As US-led troops continue to pound Iraq with bombs and missiles, citizens of various ethnic and religious groups in Penang came together yesterday to hold a 'prayer for peace' for the Iraqis, which proceeded without police disruption.

About 200 people gathered at the Millennium Square shopping complex at the Penang Esplanade, carrying colourful placards stating their opposition to the US administration.

Among the messages were 'Who are the terrorists?', 'Don't drop bombs, drop Bush', 'More trees, less Bush', 'Oppose war' and 'United for peace'.

The religious groups were represented by the Sikh Gudwara Temple, Buddhist Association, Masjid Kapitan Keling, Malaysian Hindu Sangam (Penang branch) and the Good Shepherd Church.

Poetry and song

Organised by the Stop The War Coalition of 62 civil society groups, the event included poetry recital by Citizen's Initiative representative Anwar Fazal and Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer Dr Latiff Kamaluddin.

Dr Johan Saravanamuttu, another USM lecturer, sang a song titled Pukul Tiga Pagi (Three o'clock in the morning), dedicated to the people of Iraq.

The gathering ended in stark contrast to the anti-war demonstration organised by opposition groups and non-governmental organisations at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre o­n March 29, which was marred by police use of tear gas and arrest of 12 people, including several opposition leaders.

Some participants said the difference in treatment could have been due to the small number of participants in Penang compared with the turnout of 2,000 in Kuala Lumpur.

Others claim that the Gerakan-led government in Penang seem to be more liberal as its popularity depends largely o­n civil society groups with different political leanings.

Bigger force

Penang state executive councillor Dr Toh Kin Woon who was present, said he was happy to see the multi-ethnic crowd putting aside their religious differences and coming together to oppose war.

The Gerakan leader said the gathering was timely because the war was not about race or religion, but the invasion of Iraq by the US and British forces.

"We must be willing to go forward to oppose US efforts to dominate the world. Do not think we are a small country, (or that) we can't do anything," he said.

"There is a bigger force, which is stronger, and that is the opposition of citizens around the world, a force which I am confident will surely grow bigger and bigger," he added.

Impact of war

Some participants spoke their minds about the grueling war and how it has affected their daily lives and people around them.

Unionist K Veeraah said he hopes that more gatherings would be organised to seek "divine intervention" so that US President George W Bush and British premier Tony Blair would come to their senses.

He said the war o­n Iraq has also become an excuse for employers to deny workers their right to pay revisions, with companies feigning loss of business and poor financial situation.

"There are even employers who are using this excuse to deny existing benefits like the contractual annual increment," said Veeraah, who is Malaysian Trades Union Congress Penang branch secretary.

"These employers say the war has affected them economically. We, in MTUC, say that they should not use the invasion as a licence to deny workers their legitimate right."

Businessman Fardan Majeed said the war has seriously affected trade between Malaysia and the Middle East. He said prices of various goods and services like insurance, oil and shipping have shot up.

Homemaker Muslimah Naim said she was "terribly frustrated" with the attitude of journalists covering the war.

"The journalists treat this war like it is a video game. They don't seem sickened by it. In fact, they seem to admire the military tactics used by US and Britain to bomb and kill innocent people," she said.

"These journalists also refer to the Iraq people as targets and not human beings. They are o­ne-sided in that if an American soldier dies, they show his whole family crying," she added.