Although he has to work during the festive season, the
Kedah-born policeman tries to hold his makan session at his Putrajaya home,
located within the Sri Perdana complex, a week after Hari Raya.

Roslan and his wife simply serve the best laksa and beef
rendang I have ever tasted. This could probably be vouched for by the staff of
the Prime Minister and Dr Mahathir himself.

As a northerner myself, we like our laksa hot and spicy
with a generous dose of otak udang, the thick black prawn paste that can be
found only in Kedah, Perlis and Penang.

As a Malaysian, I count myself very lucky to be born in
this country as Malaysia's
multi-racial setting has blessed us with so many traditions and festivals.

In fact, Malaysia
must have the largest number of public holidays, reflecting the government's
recognition of these ethnic holidays. In most Western countries, despite
professing multi-culturalism, these important celebrations are ignored.

Regardless of our religion, these festivals have become a
truly Malaysian affair. We open the doors of our homes, not just to friends but
total strangers, without any fear.

The festivity becomes even more unique and meaningful
when Hari Raya and Chinese New Year coincide, giving birth to the new term
"Kongsi Raya" which means the sharing of celebrations.

This year, Hari Raya and Christmas will be celebrated in
December, which is certainly wonderful and should be emphasised by Malaysians
who truly believe in racial tolerance.

Malaysian newspapers have correctly pointed out that in
some shopping complexes, the owners appeared to have put up Christmas
decorations ahead of the Hari Raya festival.

It is certainly an insensitive act as the managements of
these errant shopping malls – although the number is admittedly small – should
instead have promoted and emphasised the double celebrations.

The managements of these shopping malls may not have
realised their actions have hurt the feelings of Muslims as Hari Raya is
celebrated on a large scale. The media is right to point out this is not the
first time.

Crass commercialism by our businessmen is to be blamed
for this. Within the Chinese community, many of us have long complained about
how the traditional mooncakes have been on sale in the midst of the Hungry
Ghosts Festival. For the traditional minded, it is a pantang because the
Mooncake Festival, which comes a month later, is regarded as a more divine
occasion.

But some politicians have attempted to create a racial
dimension to this slip-up, which I think is unnecessary. The use of harsh
words, in this season of forgiving, is hardly appropriate.

The country needs more Malaysian heroes like Dr Mahathir
and his deputy, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who understand what
compromise and tolerance means.

Malaysians don't want self-seeking political wannabes,
who want to appear like heroes of their communities. For budding politicians
from political youth wings, they certainly need to learn a thing or two from
our true national leaders, if they aspire to bigger roles in national politics.

Over the past one week, there have been statements made
by some politicians and non-governmental organisation leaders without regard
for the feelings of Malaysians.

Statements have been distorted to suit the political
agenda of these personalities without considering the larger interests of this
country.

In the past, such actions may help win votes but
Malaysian politicians have realised that they cannot hope to win elections by
depending on one community as electoral constituencies become more racially
balanced.

It is best that our media, especially the Bahasa Malaysia
and Chinese newspapers, ignore these exchanges which lead to nowhere, except to
raise political temperatures.

Many of these statements certainly do not help to
integrate and unite Malaysians but only divide the country. After celebrating
Deepavali last month, it should be a joy to usher in Hari Raya, Christmas, the
New Year and the Chinese New Year.

If we want to prove a point to the world that we are
"truly Asia" and a showcase of multi-ethnicity, then we
should emphasise on how we have been able to live together for years in the
spirit of unity and tolerance.

There is a need for our budding politicians, who claim to
be role models, to exercise more self-restraint and caution in their choice of
words when making press statements.

It is more important for Malaysians to be able to
celebrate our festivals together, not quarrel over who should celebrate which
festival first in Malaysia.

Roslan's Hari Raya open house, to most officials and
journalists, is simply enjoyable because there is genuine warmth and friendship
among the visitors. The best part is, there are no politicians.

Over the past one-week, queries and doubts have surfaced
over how the national service, which would begin in 2004, would be carried out.

Many of these questions and even criticism on how the
programme would be implemented should be taken in the right spirit by the
authorities as they come from Malaysians who wonder how their children would
cope.

As parents, they are, understandably, worried how the
children would face up to the drills at the camps and how the
character-building programme, to focus on national unity, would affect them.

But parents should not be unduly worried. With two years
more to go, there should be enough time for the government and public to
contribute ideas to make the Malaysian-style national service an effective one.

Instead of taking pot shots at the proposal, before it
even gets started, Malaysians can adopt a positive approach by writing to
newspapers and government on the kind of content they wish to see.

From the statements made by our Cabinet ministers so
far, the national service does not appear to be centred on military drills and
boot camp discipline in army camps, like those in Singapore.

The six-month programme appears to be more like those at
the outward bound camps which emphasise physical and character building,
besides instilling discipline.

It would certainly be good for many city teenagers,
pampered by modern living and their over-protective parents, who let their
domestic maids do most of the chores at home.

Even the activities of uniformed units in schools such as
cadets, scouts, girl guides and Red Crescent today are no longer as vigorous
and interesting as they used to be.

Many schools in the Klang
Valley, for example, are reluctant
to organise outdoor activities, presumably for safety reasons or camping sites
are simply too far away. So, we see boy scouts in KL camping on school fields
instead.

The Cabinet should also ensure that the trainers are
multi-ethnic as the programme is supposed to involve national unity. We should
be realistic enough to accept that racial unity cannot be forged among the
participants within six months, but at least they have a chance to strike up
friendships.

Language, cultural and religious classes should be an
integral part of the programme. After all, language courses are now compulsory
in our local universities.

Participants should not be confined to learning about
their religions but the courses should involve learning the religion of other
communities.

But more importantly, they should be made to appreciate
how the nation's forefathers practised the politics of consensus and moderation
to build the nation.

The young must understand the importance of respecting
the sensitivities of all races in a plural society. Having said that, it is
equally important for the trainers to remember, from the start, that they must
not impose their values and prejudices in these training camps.

These camps should truly reflect the Malaysian setting,
including even the food served, if we are serious about wanting our young to
appreciate each other.

I remember when I was studying in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,
in 1980, how the Chinese students had to go through much red-tape just to
request for halal Chinese food to be served in the canteen.

Despite the support of the student representative
leaders, who were Malays, there were middle-ranking university officials who
attempted to frustrate the petition.

Finally, it was the support of university officials like
Datuk Seri Dr Yusuf Nor, the former Rural Development Minister who was then a
vice-chancellor, which made it possible.

The Cabinet has sensibly included representation from the
main races in the committee set up to implement national service.

One main concern over the implementation is the duration,
with fears that it would disrupt the further studies of students.

This can be resolved by setting the programmes in
components of two months per stint.

I am sure the authorities will allow flexibility in the
implementation of the national service but it must be firm in dealing with
those who attempt to seek exemption on purported medical grounds.

The national service programme deserves the support of
all Malaysians as it aims to foster a sense of belonging and a sense of duty
and responsibility to the nation.

We should ensure that the national service programme does
not end up like Rukun Tetangga and Rakan Muda, where taxpayers' money went down
the drain because of poor planning and response.

Let's give our young people a chance to eat, play, pray
and work together.

There is little doubt that Bush and his Republican Party
made history on Tuesday by emerging from the 2002 mid-term elections
controlling the House of Representatives and Senate.

With the White House under the Republicans already, the
huge victory means that conservative Republicans would also be running the
Supreme Court.

Supreme Court judges are political nominees in the US.
To put in simply, Bush is now in full control of Washington's
power centres over the next two years.

By beating the war drums, Bush successfully proved many
people wrong. It is not always true that the party holding the White House
almost always loses seats in the two Houses.

Never mind if the economy isn't so good and the US
is only starting to recover from the recession. Even all reports of corporate
scandals did not hurt a bit despite the strong political ties between big
business and the Republicans.

The ordinary six-pack Joe, who only watches wrestling and
The Survivor series on TV, will surely understand that transparency and
corporate governance is for banana republics in South-East Asia,
with the exception of the Philippines,
perhaps.

Based on sound political assessment and rational
political analysis, Bush should have been punished and the Democrats should
have maintained or even increase their strength in both Houses.

But these are extraordinary times. It's just a month
after the Sept 11 anniversary and the US
has just won a war in Afghanistan,
transforming Bush into one of the most popular presidents in American history
with approval ratings of over 60%.

The sense of insecurity, aggravated further by the recent
Bali bombings and the Chechen attack in Moscow,
encouraged Americans to rally behind Bush and the other Republican candidates.

The election was not over domestic issues, particularly
the economy, but solely on Bush and his war against terrorism and possibly
against Saddam. Pushed against the wall, the Democrats simply had no answer and
no way of countering the wave of popularity.

Osama may not realise it, or is cursing himself now, but
thanks to him, Bush has become stronger.

Then, there's Saddam. Doesn't it make you wonder why the
Iraqi President has continued to stay in office for so long? Every US
President needs him as a bogeyman to kick around for votes when the economy is
in bad shape.

That's not all. Bush and his allies do not seem to
realise that their insensitive handling of the war against terrorists irked
Muslims all over the world.

Raiding Muslim homes and detaining Muslim suspects,
simply because they keep a beard and wear a turban, have resulted in many
Muslims withdrawing their support for the US.

Even non-Muslims from Asian countries, who are put
through the strict and humiliating immigration and security checks at entry
points, are fuming over this treatment.

The clash of civilisations between the West and Muslim
world, which Osama wanted and was dismissed by many, seems to be turning into
reality at every twist and turn of US diplomacy.

The hawkish stance may help win votes but will not make
the world a better or safer place to live in.

Now that the Republicans are firmly in place, Bush could
perhaps take a step back and, with honesty, examine the root causes of the
hatred against the US.
No one, Muslim or otherwise, would sympathise with terrorists who justify
murders with political and religious reasons.

No one should lose track of the original aim – to improve
the proficiency of the English language among students.

There has never been any dispute over that objective.

Along the way, controversy surfaced when the different
schools of thoughts argued on how the implementation of English to teach the
two subjects should be carried out.

The differences were over methodology and never the
principle of raising the standard of English but unfortunately some politicians
and journalists were confused or chose to confuse the issue, resulting in
insensitive statements being made.

While debates are healthy in formulating any policy,
particularly one affecting our children, we must remind ourselves to be
cautious in expressing our views, particularly in a plural society.

Differences in opinion over any proposed policy,
especially among coalition partners, deserve serious attention. These component
parties, representing their communities, would best understand the sentiments
of their members.

Last week, Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir
Mohamad and his deputy Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi demonstrated what
pragmatic politics is all about.

The two leaders showed Malaysians, especially the younger
ones, that compromise and tolerance is alive and being practised by the ruling
coalition.

Despite initial apprehension over how the Barisan elders
intend to resolve the issue, the coalition's concept of consensus has again
prevailed.

The leaders of the four Chinese-based parties, especially
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik, have also correctly handled the
issue in a very moderate and low-key manner despite mounting pressure from some
quarters.

The decision has also met the sentiments of most parents
– preserving the mother tongue, as guaranteed under the Federal Constitution,
and striving to raise English proficiency in schools.

Parents with children in Chinese schools need not worry
about how these schools are going to maintain the high standard of Mathematics
and Science.

Although there are initial concerns that extra classes on
the use of English in the two subjects will burden pupils, I am sure most of
them will be able to cope.

What is more important here is that English will now be
given top priority in schools.

The teaching of English should not be left entirely to
schools. Many of us, especially parents from English-speaking homes, have heard
complaints from our children about their teachers' poor command of the
language.

Let's not have any delusions. As a result of our
education policy, which emphasised Bahasa Malaysia,
a generation of teachers and university lecturers with little grounding in
English are now in our schools and colleges.

Many are more comfortable in Bahasa, so we should not
expect our teachers to be proficient in English after a two-month crash course
in the language.

There is a need to create further awareness among
Malaysians on the push for English. Many Bahasa Malaysia
television programmes have started carrying subtitles in English. It is a good
move and should be made compulsory for all Malay programmes.

Political parties should be encouraged to set up classes
in English at their respective division headquarters and community halls,
especially in rural areas.

There are no losers in the bilingual formula, only
winners. Barisan leaders have woken up most Malaysians to the importance of
English; now it is for us to make the formula work.

Abubakar has been accused of being responsible for a
spate of church bombings in Jakarta
two years ago. He has denied involvement in the recent Bali
bombings.

We do not know how long Abubakar will remain in hospital
but last week, about 30 supporters in paramilitary uniform – many armed with
knives and some wearing masks – arrived at the hospital in Solo, Central
Java.

They were members of the extremist Laskar Mujahideen,
which has fought Christians in the Malukus, and were at the hospital supposedly
to protect Abubakar. Even his bodyguards, some wearing T-shirts that bear
Osama's picture, had free access to his room.

What is astonishing is that police guarding the hospital
did not prevent the militiamen from entering the hospital.

Fanatical JI supporters have openly declared that they
are ready to become suicide bombers if anyone dares lay a finger on their
leader.

While we must accept the principle that a person is
innocent until proven guilty, what is taking place in Indonesia
is deeply disturbing to many of us in the region.

There have been conflicting signals from Indonesian
leaders over security arrangements since the Bali
bombing on Oct 12 in which more than 190 people were killed.

The impasse between Abubakar and the authorities has left
many to question how Indonesia
intends to implement its tough anti-terror regulations if it is not firm in
dealing with Abubakar.

Legally, the fiery leader has remained a free man. The
police have not questioned him and neither has he signed and acknowledged a
detention order, a requirement under Indonesian law when an arrest is made.

One businessman was quoted by the Singapore Straits Times
as saying last week: "It is probably the only country where a sick excuse can
hold off arrest, and where police have to beg people to allow themselves to be
arrested. If that doesn't explain why this place is not secure, then nothing
will."

Regarded as the weakest link in the region's security
arrangements against terrorism, whatever action Indonesia
takes has serious implications on Malaysia.

Malaysia
has found itself being placed by Germany
on "highest caution" alert in its latest advisory to its citizens travelling in
the region.

The advisory said there was an increased terrorist threat
in Malaysia and
urged travellers to increase caution and exercise restraint when going to large
public gatherings. However, it noted that the Malaysian Government "continued
to intensify safety precautions and recently arrested several militant
Islamists."

Canada
also issued a similar advice on Oct 18 for its citizens in Malaysia
"to maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times."

Thailand
has suffered the same negative perception with a warning by Denmark
that it was a potential target of terror attacks, as it had received
information on possible attacks in Phuket.

It is clear that Asean must act as one in fighting
terrorism and draw up a concerted effort to promote the region as a safe place
for tourists.

With winter approaching, holidaymakers in Europe
and United States
would look for tourist destinations to escape the cold – and Asean cannot
afford to lose out on these tourist dollars.

Although Asean has put on a brave face, saying the Bali
bombing will not affect tourism, we know the incident will have a bearing on us
because there are plenty of choices for tourists.

Asean must apply pressure on Indonesia
to take stronger action against radical groups because its inaction is causing
serious economic damage to the region.

It is a mockery that while the JI has been designated a
"foreign terrorist organisation," its leader is embraced by selfish Indonesian
politicians.

Indonesians are still in a state of denial. They accuse
the US of
having an agenda but forget that JI leaders are being sought by Malaysian and
Singaporean authorities.

Malaysia,
on its part, must seriously consider revoking the permanent resident status of
these suspected terrorists. It is unfortunate when foreign news agencies assume
that these wanted men are wrongly regarded as Malaysians when they are arrested
or are being sought.

When these wanted men are granted PR status, it would
only imply that insufficient security checks have been done. There should be no
delay for Malaysia
to take necessary action, even if legislation needs to be amended quickly, to
avoid such embarrassment.

It has been described as the weakest link when it comes
to security cooperation. The bitter lesson for Indonesia
is that security is not just a political issue.

Acting against Islamic radicals in the republic may cause
unhappiness among a large section of the voters but Indonesia
must realise that it will lose out economically if it does not.

It will take a year or more before tourists start
returning to Bali, once an island paradise. Thanks to
the bombers, the island's tourism industry – with arrival figures of up to five
million a year – is now in shambles.

The blasts killed more than 180 people, mostly foreign tourists,
on the island resort last week. The attacks took place in Kuta beach, a
playground for Australians who flock to its beaches for sun and surf. Among the
dead and wounded were Singaporeans, Britons, Americans, Swedes, Swiss and
Dutch.

If previously Indonesia was seen as a place where riots
occur almost daily, now it is seen as a nation threatened by organisations like
Jemaah Islamiah headed by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

He is wanted by Malaysia
and Singapore
authorities but lives freely in Indonesia
although its members have been arrested across the region. His deputy, Riduan
Isamuddin, also known as Hambali, is accused of being a long-time al-Qaeda
operative and also wanted by Malaysia
and Singapore.

In a bid to show it was serious about tackling terrorism,
Indonesian leaders hurriedly announced that they had names of individuals
connected to the attacks.

Defence Minister Matori Abdul Djalil denied that Jakarta
had been soft on militants but admitted for the first time that an al-Qaeda
network existed in Indonesia.

The world wants Indonesia
to clamp down on militant groups. There must be arrests and laws must be drawn
up to detain terrorist suspects. It does Jakarta
no good when Islamic radicals attack club patrons openly, in the name of
religion, and get away with it.

What Indonesia
needs is plenty of political will. Its neighbours are fed up with some
Indonesian politicians who flirt with these militant leaders to win elections.

It is a dangerous game and unless Indonesia
acts fast against these cowards, the region will suffer along. To many
Westerners, especially Americans, it makes no difference whether it is Singapore,
Malaysia or Indonesia.

All the South-East Asian countries are lumped together.
An incident such as the Bali blast will only put pressure
on an already slowing economy, particularly when Malaysia
is trying hard to attract foreign direct investments.

Indonesia
Vice-President Hamzah Haz, for example, blamed weak intelligence and poor
security measures for the Bali blast but we have not forgotten
that Hamzah had in the past denied the existence of a terrorist network in Indonesia.

In fact, Hamzah even visited detained militant leader
Jaafar Umar Thalib of the Laskar Jihad group, blamed for inciting violence
against Christians.

Indonesian leaders must understand that being tough with
terrorists need not necessarily mean compromising on political order. In both Malaysia
and Singapore,
the majority of the people have supported their governments in using
legislation to prevent political instability.

Indonesian politicians must now stop playing games. They
must give the government real power to go after these perpetrators while
security and anti-terror strategies have to be drawn up and implemented
immediately.

Ordinary Indonesians seem to be in a state of denial,
refusing to believe that their countrymen are capable of carrying out such a
despicable act.

Many believe that some foreign power was behind the
bombings. There was nothing sophisticated about the method used in the attack.
The Indonesia
media is doing an injustice to the war against terrorism by continuing to fan
this conspiracy theory.

The terrorists can claim they are fighting for a just
cause but when innocent lives are taken, they are merely lunatics, not holy
men. There can be no religious, political or moral justification for such
madness.

He was escorted by two airport policemen to a room where
he was held for three hours and interrogated because his name was on the
checklist. To their untrained eyes and ears, bin Jasin was close enough to bin
Laden. Their suspicion was further pricked when it was established that bin
Jasin was an "Islaam."

The former New Straits Times group chief editor said he
knew he was in trouble when he replied that he was a Muslim and not an
"Islaam."

Checking his passport, the FBI officer found it hard to
believe that Kadir, a "Malayan" – as the officer described his nationality –
could afford to travel to so many countries.

It didn't help that it was 6.20am
on a Sunday morning and that the FBI officer had to be rudely awoken from his
sleep at home to come over to the airport to meet Kadir bin Jasin from South-East
Asia – "known" for its links with the al-Qaeda terrorists.

Further suspicion was raised when the officer was told
that Kadir's son, who was studying in Iowa,
was taking up aeronautical engineering, which involves the mechanics of flying.

Only after a computer check with FBI records, revealing
that Kadir was not a terrorist, was he allowed to continue his journey.

Kadir also made the mistake of using Chicago
as his US entry
point; it is one of the world's busiest airports with 72 million passengers in
2001 and has earned a reputation for delays and cancellations.

It took Kadir 45 minutes to clear immigration. In the
next six hours, he had to sit through two flight cancellations and had to
shuttle from one terminal to another before catching the connecting flight to Iowa.

Kadir is still sore and has sworn that he will never
travel to the US
"until they learn to differentiate between terrorists and Muslims."

Last week, Malaysians read about the shoddy treatment
accorded to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy Datuk
Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during their recent official visits to New
York and Los Angeles.

Dr Mahathir had said that US immigration officers were
"rude and rough" towards him when he was in New York,
adding that an officer who boarded the plane said in a rough manner that nobody
should move until everyone on board was checked.

Abdullah had disclosed that he was asked to remove his
shoes and belt at the Los Angeles Airport
for security check before he was allowed to fly to New
York to address the United Nations General Assembly.

On Wednesday, the US Embassy expressed regret for the
"inappropriate" treatment toward the two leaders: "The embassy sincerely
regrets any inconveniences or inappropriate treatment that senior Malaysian
government officials may have experienced during their visits to the US."

Now, if dignitaries like the PM and DPM, accompanied by
Foreign Ministry officials, have to put up with such brash treatment, imagine
ordinary Malaysians like you and me.

Malaysians understand that the world has changed in the
aftermath of Sept 11. Travelling rules have changed and it cannot be denied
that rules to ensure the safety of travellers need to be enforced.

Most travellers will not mind the little inconveniences,
for the greater good of all, but in enforcing these regulations there must be
some sensitivity and knowledge.

Officers of the law must undergo a minimum course on
religion, customs and geography, for example. In many parts of the US,
airport and security officials have little contact with foreigners.

When they have to deal with foreigners, there are often
uncertainties, especially if it involves a person in custody. There is often
some muscle flexing and a sense of superiority, especially if the person being
questioned is coloured. The situation becomes more complicated if the detainee
cannot speak English.

In all fairness, however, a Caucasian officer can
sometimes be more understanding than a fellow Asian. Those of us who travel to London
via Heathrow Airport
dread having to face an Asian immigration officer. While the white man is often
polite and cheerful, welcoming you to London,
the Asian officer would sometimes pose ridiculous questions.

Maybe these Asian officers merely want to prove to their
white superiors that they can perform well at their job.

At Heathrow a few days after Sept 11, a woman officer
confiscated my "ear-wax remover." She could not believe the thin metal piece
was made for that purpose, saying Caucasians used cotton buds to clean their
ears.

A demonstration convinced her that such a gadget works
but I still had to part with it, because "it can be used to pierce somebody's
eyes, young man."

Malaysians should seriously consider cuti cuti Malaysia
or neighbouring Asian countries for their holidays, at least for the time being
– it's better than being detained in a non-heated room for questioning.

The decision will affect mostly students, businessmen and
transit visitors as Canada
is not known to be an attractive tourist destination for Malaysians.

In trying to downplay the issue, Canadian High
Commissioner Jean McCloskey has explained that the move did not just affect Malaysia
but also Zimbabwe,
Hungary, South
Africa and several other countries.

Still, the timing of the decision is certainly
regrettable. Admittedly, it is the prerogative of the Canadian government to
review the situation but Malaysians cannot be blamed if they feel that the
decision is yet another example of stereotyping based on religion and culture.

The other blow was Malaysia's
dropping out from the list of FDI from its previous 22nd position. The FDI
Confidence Index reportedly said that uncertainty about the leadership
transition, fears of terrorism and the complex relationship between politics
and business had affected the country's attractiveness.

This is despite Malaysia
making progress in banking reform, corporate governance, improving its
infrastructure and having an estimated 4% gross domestic product growth rate
this year, the report acknowledged.

The only consolation is that Asean countries including Singapore
also experienced declines in investor attractiveness with the island republic
falling from 13 th to 22nd position in the index. It also moved out of the top
25 list of most attractive markets for American investors.

Political reasons aside, Asean countries are finding it
tough to compete against China
with multinational corporations shifting base to China.

China
is not just offering lower production costs but also market opportunities, a
more competitive position and even skilled workers in information technology
and engineering. Language used to be a minus point but the Chinese are learning
English fast.

All this means that Malaysia
has to work harder to get back our businesses. It starts with our image and the
perception of foreigners towards Malaysia.

No amount of investment promotion trips will help us if
the world thinks that Malaysia
is a haven for terrorists. We do not want the world to assume that it's a place
for terrorists to meet or wannabe Osama bin Ladens to carry out training.

Our security forces must be commended for acting tough
against extremist groups and they deserve to be supported by all Malaysians.

But politicians like Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and Datuk
Seri Hadi Awang are not helping us with their statements. Recently, Hadi's
statement on banning swimsuits on Terengganu beaches earned us a full page in
Time magazine.

Such controversial statements are giving the impression
that Malaysia
is slowly turning into another Afghanistan
and when Westerners see these magazines carrying pictures of these PAS leaders
with their goatees and turbans, they will think we are situated next to Kabul.

In the latest edition of Time, which carried a special
report on terrorism, Malaysia
was mentioned no less than five times in the report, which claimed that "the US
believed that Southeast Asia had the world's highest
concentration of al-Qaeda operatives outside Afghanistan
and Pakistan."

Such post-Sept 11 hysteria is part of the political
scenario that Malaysia
and other Muslim countries have to cope with. The US
will not consider that long before the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New
York, the Malaysian authorities had acted against
Islamic extremists who had links with Afghans.

The Kumpulan Militan Malaysia,
which included grassroots PAS leaders, had arms training and when they were
arrested under the Internal Security Act, there were protests from many,
including groups in the US.
It was the same with the Al-Ma'unah group which killed some policemen in their
arms heist.

These militants never had much chance to stay long
because of the alert surveillance. What the US
security agencies and media are not admitting is that the terrorists, including
those who crashed into the WTC, had their training on US
soil.

Many of the terrorists who have been detained since then
included US-born Arabs. By the same logic, can't we now argue that the US
is a training haven for terrorists? In fact, London
has continued to be the headquarters of many groups, including the Tamil
Tigers.

Tightening entry regulations into the US
and some Western countries may strengthen security but only a short-term
respite, if not a false sense of security, to these countries.

The root cause is the US
policy in West Asia, particularly the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict, and unless the US
adopts a fair and workable solution there, no amount of regulations will stop
Islamic militants from making the US
a target.

And Malaysia,
which is thousands of miles away from the US
and West Asia, has found itself a victim of ignorance.
But then, the Americans have always been lousy in geography. Never mind if
President George W. Bush has an MBA from Harvard.

When Kuala Lumpur
hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1990, I was assigned by
my editors to be in the team to cover the event.

When I reported for work at the company headquarters in
Petaling Jaya, I was given the transfer letter on the spot. No wonder my
earlier queries on my accommodation were left unanswered!

After more than 10 years of working in Kuala
Lumpur, I have considered the city my home. Although I
have no regrets about moving to the city, I do miss my hometown and my family
members who live there.

I would grab any opportunity to balik kampung but the
trips over the past year have been disappointing. Talk about KL's traffic crawl
– Penang is no different now.

While traffic flow in KL has improved tremendously
because of the effective road system, Penang roads are
becoming increasingly clogged up.

Last week, the North section of The Star reported that
almost 1.2 million cars and motorcycles choke up the state's highways and
narrow streets.

According to Road Transport Department statistics, the
state has about 724,000 motorcycles and 459,000 cars, as of June this year.

The figures, while not surprising, are worrisome because Penang
– which is only 1,030 sq metres in size – ranks fourth in the country after KL
(2.2 million), Johor (1.5 million) and Selangor (1.3 million).

The average ratio of private vehicle ownership to the
population is almost one to one while in Selangor, with a population of 3.6
million, records a ratio of one vehicle to two persons.

Most Penangites have a car and a motorcycle (to travel
short distances) but unlike other states, the motorcyclists there ride in the
middle of the road. Quite often, the rider returns a menacingly look if someone
honks him or her for bad road manners.

Most Penangites prefer their own vehicles because the
public transport system is much to be desired. Minibuses have long been banned
in KL but, in Penang, they seem to have been given a new
lease of life.

Ironic as it may seem, the taxi sapu service is quite
efficient. The metered taxi drivers, finding it hard to compete with these
illegal taxis, have no choice but to haggle with the notoriously thrifty
Penangites over the rates.

It will be difficult for the state government to impose
restrictions on the roads, such as preventing single-occupancy vehicles from
entering restricted areas, but it should seriously work on improving the road
system.

Efforts by the authorities to ease traffic woes by coming
up with the Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR) project seem to have run into
obstacles.

The resistance comes primarily from concerns that old Penang,
with its leafy streets, would be gone.

Already, there are signs of the inner city dying. Most of
the pre-war houses in George Town
are now empty because of the imposition of quit rent.

Previously, the low rent had kept small businesses going,
providing employment and income. When the landlords increased the rents, many
preferred to close shop because it was no longer viable to continue running
their businesses.

The landlords now find no takers for their premises
despite renovating them. As a result, these shophouses stand empty.

Many of the shops in the city, where I used to buy my
books and clothes, have gone out of business.

Tourists would get the impression that all is not well.
After all, visitors want to browse in quaint-looking shops. They do not travel
for thousands of miles to shop in air-conditioned shopping complexes.

Politicians in Penang are arguing
whether the state deserves its Darul Sampah tag. The city needs to be cleaned
up but I don't think it has come to that stage. It is unfair to blame the state
government when the people should be more civic conscious first.

Fortunately, not everything in Penang
has deteriorated. After hearing complaints about the lack of quality food in
the state, I decided to check out some eating spots over the last few days.

For some of my friends in KL, they merely head for Gurney
Drive but Penangites will tell you that you have
to coffeeshop hop to eat the best dishes.

Penang is still a food haven,
without doubt. But something has to be done about its traffic system if the Pearl
of the Orient wants to keep its shine.

On Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said
there was no proof that Iraq
was making these bombs at a former site previously destroyed by United Nations'
inspectors.

The world also wants the United
States to prove that the Saddam regime has
links with the al-Qaeda or any other terrorist groups.

The United States
itself had worked with Mujahideen groups in Afghanistan
to fight the Russians previously, but with the new political scenario these
groups have been relegated from being freedom fighters to Islamic extremists.

Such hypocrisy is not unusual. What US
President George W. Bush is saying is that no other country should have nuclear
weapons except the United States
because the United States
is the good guy and the rest are bad guys.

Neither does he want the world to remember that since the
1991 Gulf War – in which the United States and its allies dropped 88,500 tonnes
of bombs on Iraqis – innocent children and the elderly have died because of the
embargo on medicine and equipment.

I am not being anti-US, neither am I an admirer of
Saddam. He is no different from Arab princes who treat their nation's wealth as
their personal property.

The United States
has painted Saddam as a rogue leader and a financier of terrorists to justify
its imminent attacks.

Less mentioned is the fact that Iraq
is a good catch because it has large reserves of oil and water.

Unlike other Arab countries that have few skilled
workers, Iraq
has a substantial number of scientists and engineers in most of West
Asia, with the exception of Israel.

Then there is local American politics. With US
congressional elections just around the corner, a war will help the
Republicans, if there are not too many body bags returning from the war front.
A well-executed air strike against Iraq,
with no ground combat, would certainly make Bush look good.

But the cost may be too high . It will certainly fuel
anger among the Arabs. There is already much antagonism against the United
States for its blind support of Israel
in its persecution of the Palestinians.

The bitterness against Tel Aviv will continue to fan
hatred against the United States
among the Arabs and Muslims in general.

The divide between the US
and Muslim  worlds will become bigger if
Bush decides to go to war with Iraq.
Muslim leaders who had previously supported Bush in  American fight against the al-Qaeda network
will no longer have the same enthusiasm.

In fact, an attack on Iraq
may make global terrorism more difficult to contain and could result in
retaliation against the United States.

As US
war drums continue to sound, the rest of the world should convince Iraq
to allow UN inspectors to re-inspect the country's technical facilities, which
the United States
has claimed to be nuclear installations.

It's not good enough for Iraq
to conduct a media tour of suspected sites because journalists are not experts.
If indeed Iraq
has nothing to hide, then it should be prepared to be more transparent.

The United States,
on its part, cannot talk about the rule of law and justice if it continues to
be unilateralist in its international policies. There has to be some order in
running world affairs and the United States
has a responsibility to act lawfully. It cannot ignore international public
opinion.

So far, only British Prime Minister Tony Blair has come
out to back Bush. It is one thing to be an ally of the United
States, but Blair need not be a lackey.

The United States will inflict more damage on the war
against terrorism if it makes the wrong move against Iraq – Bush should do more
listening instead of talking tough.