That same day, all the Chinese newspapers featured pages and pages of coloured photographs showing crowds in the tens of thousands. The Chinese newspapers also showed photographs of police throwing motorcycles into the drain, breaking car windscreens, and beating up unarmed people - some who were not even demonstrators but innocent motorists unwittingly caught in the massive traffic jam.

The estimated crowd on that 5th November was in the tens of thousands. The organisers claim if the police had not closed the highway and all those who had intended to be there that day had been allowed to do so, the target of 100,000 people would have been met easily enough.

A few weeks later the government-controlled media reported that Dr Mahathir had met a renowned and well-respected Muslim leader, Yusuf al-Qardhawi, in Qatar during the recent OIC Conference. The fact is, Dr Mahathir never met Qardhawi as claimed, and the media lied about the meeting.

For some time now the opposition has been saying that the government-owned media is blatantly lying and distorting the truth. This was one of the tactics adopted to win the recent Tenth General Elections in November 1999. The opposition responded by calling for a boycott of TV3, The New Straits Times, and Utusan Malaysia, three of the more notorious liars.

Now, the international community has been given a sample of how low the Malaysian government can go and how boldly they can lie.

On 18th November 2000, the Malaysian Government announced that the Malaysian Ambassador to the United States had met seven US Congressmen to brief them on the actual situation of Anwar Ibrahim's trials and that the Congressmen have expressed satisfaction with Malaysia's explanation.

The seven US Congressmen never met the Malaysian Ambassador

The truth is the Malaysian Ambassador never met all the seven US Congressmen as claimed and the Congressmen are definitely far from "satisfied". Anyhow, it is both naive and incorrect to suggest that one meeting with the Malaysian Ambassador could alleviate the concerns of the US Congressmen about the mistreatment of Anwar Ibrahim.

International concerns about Anwar, the suppression of freedom of expression and assembly, and the lack of independence of the judiciary in Malaysia are as strong today as ever. No one should expect a respite in international pressure on the Mahathir Government.

President-elect Bush, when outlining his foreign policy priorities on Saturday, 16th December 2000, said, "My administration will understand that American values always are at the center of our foreign policy. Our stand for human freedom is not an empty formality of diplomacy, but a founding and guiding principle of this great land. By promoting democracy, we lay the foundation for a better and more stable world."

It is outrageous and wrong for the Malaysian Government to suggest that the concerns of the Congressmen exist only because the opposition parties misinformed them. It seems one more pathetic attempt to slander the opposition and portray them as less than loyal to Malaysia.

The reality is that the Mahathir Government's dismal human rights record and its mistreatment of Anwar have been documented fully by reputable international organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The Heritage Foundation, the US Department of State, and the International Commission of Jurists.

The Malaysian government has put itself in a most awkward and embarrassing situation by lying about the meeting with the seven US Congressmen. In response to this, US Congressman Christopher H. Smith, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, issued a statement on 18th December 2000 entitled "On continuing concerns about the case of Dato Seri Anwar."

The statement from US Congressman Christopher H. Smith

As the principal sponsor of House Resolution 658, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the case of Dato Seri Anwar, I am deeply concerned about two press reports apparently emanating from official sources in Malaysia. 

A November 3 Agence France Presse (AFP) report quotes Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as saying that the co-sponsors of the resolution "should not be congressmen . . . they are not fit to become congressmen in the most powerful country in the world."

I sincerely hope this report was a misquotation. I would welcome any official statement Prime Minister Mahathir might issue to make clear that he does not regard disagreement on important policy issues as evidence of unfitness for office. 

Additionally, according to a December 18 AFP report, Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Toyad told the Malaysian Senate that after being briefed by the Malaysian Ambassador, all seven co-sponsors of the resolution "were now satisfied" with the government's explanation of its actions in the case of Dato Seri Anwar.

This statement is inaccurate. 

At the request of the Malaysian Embassy to the United States, some co-sponsors of the resolution did meet with the Ambassador about this matter. Others, including myself, have not yet been able to arrange mutually convenient times for such discussions. I believe I speak for my colleagues, however, when I say that the Anwar case remains extremely troubling. 

In addition to concerns about the irregularities during Dato Seri Anwar's trial, the possible political motivations behind the charges levied against him, and a number of other actions of the Malaysian authorities discussed in detail in the resolution, I now have grave concerns about recent reports that Anwar's health is deteriorating rapidly and that he may not be receiving proper medical treatment. 

I regret that because of scheduling difficulties, it was impossible to bring House Resolution 658 to the floor of the House during the short time remaining in the session after its introduction. I hope the government of Malaysia will address the serious human rights concerns expressed in the resolution as quickly as possible. If not, I will pursue the matter vigorously in the 107th Congress. 

I believe these concerns are shared not only by my colleagues who were co-sponsors of the resolution, but also by the overwhelming majority of Congress and of the American people. 

Mahathir's diplomatic blunder

Dr Mahathir has made a serious blunder in this whole episode. Dr Mahathir has said that Malaysia could never have cordial relations with the US if Al Gore wins the Presidency. He also said he is happy that Gore had lost the Presidency. This statement has upset many US Congressmen from Gore's party since a defeat for Gore is a defeat for their party.

It must also be noted that half the seven US Congressmen who supported the Resolution came from Bush's party. Therefore, Dr Mahathir is not quite in the clear yet as he thinks he is.

It is apparent that Mahathir is still not too well versed with American politics and on how the US system works. In America, it is the dog that wags the tail, unlike in Malaysia, where the tail wags the dog.

Mahathir has got a few surprises waiting for him and the folly of his statements are going to catch up with him in due time - and that time is in the not too distant a future.

RAJA PETRA KAMARUDIN