by Toh Kin Woon

The struggle has to go on

Despite overwhelming world opinion against the war in Iraq expressed via the United Nations Security Council, the internet and peaceful demonstrations in many countries, the ruling elites in the United States of America, supported by the ruling elites in the United Kingdom, decided to launch a war of aggression against Iraq yesterday. This war, fought with the deadliest weapons of mass destruction by the USA and UK, will no doubt bring untold misery in the form of deaths, injuries, economic devastation and environmental destruction to many innocent Iraqis.

The real reasons for unleashing this war by the aggressors from the USA and UK are well known. The greed for the key strategic resource called oil, of which Iraq has the second largest reserves in the world, coupled with the desire to strengthen and consolidate the dominant position of Israel in the Middle East have led President George W. Bush to launch this war. These are the objectives of the neo-conservatives, ultra-right wing Christians and those in control of the industrial-military-oil complex that collectively wield immense influence on the foreign policy design of President Bush. The US administration also hopes via the war to warn the world that it will not tolerate any opposition to what it perceives to be the strategic political-economic-military interests of the USA, and that it will accept nothing short of unquestioning and uncritical compliance with its orders.

Needless to say, there will be many implications that follow from the war. Domination by the hyperpower USA, whose modus operandi is premised on �might is right�, will be further strengthened. Confidence in the United Nations will plummet, as its authority to protect world peace has now been weakened by the action of the USA in taking unilateral action without the sanction of the Security Council. And there is a high possibility, terrorism that will also take its� toll on innocent human lives, will rise in all parts of the world.

For many of us who are opposed to the war, we feel frustrated, angry and despondent at our inability to stop the war. Still, the struggle has to go on. While protests must continue, we can contemplate taking one more measure. We can urge the nations opposed to the war to request for an emergency meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, at which a resolution calling for an immediate halt to the war can be tabled and passed. Indeed, Malaysia as the present Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), can take such an initiative.

In the past, such a course of action has been taken, most notably by none other than the USA. When Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal in 1956, Britain, France and Israel invaded Egypt and began advancing on the Suez Canal. The then President of the USA Mr. Dwight E. Eisenhower demanded that the invasion stop. Resolutions were tabled in the UN Security Council calling for a cease-fire, but these were vetoed by both France and UK. Then the USA appealed to the General Assembly, where a resolution calling for a cease-fire and a withdrawal of forces was tabled and adopted at a special meeting. UK and France then had to withdraw from Egypt within a week. This appeal to the General Assembly was made under a procedure called �Unifying for Peace�.

Hopefully, the world can stop the war in Iraq via a similar procedure this time. All nations, which claim to be against the war, must now unite to stop the war, through invoking this �Uniting for Peace� procedure at the United Nations. But they are likely to face up to immense pressure from the USA not to pursue this course of action. They must not, however, yield to this pressure. Instead, they should show the world that the greater bulk of humanity are against the aggression and lies perpetrated by the ruling elites in the USA and UK through calling for an immediate halt to the war. Passing a resolution to this effect at the United Nations General Assembly will certainly do much to demonstrate the world�s disgust against superpower bullying and its� support for truth and peace.

Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon is State Executive Councillor, Penang and Member of the Central Committee Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia. The above views do not necessarily reflect those of the Gerakan Party or the Penang State Government.

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