KICK THE RIGHT BUTT.

At the warong kopi where I frequent, some smiled politely, some laughed but almost everyone agreed that what our irrepressible ex PM expounded in his hour long speech at the inaugural Perdana Global Peace Forum is something worth considering. Vote out those whom you do not agree, be it about war or even on the manner of freedom you would want. This is of course in line with democratic norms and will work out well with countries that subscribe to the Athenian democratic ideals.
However, there are dozens of countries under the crushing heels of dictators who will never be allowed to have their free open vote to vote out these despots. So how will the oppressed free themselves? The global community has imposed economic and political sanctions on some of these evil regimes and whilst the free world have the luxury of time to wait for whatever little effect it may have, the suffering of the people in these countries, continues and grows.
In the comfort of our setting and with a glass of non alcoholic drink in our hand we clink and toast, we rail against just wars that set the oppresed free. We choose to walk the easy road of false peace, to placate the strong oppressors and to continue to ignore the rapes, the beatings, the starvations and the fears of the oppressed weak. So whilst many seek to glorify themselves on their humanness in the international arena, let's remember whilst the UN sat and debated it was just military intervention that stopped the genocide of the Tutsi and moderate Hutus in Rawanda, the Muslims of Bosnia and the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds of Iraq.
Let's kick the right butts, the butts of the those who line up to uphold the rights of dictators who take away...the freedom of choice from the weak.


Vote out war loving leaders: Dr M
Link : Sun2Surf R. Manirajan

KUALA LUMPUR: Vote out war-loving leaders and their policy of violence - this is the battlecry for an international movement which former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad set in motion yesterday.
"What I have suggested are all do-able. We must stop this madness, these killings, this idea that the ones able to kill the most are the victors, are right, are the ones who should rule the world," he said.
"What kind of a civilisation would we have with mass murderers as world leaders?"
Suggesting the promotion of peace as the premier agenda for democratic elections worldwide, Mahathir recommended the setting up of an international pro-peace anti-war non-governmental organisation (NGO) to network global lobbying.....
Mahathir said peace should be promoted as a creed for everyone and made an issue for the security of states, the regions and the world, and no country should resort to war and the destruction of the security of others to promote its own security.
"We need to define acts of war and terror and we need to provide proper punishment for people who commit mass killings of the innocent," he said.
"The idea that only the victors have the right to prosecute the losers is neither just nor right."
It may not be possible to bring the guilty party or leaders of the powerful before the court but such people may be tried in absentia.
"If found guilty, this should be widely published and rogue gallery pictures distributed. The rest of the world should shun such people and treat them as pariahs," he said.
At the end of his hour-long opening address, themed "Peace Dividends, War Profits", Mahathir received a standing ovation from the 2,000 speakers and guests at the two-day forum in Putra World Trade Centre.
The former premier also said the press must also be an active partner in the worldwide struggle for peace and the internet used extensively so that alternative media would be available to publish and expose lies, be downloaded and distributed.
The United Nations, he added, must also be democratised and the veto of the permanent five must be modified "so that no single one of them can frustrate the whole organisation"......