KUALA LUMPUR, 19 October – Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has warned that "an attack on Iraq will only sharpen divisions between the West and the Muslim world."
Dr. Mahathir arrives in Saudi Arabia today on an official two-day visit. There are strong historical ties between the two Muslim nations, and both are playing leading roles in voicing the concerns of Muslims in the context of their support for the ongoing US-led "war on terror".
In an exclusive interview with Arab News, he also stated that the terrorists "do not act rationally, but just want to hit back," while the West "needs to think more about how the causes of the (terrorists’) anger can be removed."
Both sides, he added, should take a step back and look at the reasons why the world is going through a period of turmoil and terrorism.
Dr. Mahathir was speaking in light of the bomb attack against Westerners in Bali, an island in Indonesia, which last week killed more than 180 and injured scores of others.
In the interview that touched on a wide range of domestic and international issues, Dr. Mahathir said that "the most important thing for me, despite the fact that I was labeled an ‘extremist’ when I took office, is that I’ve been able to prove that I am nothing of the sort. I’ve been very fair and because of that I can now say that all the communities in the country are stable and peaceful."
Responding to criticism from certain quarters that his rule has been authoritarian, he said: "How did I become a dictator? I am a member of a party that is very democratic. Twice they tried to topple me, and I won. I won by few votes. If I had been a dictator, I wouldn’t have got a single vote."
Dr. Mahathir is on a trip to South Asia and Saudi Arabia to boost bilateral ties. He expressed his belief that Malaysia enjoys good relations with both India and Pakistan, and advised that they should solve their problems "not by confrontation, but through compromise."
Dr. Mahathir has played a pivotal role in propelling Malaysia into the twenty first century by adopting a pragmatic, high-tech agenda while refusing – despite sometimes fierce international criticism – to compromise his clear vision of how wealth and prosperity can increasingly become an integral part of his country’s destiny.
