Referring to the conflict between the United States
Government and its so-called Axis of Evil, Dr Mahathir said it would be a long
war because both sides sought revenge.“Hatred, anger and bitterness rules our
(their) hearts. (Both) want revenge. (Both) will retaliate. You kill our people,
we will kill your people and vice versa,” he said at the plenary session of
the World Economic Forum. (RAWA Photos)...
World War 3 has begun: Dr Mahathir
Hardev Kaur
DAVOS (SWITZERLAND), Jan 24:
THE
“Third World War” has begun, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr
Mahathir Mohamad, but it is not the war against terrorists. Rather, it is
the war being fought by peace-loving peoples against perceptions of evil.
Referring to the conflict between the United States Government and its
so-called Axis of Evil, Dr Mahathir said it would be a long war because
both sides sought revenge.
“Hatred, anger and bitterness rules our (their)
hearts. (Both) want revenge. (Both) will retaliate. You kill our people,
we will kill your people and vice versa,” he said at the plenary session
of the World Economic Forum.
Speaking on Trust and Governance for a New Era Dr Mahathir said sanity had
deserted both sides. In this `war' both sides are convinced that they are
right, that theirs is the fight against evil. Evil and Satan must be
destroyed.
“We now live in fear, every one of us,” Dr Mahathir said. “We fear
the terrorists, and the terrorists, their supporters or alleged supporters
fear us. We fear flying, we fear travelling to certain countries, we fear
night clubs, we fear letters, parcels and cargo containers, we fear white
powder, shoes, Muslims, pen knives, metal, cutlery, etc.”
“The other side,” he said, “feared sanctions, starvation, shortage
of medicine. They fear military invasion, being bombed and rocketed, being
captured and detained.”
“People who are neutral, not involved (and) innocent live in fear too.
They are the `collaterals'. Just as the Afghans and the Iraqi civilians
are collaterals. The passengers on the hijacked planes and those people
working in the World Trade Towers were also collaterals.”
A frightened world is taking security and defensive measures at tremendous
cost. Even so, the Prime Minister told the packed hall of business
luminaries, politicians and NGOs, the main result is not security or
freedom from terror.
“The main result is to disrupt life, undermine investments and business
and generally to adversely affect economic growth world wide,” he said.
“With the onset of this `Third World War', the world is in a state of
turmoil. We now live in fear. Even the rich are not as prosperous any
more, while the poor are actually poorer.”
“We have not done such a good job managing this Global Village of ours.
There is no trust and no good governance.”
Dr Mahathir said the world needs “a new mind-set if we are going to put
an end to this Third World War. We need victory for both, a victory where
both sides will win.”
“The world is big enough and rich enough for everyone. There is no need
to take everything for ourselves. A win-win solution is possible,” he
said.
The Prime Minister said: “If we overcome our anger and hatred, our
craving for revenge, our unlimited greed, we can manage the world and
achieve trust and eventually good governance.”
In answer to a question on creating trust and good governance in the new
era, Dr Mahathir said: “I don't think it can be done by seeking a
military defeat of the enemy and forcing them to submit.”
The forces against the `Axis of Evil' are not going to win because the
target is wrong, he said.
“All that can happen if they are defeated is to create more anger and a
call for more revenge and retaliation by the people who are incensed by
the injustice they believe they are experiencing,” he said. “On the
other hand, the other side is not going to win either. The enemy is just
too big and too powerful.”
Dr Mahathir said the only solution was through compromise.
He told the audience that the causes needed to be identified and removed.
“Out-terrorising the terrorists will not work,” he said. “But
removing the causes for terrorism will.”
Dr Mahathir received a five-minute ovation at the end of his remarks.
Later asked to explain his statement on the Third World War, Dr Mahathir
said it was President George Bush who after Sept 11 had declared that
“we are at war. And he is right.”
It might not be the conventional war, the Prime Minister added, “but
people are being killed and people are being threatened with attack and
people are fighting back and in the process a lot of people are losing
life and limb.”
“This is a new kind of war. A real full-scale conventional war would
destroy the world, what with all the nuclear warheads. Accept it and try
to deal with it rather than say nice words and say that it is not war but
just action. It is war.”
How can we manifest peace on
earth if we do not include everyone (all races, all nations, all religions, both
sexes) in our vision of Peace?
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