FAC News - Sunday, February 17, 2002 1:25 AM

Ambassador Malott sets the record straight

FAC News got in touch with John Malott, the former US Ambassador to Malaysia, whose report, "Here We Go Again," provided great insight into the decade-old dispute between Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani and the American Muslim community.

FAC News also did a random survey amongst both opposition supporters as well as UMNO diehards just to find out whom they felt this mysterious ex-Malaysian Minister implicated in Kabbani’s revelation could be.

Well, the results are in, and the opinions are unanimous. No one polled had any doubts Kabbani meant Anwar Ibrahim – and the reason is obvious.

It is clear that Kabbani's words are being used by certain elements in Malaysia who want to smear Anwar's name and link him to Islamic extremism and terrorism following the September 11 tragedy. They tried and failed to do so during the Amy Ridenour fiasco, and now they are trying again. But, once again, they are likely to end up with egg all over their face.

The Ambassador told FAC, "When I got up Wednesday morning, I saw the New Straits Times article quoting Shaykh Kabbani. Over the years, I have learned that you shouldn't automatically believe everything you read in the newspapers, especially when it's the Malaysian press talking about Anwar. I still remember how Utusan falsely reported that I had made a 'secret trip' to Malaysia when I was sitting here in California."

"So I thought it was important to go to the source and find out whether the Shaykh had said what people were claiming he said," added Ambassador Malott. "I got in touch right away with Shaykh Kabbani's headquarters in Michigan."

Ambassador Malott said he then sent a memo to the Shaykh's headquarters and asked them to forward it to the Shaykh and his party in Malaysia. In that memo, Ambassador Malott explained the political situation in Malaysia and expressed his concern that the Malaysian Government would use Shaykh Kabbani’s alleged statement to launch another smear campaign against Anwar.

"I mentioned that Anwar is serving an 15-year prison sentence in Malaysia on trumped-up charges," said Ambassador Malott. "And that he has been declared a political prisoner by the US State Department, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch."

In the memo to Kabbani, Ambassador Malott stressed that Anwar’s two trials were condemned as unfair by these same groups, as well as by a number of legal and bar associations from around the world. Anwar has also received expressions of support and concern from the Governments of the US, United Kingdom, the European Union, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia and Canada, as well as from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, World Bank President James Wolfensohn, and former Vice President Al Gore. Many members of the US Congress have called for his release.

Ambassador Malott explained that, as the former US Ambassador to Malaysia, he knew that Anwar's views on Islam are moderate, and that it was preposterous to believe that Anwar had funded radical Islamic organisations in the United States, let alone have any connection to terrorism. However, given the political situation in Malaysia, Shaykh Kabbani’s words (or alleged words) were a blessing for the Malaysian Government, for now they could use their heavily controlled press to tar Anwar with the terrorist brush.

Ambassador Malott advised Shaykh Kabbani that he had walked into the middle of a major domestic political struggle in Malaysia. He said he would like to know whether Shaykh Kabbani really said what was being attributed to him -- and if he indeed said something to that effect, what organization in the US he was referring to.

As of Friday afternoon US time, Ambassador Malott says he has not received any response from Shaykh Kabbani or his people. "When I called them on Friday, they said they would not respond until Kabbani's group returned to the US late next week."