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An open letter to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
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First of all, congratulations on your electoral victory. The Malaysian people have given you an unprecedented, overwhelming mandate. Kudos! You deserve it! Like the rest of my fellow citizens, I now look forward to your honoring your mandate to the fullest, especially in terms of your pre-election commitments to:
I also note with deep admiration that you have chosen to focus a lot on the human side of development. Your election manifesto was a marvelous �touchy-feely, reaching out and touching hearts� document unsurpassed by any previous BN manifesto. It is thus in this light that I wish to alert you to an important humanitarian and human rights issue. In your interview with the BBC as reported by BERNAMA on 23 March, you discussed among others, personal issues, especially Datin Endon�s health and struggle against cancer. You said the following: �It is tough. It is tough, you don�t have all the time to do what you like to do for the family.�
� She takes care of me and does things for me that others cannot do. We are happy. I don�t have the quantity of time, but I give her quality time�. As you take on more and more responsibilities for the country as Prime Minister, I can only empathize with your family and you, and the daily struggles that you must endure. Indeed, I am convinced that it must be tough. Thus, you must surely understand as well, the difficulties and the pain Datin Seri Wan Azizah and her family go through with the continued incarceration of her spouse, Anwar Ibrahim. As well, surely you must understand the difficulties and pain all the spouses and families of the numerous ISA detainees go through with each passing day. As you worry for Datin Endon, so also Datin Seri Wan Azizah and the spouses of the many ISA detainees worry about their respective spouses health and well-being. And even as you find the going �tough�, so too I am sure do Datin Seri Wan Azizah and the spouses of the ISA detainees. And I am sure, as much as Datin Endon and you love each other, so too do Datin Seri Wan Azizah and Anwar Ibrahim love each other. Similarly, the spouses of the ISA detainees love their detained life partners very much also. In your interview, you said that you want to spend quality time with Datin Endon. I think this is a wonderful example that will go far to promote closer family ties and social cohesion in Malaysia. Thus, surely you realize that, like you, Datin Seri Wan Azizah and the spouses of the ISA detainees also want to spend quality time with their life partners and their children. The BN manifesto and your BBC interview prove to me that you have an insightful grasp of our common human condition and the struggles that many Malaysians go through daily, one unsurpassed by any of your predecessors. Thus given your thumping electoral victory and your obvious humanity, why not show magnanimity and free Anwar Ibrahim along with all the ISA detainees unconditionally? Alternatively, why not give them all a free and fair trial, one that is in line with internationally accepted standards? Surely, given your commitment to the �rule of law and the separation of powers�, this is a good move, no? After all, you don�t seriously believe that any of the diplomats (except possibly the ASEAN representatives) accredited to Wisma Putra even half believe your views about Anwar Ibrahim receiving a fair trial as reported by BERNAMA? Why stick to an old, tired and discredited refrain when you can write your own symphony for Anwar Ibrahim and the rest of the ISA detainees? If you do this, I am convinced you will open a new chapter in Malaysian politics and social values, a renewal of all that Malaysians aspire to. And we will always remember you for this. The choice of course, is yours. With my sincere wishes, Andrew Aeria Now e-mail us and tell us what you think. Your comments might be published in the Letters section of our print magazine, Aliran Monthly. Alternatively, post your comments to the message board. | |||||||||||||||
And I am sure, as much as Datin Endon and you love each other, so too do Datin Seri Wan Azizah and Anwar Ibrahim love each other. Similarly, the spouses of the ISA detainees love their detained life partners very much also.
