Thursday, September 07, 2006
Malaysian troops for Lebanon?
Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hamid Albar is eager to tell the world that it's just a matter of time before Malaysia is invited to join the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Maybe he is tad bit red faced that neighbour Indonesia has already confirmed its participation with the Blue Helmets after Israel said it had no objections to the world's most populous muslim country sending 1,000 troops to keep the peace in southern Lebanon. The Foreign Minister also says the UN Security Council is positive about Malaysia's wish to be part of this international force, adding that Malaysia will eventually get the greenlight. Where will this greenlight come from? New York or Tel Aviv?
Either way, we may have to do some sweating first. The Prime Minister's famous son-in-law had created a huge public ruckus a couple of weeks ago, denouncing the Israelis and promising to all who would listen that Malaysians should boycott all companies with Zionist links. Weeks have also passed since he promised to reveal a list of such companies operating in Malaysia. So far, silence. Perhaps he decided to move on to more important things - like criticizing a bewildered Penang Chief Minister of neglecting the state's Malay population. Anyway that's another story altogether. His antics rallying against US Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice - in short acting like a street thug - are also likely not to have gone unnoticed. And so Indonesia whose citizens have demonstrated even more vigorously against the Lebanese conflict, got to confirm their early participation in the UN peacekeeping force. Malaysia in its capacity as the current chair of the Organisation of Islamic Conference could not.
It is also curious that Malaysia was not immediately considered and approved by the UN for such a mission. After all, we have participated in numerous UN-sanctioned peacekeeping exercising around the world - Congo, Cambodia, Bosnia, East Timor. Even Bangladesh is sending troops to Lebanon. Our soldiers will just have to wait. ¶ 2:40 PM
Either way, we may have to do some sweating first. The Prime Minister's famous son-in-law had created a huge public ruckus a couple of weeks ago, denouncing the Israelis and promising to all who would listen that Malaysians should boycott all companies with Zionist links. Weeks have also passed since he promised to reveal a list of such companies operating in Malaysia. So far, silence. Perhaps he decided to move on to more important things - like criticizing a bewildered Penang Chief Minister of neglecting the state's Malay population. Anyway that's another story altogether. His antics rallying against US Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice - in short acting like a street thug - are also likely not to have gone unnoticed. And so Indonesia whose citizens have demonstrated even more vigorously against the Lebanese conflict, got to confirm their early participation in the UN peacekeeping force. Malaysia in its capacity as the current chair of the Organisation of Islamic Conference could not.
It is also curious that Malaysia was not immediately considered and approved by the UN for such a mission. After all, we have participated in numerous UN-sanctioned peacekeeping exercising around the world - Congo, Cambodia, Bosnia, East Timor. Even Bangladesh is sending troops to Lebanon. Our soldiers will just have to wait. ¶ 2:40 PM
