Selasa, 20 November 2012

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim

Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat, Kemaman Terengganu 17/11/2012

Posted: 20 Nov 2012 01:08 AM PST

[VIDEO] Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat, Setiu Terengganu 17/11/2012

Posted: 20 Nov 2012 01:06 AM PST

Malaysia Mesti Bertindak Untuk Menamatkan Pembunuhan Kaum Rohingya di Myanmar

Posted: 20 Nov 2012 01:01 AM PST

KENYATAAN MEDIA                                                                                        NOVEMBER 20, 2012

 

Malaysia mesti bertindak untuk menamatkan pembunuhan kaum Rohingya di Myanmar

 

Pembunuhan kaum Muslim Rohingya di Myanmar yang berlaku semenjak bulan Jun tahun ini masih tiada berkesudahan meskipun menghadapi tentangan masyarakat antarabangsa, dan telah menyebabkan kematian hampir 200 orang Rohingya dan seramai 110,000 tiada tempat berlindung. Penyembelihan secara sistematik ini telah dijalankan dengan bantuan kerajaan Myanmar menerusi tentera mereka, dan serangan terkini yang telah berlaku pada bulan Oktober telah menjadikan krisis tersebut semakin parah.

 

Dalam kenyataan media bertarikh 14 Ogos tahun ini, Pakatan Rakyat telah menggesa Perdana Menteri Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak memainkan peranan dalam menghentikan serangan terhadap kaum Rohingya, lebih-lebih lagi sebagai seorang pemimpin Muslim di dalam ASEAN, namun senarai tindakan itu tidak dijalankan. Kami menyesali kelengahan DS Najib, lebih-lebih lagi apabila hubungan diplomatik antara Myanmar dan Malaysia sudah lama terbentuk hasil usaha Malaysia membawa Myanmar ke dalam ASEAN.

 

Bersempena Perhimpunan ASEAN yang ke-21 yang diadakan di Phnom Penh minggu ini, Malaysia harus berbuat yang demikian:

a.       Menuntut kerajaan Myanmar hentikan pembunuhan kaum Rohingya dengan serta-merta dan membenarkan bantuan kemanusiaaan dari persatuan-persatuan antarabangsa disalurkan kepada mereka yang memerlukan, menerusi perjanjian dua hala;

b.      Menuntut ASEAN mengeluarkan penyataan membantah serangan yang masih berterusan dan mengambil langkah menghentikannya, memandangkan perlanjutan krisis ini akan menyebabkan ketidakstabilan di negara-negara serantau;

Malaysia mesti terus memberi tekanan kepada kerajaan Myanmar untuk menghentikan serangan  terhadap kaum Rohingya, serta mengadakan perjanjian damai. Malaysia juga harus menggesa pihak Amerika dan China campur tangan dan menasihati agar kerajaan Myanmar melindungi semua golongan minoriti serta menghentikan serangan terhadap kaum Rohingya.

 

Negara kita mempunyai tanggungjawab untuk menghentikan keganasan terhadap kaum Rohingya, terutamanya apabila kita merupakan negara jiran dan mempunyai hubungan diplomatik dengan Myanmar. Ini merupakan suatu cabaran moral untuk Malaysia, yang tentunya tidak akan diabaikan oleh sebuah kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat.

 

DATO' SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

KETUA PEMBANGKANG

PARLIMEN MALAYSIA



PRESS RELEASE                                                                  NOVEMBER 20, 2012


Malaysia must act to end the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar


The genocide of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar has continued unceasingly since June despite international outcry, with nearly 200 dead and over 110,000 displaced. This systematic slaughter of the Rohingya has been conducted with the assistance of the Myanmar government, as is clear by the involvement of the army, and the most recent attacks in October have further deteriorated an already desperate situation.

 

In Pakatan Rakyat's previous statement dated 14 August, a series of actions we asked Prime Minister Najib Razak to meet, especially as a Muslim leader in ASEAN, which he has failed to meet.

 

The lack of urgency is regrettable given Malaysia's unique diplomatic relations with Myanmar and our instrumental role in embracing them in ASEAN.

With the 21st ASEAN Summit concluding this week in Phnom Penh, Malaysia must do the following:

a.       Demand the Myanmar government to stop the genocide immediately and allow for international aid to reach the people of Rakhine through direct channels, during bilateral talks with the government.

b.      Demand an official statement by ASEAN condemning the ongoing attacks as well as conducting an appropriate intervention, especially in light of the pressures this internal conflict would place upon the region;

Malaysia must continue press Myanmar to cease hostilities and sit down and talk to the Rohingya people. It must urge the United States of America and China to actively intervene and advise Myanmar to extend protection to all minorities.

 

Our country has a higher responsibility in the violence against the Rohingya because we are geographically close to the area and have special diplomatic access to the country. It is our responsibility not to ignore the plight of the Rohingya. This is a moral challenge to the Malaysian government, one that a Pakatan Rakyat government would not ignore.

 

DATO' SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

LEADER OF THE MALAYSIAN OPPOSITION

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Posted: 19 Nov 2012 11:35 PM PST

Obama’s Visit to Burma And What it Means for Democracy in The Region

Posted: 19 Nov 2012 10:52 PM PST

By Anwar Ibrahim

As one of his first official acts overseas upon his re-election to office, President Obama's upcoming visit to Burma will indeed be a historic moment and will have major implications for the future of freedom and democracy not just for Burma but for the region.

Is the visit intended to signify Washington's recognition that Burma has made some significant progress towards freedom and democracy? While this question may not be definitively answered yet, there is no doubt that some reforms have been put in place. Among them are the relaxation on curbs to press freedom, allowing workers to form unions, and the legitimization of opposition political parties including most significantly the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi. While these changes are palpable steps in the direction of freedom and democracy, it needs to be stressed that issues of human rights remain far from resolved. So, if Obama's upcoming visit is meant to be an endorsement of the reforms carried out, then it must perforce be a very conditional endorsement. The progress made so far may be encouraging but the laundry list for reforms remains long and freedom and democracy advocates as well as other civil society groups in the region are watching this closely.

The ethnic conflicts that have plagued this nation and the response by the Burmese government in dealing with them remain troublesome. The renewed outbreak of violence recently in Rakhine State which has seen the slaughter of hundreds of the stateless Rohingya Muslims and the destruction of entire settlements is a matter of grave concern. There have been reports that security forces were complicit in the killing or at least did nothing to stop it. Attempts to rationalize the massacres as inevitable consequences of ethnic strife cannot absolve the Burmese government from blame. In this regard, Washington has remained somewhat muted in response having failed to voice in the strongest terms its condemnation of these acts of murder and mayhem and to take to task the Burmese authorities for their failure to protect the minority Rohingya population. This is an ethnic community that has been rendered stateless since 1948, and constantly under attack from both sides and has been culturally and economically marginalized for decades. A state visit by President Obama under the circumstance without putting the Rohingya problem on the table would be interpreted as Washington soft-pedaling on such a crucial issue.

As we have said before, America must not repeat the errors of the past in consorting with dictators and autocrats just so it may reap the benefits of realpolitik. It is true that under Obama, American foreign policy has improved considerably not the least of which is the departure from the glaring policy of selective ambivalence prevalent under President Bush. Nevertheless, vestigial linkage remains of such a policy as became apparent when the Arab spring unfolded. Having made that historic Cairo speech and the promises held out for the Muslim world, there were great expectations generated for freedom and democracy. But when the Arab spring took hold particularly in Egypt, Washington failed to seize the moment, constrained no doubt by its long standing ties with Mubarak. You can't drop your long time friends like a hot potato at the first sign of trouble. Similar stances of self-restraint are being seen in respect of certain other countries in the Middle East whose remaining autocrats are fighting tooth and nail to maintain the status quo using every means to brutally stamp out any manifestation of a renewed spring by their people.

In this regard, we would once again remind President Obama that it is still not too late to make good the pledges made when he first came to office particularly to the Muslim world. If one bothers to listen, the calls for freedom, democracy and justice reverberate not only in the Middle East but very much so in Southeast Asia as well. In this region, there are Muslim nations whose people too aspire for true freedom and democracy though any mention of an Arab spring will provoke brutal reprisals of the powers that be. For example, street demonstrations for clean and fair elections are considered treasonous and the authorities have no qualms in meting out summary punishment by tear gassing, water bombing and beating unarmed participants including women and children.

As for Burma, it is of paramount importance that the State Department impresses upon the government that there can be no real reform as long as the rights of the Rohingyas as well as other ethnic minorities continue to be violated with impunity. The lessons of the Arab Spring tell us that inaction when action is called will land us on the wrong side of history. Having been rendered stateless and economically marginalized for so long, the granting of citizenship and full rights to the Rohingyas is a condition precedent to lasting peace and reconciliation. Similarly, the persecution of the Shan people in Shan State and Kachin State must not be allowed to continue. Democracy and freedom cannot thrive while ethnic minority groups remain oppressed and dispossessed.

On other fronts, the Obama administration needs to do more to nurture a vibrant civil society and an effective opposition to keep in check the excesses of the powers that be.

The high powered dialogue on human rights held last month with the Burmese Government is of paramount importance as a first step in that direction. However, to be effective it should not be a mere charade of civil exchanges, but a no-holds barred discourse where the areas of contention are frankly and decisively discussed. In any event, dialogues on issues such as rule of law, political reform, and justice can have little import when those affected are not properly represented. In this regard, there is no overstating the role of Aung San Suu Kyi as the chair of the legislative committee on the rule of law. As an icon for the human rights cause, she has to send a strong message against the killing of innocent women and children in the Rohingya massacre. Having championed her cause for democracy and consistently pushing for her freedom ever since her house arrest, we do not regard it as a matter of moral self-righteousness to call on her to now play a more prominent role in resolving the Rohingya problem. Positioned as she is now and with an outstanding track record in the fight for human rights, we believe Aung San Suu Kyi is the best person to lead this initiative.

It is true that changes cannot occur overnight especially for a country that has been under military dictatorship for five decades. The fact that the State Department was able to convey the concerns of the minority groups, the voices of civil society and parties concerned for the fight for human rights, speaks volumes for its role in this continued strategy of constructive engagement and involvement. Furthermore, the release of more than 700 political prisoners is significant even though full freedom is still being denied as many continue to labour under travel restrictions and curbs on participating in the political process.

Even as Rome was not built in a day, the foundation of rule of law must be built without a day's delay. Without rule of law, reforms may crumble overnight in Burma as the executive brow beats the judiciary into submission, a state of affairs with which we are not unfamiliar. Parliamentary reforms must proceed in tandem with legal and judicial transformation. The repealing of outdated and restrictive laws will be an exercise in futility if these laws are supplanted by new ones equally draconian and oppressive, as is the case with certain sham democracies in Southeast Asia.

It is reassuring that the State Department has recognized that serious human rights abuses against civilians continue and the condition of hundreds of thousands of refugees has reached crisis point.

While we remain firm in applauding the American people in making the right decision by re-electing a man of principle and integrity, a leader reflective of the nation's cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, and no doubt capable of taking America to the next level at home and abroad, we urge President Obama to do the right thing when he meets with the leaders of Burma. Yes, it's true that a nation's reforms will succeed only if the people themselves put in their best efforts and there is no gainsaying that obstacles and challenges abound along Burma's road to freedom and democracy.

20 November 2012, Kuala Lumpur
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