"

"The Washington elite do not want to deal with these underlying issues, preferring instead to adopt a simplistic and superficial law and order approach," he said, listing down several countries facing similar terrorist threats.

Change nothing

While questioning the global and domestic powers, Chandra said the role of militants and terrorists must also be questioned because both are violations of human rights.

"We must tell the terrorists and militants that their acts do not change anything, for example, the international trade patterns still remain the same," he said, urging everyone to continue fighting against both types of oppression and human rights violations.

Another speaker, prominent human rights lawyer Raja Aziz Addruse, raised the question of arbitrary discretion without judicial review and how that absolute power of the Executive went unchallenged by the courts, until recently in several ISA cases.

"No legislation should confer upon the state rules so arbitrary that they cannot be challenged in court. Until recently, the courts have declined to step in and ask for the justification of arrests and detention under such laws."

Gan Teik Lee, a Penang-based lawyer practising for 30 years, said the middle-class intelligentsia should ask themselves whether they have done enough and will do more to enhance human rights awareness.

Middle-class abdication

"The abdication of the middle-class is what has contributed most to the deterioration of human rights in Malaysia because, given consumerism and materialism, we have grown very comfortable."

He also asked whether civil disobedience could be carried out today, as advocated by Mahatma Gandhi during his time.

Referring to the late Azmi, who was with him in Aliran's executive committee, Gan said he (Azmi) had believed that help must be extended to those being persecuted elsewhere in a show of global solidarity, similar to widespread protests against the US' plans to wage war on Iraq.

One of Azmi's students, Chee Yoke Ling, who is legal adviser for Third World Network, highlighted the new challenges posed by big corporations, an ineffective parliamentary system and a general lack of accountability.

Speaking on the rule of law, she said it will be more meaningful if the government was accountable to the parliament and to the people.

"For us, the rule of law means protecting the weak and sanctifying the dignity of life whereas for big corporations, it is about how to protect themselves in any country they are based in."

Chee said the people must ensure that they have a say in any decision made by the government at home or abroad, as most people are ignorant about decisions taken during international negotiations overseas.