| Mahathir has varied perspective on rights By Nora Boustany, The Washington Post May 17, 2002, Today WASHINGTON � America�s perception of human rights is at times �quite wrong� because it focuses on the rights of the individual and minorities, rather than the collective safety of the community, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told Washington Post editors and reporters this week. �We believe that human rights always applies to the majority, who should have its rights protected. When people demonstrate and go to the streets, they deprive the majority from earning a living,� said Mahathir, on an official visit to meet with President Bush, other senior US officials and members of Congress. Thanks to the events of September 11, Mahathir said, the United States now appreciates some of the things we have done as being in the national interest.� He dismissed allegations that he was exploiting Malaysia�s controversial Internal Secutiry Act to jail his political opponents. Mahathir, 76, labeled as �nonentities� members of opposition parties who have been held under the legislation, which allows detention without trial���.. Mahathir said, �If we wanted to really paralyze the opposition, we would have arrested their leaders, not some of these people who are minor lights in their own party���They say things that stir people up so we have to take action against them. �There are certain things that we can deal with by following the rules. But at times we find the rules restrict you from doing the right things. On such occasions, we have to rethink: either you change the rules or break the rules.� He cited detention without trial as an example. Malaysia has detained (without trial) about 20 people who had traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan and had planned to overthrow his government by force, Mahathir said. Under the Internal Security Act, the detainees can be kept in custody for two years, with their status subject to review at six-month intervals. �It is difficult for us to put them on trial,� he added, because they are being detained not for something they did but (for something they) were planning to do���. ***** |
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