normanfernandez

RECONSIDER PEACEKEEPING DUTIES DECISION.

Malaysia’s offer and readiness’ to contribute troops as part of United Nations peacekeepers to Southern Lebanon raises a number of issues.

Firstly, as a general rule, peacekeepers are deployed when a ceasefire is in place and parties to conflict has given its consent. Malaysia on the on the other hand views Israel with utter contempt. Demonisation of Israel receives official sanction. The Education Minister, Dato Seri Hishamuddin, encourages the burning (infact calls for more burning) and desecration of the Israeli flag. The Foreign Minister proposes that the Organisation of Islamic Conference to arm Hizbollah to fight Israel. Then there is the Malaysian media devoid of any impartiality, which not only absolves Hizbollah from any blame but instead attempts to portray the conflict as a religious conflict.

Now is it any surprise why Israel is objecting to the presence of Malaysian peace-keepers ?. Further, could impartiality and neutrality be maintained by our Malaysian peace keepers particularly after having being fed on a diet of Jewish hatred . After all, during the Bosnia conflict, Malaysian peacekeepers even burned down a church.

Secondly, Malaysia and Malaysian soldiers has no business in the present conflict particularly when countries like Egypt, Jordan, Oatar, Oman or even Bahrain, all countries in the Middle East which either have diplomatic ties or trade ties with both Israel and Lebanon are non committal but instead hope someone else, read Malaysia would do guard duties. Why can’t, other O.I.C countries like Nigeria, Gambia, Tunisia or even Mauritania which have either diplomatic or trade ties with Israel and Lebanon cannot be forthcoming and committing their soldiers to peacekeeping duties. I am certain peacekeepers from these countries would be acceptable to all warring factions.

Why should Malaysia risk the life of its soldiers just to earn some brownie points from the O.I.C. In any event, I am certain that Malaysian soldiers took oath to defend our country and they for a moment would not have imagined that their country would put them to the risk of death in another country’s conflict.

Malaysia should reconsider its proposal.
NORMAN FERNANDEZ