Malaysian Cyber Vision Clouded by Arrests By Alvin Toffler

---

Source  :   Los Angeles Times

Malaysian Cyber Vision Clouded by Arrests

By Alvin Toffler**

The future of one of the world’s ambitious digital-age projects is now
in doubt because of the political upheaval shaking Malaysia.

Lost in the international furor is the fact that un-honourable role of
the world’s high tech leaders – from Bill Gates to the heads of
Netscape, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Compact, Silicon Graphics,
Siemens, Sony, NTT and others – are all members of an international
advisory committee to the Malaysian Multi-Media Super Corridor (MMSC).

Two years ago, before the economics crisis in Asia slammed into
Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad asked me to join that
committee to "provide counsel to the Malaysian government and to me
personally". I accepted with alacrity.

In fact, the MMSC was – and remains – a visionary project for the
Internet Age. It is, in effect, the attempt to create a Silicon Valley
in a country that 30 years ago was primarily exporting rubber, timber
and tin.

The MMSC was intended to cap Mahathir’s Vision 2020, a program to propel
Malaysia into the ranks of the world’s developed economies.

What made the project particularly worthwhile was Mahathir’s promise to
pass a set of "cyber-laws" that would guarantee participating companies
complete freedom of access to information, freedom to bring in
knowledgeable workers from other countries, and the best
intellectual-property protection in the world. The project envisioned
creation of a 21st-century multimedia university, a system for
"telemedicine," a
move to electronic government and other "Third Wave" innovations.

Even more striking, Mahathir seemed the only Muslim leader in the world
with an Information Age vision of the future, instead of an obsession
with the past. Moreover, he had done much for his country, raising
his people from poverty and widening the middle class, while preventing
ethnic conflict like the anti-Chinese pogroms that bloodied Indonesia’s
streets recently.

Regrettably, in the last few weeks, Mahathir’s vision seems to have
evaporated. Instead of a sound strategy to compete in the global
Information Age, he seems to be adopting the tactics of a police state.

Like many Malaysians, I am both perplexed and shocked that Anwar Ibrahim
– who just one month ago was the appointed successor to Mahathir – was
not only arrested on politically motivated charges ranging from sexual
misconduct to sedition, but also turned up in court showing signs that
he had been severely beaten.

Anwar seemed the very symbol of the 21st.century, globally linked
economy Malaysia wished to build a worldly, sophisticated Muslim leader
who has called for women’s rights, freedom of the press, and other
Third Wave advances.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and claims he has been targeted
by Mahathir’s inner circle, who, he says, feared he might expose their
corruption if he come to power.

I am distressed that Dr. Munawar Anees, the former editor of Periodica
Islamica, an associate of Anwar and a friend of mine, was also jailed,
in a trial that lasted only 33 minutes, he appeared in court with his
head shaved (his colleagues suspect the application of electrodes) and
shaking so severely, he had to be covered in blanket. Anees was
sentenced to six months in jail for having "confessed" to unlawful
relations with Anwar.

Anwar has denied this and charged that Anness’ confession, like those of
others, was forced in order to sully Anwar’s reputation among his Muslim
followers. Lawyers for Annes, meanwhile, have told the court
that he has disavowed the confession and appealed his sentence.

The last report I received from Kuala Lumpur was that Anees had been
transferred under guard to the cardiac-care unit of a local hospital and
that his wife was sheltered in the French embassy.

I expressed my concerns about these two men directly to Mahathir in a
letter dated September 18, to which he replied on September 22. Mahathir
insists that no one have been compelled to sign "affidavits against
Anwar and that I have no power to free Munawar." He wrote that "I have a
duty to protect the country from a man like Anwar".

In light of Anwar’s beating, Mahathir’s closing sentence rings
particularly hollow: "Please let the process of law follow its course
and then judge me and my country".

Unfortunately, these events threaten to destroy the legacy of the many
positive achievements Mahathir brought to his country. They will also
reduce the likelihood that the many companies pledged to participate in
the MMSC project will continue to do so.

I know Mahathir is passionately committed to this project. But as I
wrote to him, "The Internet cannot deliver its full economic and
cultural benefits in a climate of political fear".

Can anyone imagine Silicon Valley, with its pronounced libertarian
culture, generating endless innovations and whole new industries in the
presence of political repression?

Mahathir cannot expect the world’s greatest high-tech companies and
leaders – whom he promised complete freedom of information and a host of
other "guarantees" – to help bring the digital future to his country
while his police throw his former protégé and people like Munawar Anees
into jail, beat them and have to hospitalize them. That is not the
future he held out to his foreign friends or pictured in Vision 2020.
(Los Angeles Times)
 
 

**Alvin Toffler is a thinker-cum-writer on civilizational dialogue and
known for his famous book, The
Third Wave. He is one of the advisory committee members, to a assist
Mahathir to promote multimedia
super corridor (MSC) in Malaysia, a project to wired Malaysians with
Info-Tech.