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Alternative agenda discussed
- Subject: Alternative agenda discussed
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 21:23:00
Politics
Alternative agenda
discussed
KUALA LUMPUR -- As governments
across Asia and the Pacific prepare for
their leaders' economic summit here next
week, about 700 representatives of people
forums from 25 countries are intensively
discussing urgent political, economic and
social agendas which they want the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) to
seriously take up.
The Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly, which
is addressing 13 different issues ranging
from human rights and democracy, to
labour and migrant workers, from urban
poverty to indigenous peoples, from
education and environment, to women and
children, is taking place against the
backdrop of Malaysia's ongoing and
controversial trial of ousted deputy prime
minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The opening event Tuesday at a small
downtown hotel saw a packed hall of
participants who gathered to hear
speeches made by several prominent
social and political activists, including Irene
Fernandez, a Malaysian woman activist
who was charged for criticising the official
ill-treatment of migrant workers, and
Indonesian academic and social critic of
the military regime, Arief Budiman.
But the highlight of the inauguration
ceremony was the arrival of Anwar's wife Dr
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who delivered a
brief statement, thanking Malaysians and
the world for supporting her husband and
family.
She urged Malaysians not to drown in
depression following Anwar's controversial
arrest on 10 counts of alleged corruption
and sexual misconduct, but to carry forward
his torch of political reforms.
She said she was very happy that her
husband was now receiving so much
support, much more than when he was
deputy prime minister. Wan Azizah said
that she was also proud that people across
the globe have voiced concern for justice
for Anwar. She urged Malaysians of all
political and religious hues to stand up and
revive the old, beautiful Malaysia.
She added: ''There are still people out
there, people -- common Malaysians
across the board of religion, across the
board of political parties -- who want to
come forward and I thank you. I thank you
and I want you to come in and join us,
support us and bring back our beautiful
Malaysia.''
Despite the uncertain fate awaiting her
husband, Wan Azizah, who was
accompanied by her eldest daughter, was
in cheerful spirits. At one time, she even
cracked jokes about Malaysian prime
ministers, including the incumbent Mahathir
Mohamad, saying in jest that she hoped her
remarks would not lead to her arrest.
Her message drew loud applause and a
chorus chanting of the ''reformasi'' slogan,
in a sign of support for Anwar's attempts to
push for political reforms.
As Malaysian authorities have banned
anti-government political gatherings and
threatened to hit protesters with draconian
laws, including the 1960 Internal Security
Act, organisers of the Peoples' Assembly
were evidently trying not to allow any room
or pretext for official action against what the
government could claim as ''illegal
assembly''.
Participants were to wear name tags that
clearly identified their organisations and
their participatory sessions, while
volunteers manned entrances to the plenary
hall and other working rooms. According to
one leading Malaysian activist, organisers
had tried to by-pass the need for a ''police
permit'' for public conferences by arranging
the Assembly as a ''private meeting'' thus
participants were required to properly
register and to put on a name badge.
She said organisers were well aware that
Malaysian authorities might do what they
did two years ago with the East Timor
conference -- move in to stop the meetings
and arrest those involved -- and have
worked out a contingency plan in case of
such an eventuality.
At a press conference before the opening
ceremony, leading organisers Irene
Fernandez, Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud, a
labour union leader, and Dr Syed Husin Ali,
president of the opposition party Parti
Rakyat Malaysia and a former ISA political
inmate, said the Peoples' Assembly would
discuss 13 pressing political, economic
and social issues confronting the people
and their communities and find out ways to
resolve them.
Resolutions from the gathering will be
forwarded to the summit meeting of the
21-member Apec. When asked to assess
their previous attempts to draw Apec
leaders to address the peoples' agendas,
Irene and Syed Shahir said the success of
the Peoples' Assembly, which has been
held alongside Apec summits, can be
judged through the increase in the number
of people and organisations taking part in
the forum, and the increasing public
awareness of different issues confronting
them in their everyday lives.
The organisers urged Apec leaders not to
concentrate only on trade and economic
liberalisation or the financial turmoil
gripping the region, which, they, said was a
result of globalisation but to take up
peoples' social needs.
BY YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK
The Nation