U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday Washington would continue to speak out in legal cases such as that of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, despite accusations of meddling.
Hours before meeting Malaysia's foreign minister on the sidelines of the ASEAN regional forum in Singapore, Rice said the United States had long spoken out in cases deemed to be political in nature and would continue to do so.
"We are always going to speak up on human rights cases, political cases, but again we do so in a spirit of respect for Malaysia," Rice told a news briefing.
Anwar, a former deputy premier, faces AN allegation he engaged in a homosexual act with a former aide that could derail his political plans.
He has not been charged with sodomy -- a crime punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment in Malaysia -- but the claim mirrors events in 1998, when his rise was halted by a jail term for sodomy and corruption.
On Wednesday, Malaysian Home (Interior) Minister Syed Hamid Albar met foreign diplomats in Kuala Lumpur and warned them against meddling in Malaysia's affairs.
But Rice said she did not see U.S. comments on the case as meddling.
"The United States doesn't recognize this very firm barrier, that there are certain things that are simply internal affairs when a case of this kind comes up. But we are going to continue to work with Malaysia."
She reiterated the U.S. view that transparency and rule of law must be followed in Anwar's case.
"Part of the comfort level or the confidence that states need to bring to the international system is that their judicial systems are indeed responsive to rule of law, transparent and fair."
"Even-handed application of the rule of law is very important," she added.
New York-based Human Rights Watch has said the allegation against Anwar "lacked credibility" while Anwar says he is the victim of a high-level conspiracy to thwart the opposition.
Anwar is leading a loose alliance of three opposition parties to try to seize power from the government by mid-September.
His attempt to oust the government comes at a time when the ruling National Front coalition, in power since independence from Britain in 1957, suffered its worst electoral setback in a March general election.
The political uncertainty has roiled financial markets and unnerved investors.
source: Reuters
24/07/08
The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has clearly stated that she would continue to speak out on human rights and political rights cases in Malaysia. I am glad she has made a clear stand. I must commend her. This is what I expect from USA. In 1492 Christopher Columbus lands in the Bahamas, discovering the Americas. In 1620 the Pilgrims landed on the east coast of USA and decided that they would established a community that values freedom. The Pilgrims were fleeing religious persecution in England. The Pilgrims were the first to celebrate thanksgiving in what is known today as USA; thanksgiving continues to be observed to this day in USA by eating turkey. Later in 1776 George Washington started the American War of independence. It would be untrue to state that everybody in USA was free at that time: African Americans were enslaved and women could not vote until 1920. USA has come a long way since then. In 1861, there was the civil war over slavery and in 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was made. By 1919 the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote. In 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans.: Landmark Supreme Court decision the court ruled that racial segregation in schools as unconstitutional. Yes, USA has come a long way. There is no going back to the USA of yesteryears. We have to move forward. Yes, I would like to commend the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice because she has clearly stated that she would continue to speak out on human rights and political rights cases in Malaysia. Malaysia may have lessons to learn from the American experience.
ReplyDeleteIt is not about USA interfering in the internal or external matters of another nation. The goal of USA should be to ensure freedom for herself. In order to ensure freedom for herself, the USA should continue to promote freedom world wide. If the world falls under dictatorships, then one day USA would remain as the only nation with freedom in this planet. This would be a dangerous phenomenon because before long USA too would succumb to a dictatorship. Thus it is in the best interests of USA to continue to promote freedom, multi party political system, one person one vote, and an independent judiciary world wide.
Many nations have lessons to learn from the American experience. While USA outlawed slavery in 1863, only in August 2007 did the Islamic Republic of Mauritania finally outlaw slavery; and she outlawed slavery because of international pressure, mostly from Western nations. There are parts of North Africa where Arabs still own Black slaves, even today. Likewise, in India, where slavery is outlawed, there are still slaves, even today. Yes, many nations have a lot to learn from the American experience. Likewise, there will be no free ride for USA too; she has to live up to the expectations of those who see USA as the champion of liberal values.