Roots & Solutions to The Middle East Conflict

The Israel-Arab/Palestinian crisis is a very complex problem that poses the biggest risk of a geopolitical war. However, I disagree with the various naive proposals offered by many people across the blogs who say that the solution is to reduce the power of the extremists from both sides, ignore the religious perspectives, talk peace and disarm.

What we are dealing here is a political conflict that emanates from an ancient family trauma (the rejection of the surrogate son and the concubine wife from the Abraham family) which, over the centuries, manifested into controversial texts that incite warmongering against the other half-blood tribe.

Nonetheless, there are several ways to approach the problem and achieve a real solution. A complicated problem requires a complicated analysis from various perspectives with a simple but profound solution.

1. Reexamine the simplicity of the political solution: a two-state solution simply requires that each state recognises and respects the existence of the other. All other tactics to obstruct the recognition of this fundamental right of existence reflects an indirect denial of real peace. For example, if Singapore/Indonesia refuses to recognise Malaysia as a legitimate country and threatens to wipe it off the sea, why bother talking about a truce or lasting peace with them? Wiser to prepare secretly for the coming attack.

2.The diplomatic solution is now offered by President Barack Hussein Obama. He is likely to convince Iran and all the proxy elements of the Arab world to lay down their arms for peace. But this peace won’t hold because it is merely diplomacy laced with great rhetoric from an ambitious world leader. Read his inaugural speech:

“To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”

This means a voluntary disarmament which will eventually be a prelude to rearmament. An unclenched fist can easily become clenched with a nuclear bomb later on.

3. On the question of who is right or wrong. I suggest we heed Jesus’s advice to judge a tree by its fruits. How many Jewish and Arab friends do we personally know from both sides of the issue to be able to know the truth of their lives in this region?

We should learn to see the problems of the Middle East from the perspective of a Martian who has no vested interest. Which party in this conflict is unreasonable, barbaric, illogical and religiously extremist? By their acts and their behaviour, you shall know the wolf behind the sheep.

Maybe, the Martian will conclude that both parties are equally guilty. But ask him further, show him the history of this conflict which extends to Abraham’s relationship with his two sons Isaac and Ishmael and you may arrive at a truly objective view.

4. The spiritual solution is the most effective one: both the Arabs and the Israelis must look deep into their intertwined past as half-brothers and truly repent of their hate crimes and forgive each other.

They must be made to see that the alternative is more bloodshed and perhaps a geopolitical war. Just remember that the last world war was tainted by the tragedy of the Holocaust (the genocide where about six million European Jews died.)

Unfortunately, human nature can only learn to repent after a great tragedy has happened. And the tragedy of lost lives stemming from the wars fought between Israel and the Arabs since the formation of the former on May 14, 1948 is perhaps not sufficiently painful for sane, citizens of the world to turn their backs on the insanity of war and the drive for political power in the Middle East.

Is The Hedgehog or the Fox The Best Leader For Msia?

Now with the latest Perak crisis, doubts are emerging about Anwar's effectiveness as the opposition leader. However, the mystery of who is the real Anwar should be analysed from the fox and the hedgehog context.

Philosopher and historian Isaiah Berlin said that foxes know many cunning tricks to survive while hedgehogs know only one single thing.

My instincts indicate that Anwar pretends to be a fox who can fix many of M'sia's social and economic challenges. However, he may actually be a hedgehog with only one real talent: Is it his oratory skills? His ability to hold the PAS-DAP dichotomy together or his anti-NEP and anti-corruption principles (which very few Malays have the intellectual bravery to champion)?

For most M'sians, all they want to see is a shadow cabinet, sound economic policies and a new set of values that will unite the secular and the non-secular sentiments of the citizens.

Since the former Premier Tun Mahathir, who seemed to be more of a fox than a hedgehog, failed to move the country out of its handicaps, the public may now clamour for a hedgehog-type of leader, a man of integrity and vision who only knows how to carry out one great idea that will solve many of the country's problems.

Abraham Lincoln's hedgehog genius was to liberate America from the scourge of slavery at the cost of civil war. I guess Barack Obama's hedgehog idea is to do the opposite: promote world peace at the cost of making diplomatic alliances with despotic regimes. ("To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.")

In others words, a false world peace today to postpone the real world war that is looming at the periphery of the global financial meltdown.

Lessons To be Learned From Perak Crisis-Malaysiakini

Now that the full consequences of party-hopping and cross-overs have been reaped for every Malaysian to see, let us re-examine three simple lessons we can learn from this crisis:

1. If party hopping followed by snap elections is justified as an unjust means to a fair end, then there will be no end to party hopping, what more when vast amounts of money is offered under the table. (Anwar, pls take note, you are at an economic disadvantage in this respect).

2. Now that both BN (sin by commission) and Pakatan Rakyat (sin by temptation) have created this political mess, it is the honourable thing for both Anwar/PR leaders and Najib to outlaw party hopping. But first, to regain his credibility with the voters, Najib should call a snap election soon in Perak to make amends for the unfairness with which the Perak people are subjected to. That way, he will be doing what Anwar actually promised, cross over and give back the mandate to the electorate.

3. Politics is often dirty and devoid of ethics. Whoever has more influence on the rules of the game (the courts of law) has a stronger hand. But the spectators, i.e voters have an active role to play in giving the weaker opposition a stronger hand. They can either walk out in protest or continue watching the drama between the two foes. If the civil rights activists and bloggers had debated thoroughly the issue of cross-overs and not given blanket approval to Anwar's 916 tactics, they would have seen its dangers, both ethical and political.

Aside from Pakatan Rakyat's greatest political weapon of being anti-NEP and anti-corruption, what was sorely lacking was the lack of a shadow cabinet, concrete policies for the economy and a new set of values to unite a multi-ethnic people.

So the blame for the current Perak crisis should be shared with Malaysia's intellectuals, bloggers and silent citizens.

Read Karim Raslan's take: "Trouble in Perak."

The Battle for The Hearts & Minds of Voters Is Lost For BN-Malaysiakini

We, Malaysians who care for democracy and clean governance, must all look at this setback for Pakatan Rakyat in Perak positively and creatively.

Do not lose hope for Malaysia because God has a greater plan beyond the obvious cat and mouse game.

Look at the irony of the situation: The unethical cross-over planned by Anwar failed last September.

Today, God may allow the devious cross-over and reverse takeover of the Perak state government by BN for one very good reason: the whole population of Perak and the country will start to see how unethical and undemocratic is the BN in trying to gain power. (This view is gaining ground. Read Tengku Razaleigh's latest comments).

Let them win the war of cross-overs but they will definitely lose the battle for the hearts and minds of the voters.

(I see that many blog commentators have vented their anger on the ex-DAP assembly lady. To paraphrase an old but true saying: when we forgive someone, we are pouring water on the hot coals burning over their heads. The power to change Malaysia’s despicable politics lies in forgiving our enemies. Likewise, those who curse Ms Hee fall into the same trap of hate and bitterness that divides our nation. Change begins in our hearts no matter what colour, political party or faith.)