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Malaysian media says he told the truth, but others worry that he went too far

A  debate on all things Jewish has erupted in Malaysia following Prime Minister  Mahathir Mohamad's 'Jews control the world' remark last week that incensed the western world and invited  harsh criticism of his country.

Most government-owned or linked newspapers and television stations are running features and commentaries defending and justifying Dr Mahathir's statement.

While opening the 10th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), Dr Mahathir said Jews ruled the world by proxy and they got others to fight and die for them.

The general refrain in the government-controlled media was that while Dr Mahathir might have been blunt, what he said about the Jews was true.

'Just take the 'Jewish rule the world by proxy' comment. Why the uproar about it? Isn't this a known fact? The difference, perhaps, is that others have not expressed it in such blatant terms as the plain-speaking Malaysian prime minister,' ran one commentary in The Star newspaper yesterday.

The paper named about a dozen Jews in US President George W. Bush's administration, and blamed them for America's pro-Israel foreign policy.

Another commentary in the Utusan Melayu newspaper claimed that Mr Bush 'trembles' before the Jewish lobby in America because Jews 'own a great chunk of the media'.

But one academic said much of the information in these reports was lifted from anti-Jewish websites and that some of the 'facts' were incorrect and most of the conclusions were disputed.

'That Jews rule the world and decide the fate of Muslim nations is an accepted wisdom in the Islamic world,' the academic said.  'Muslim Malaysia has always seen Jewish conspiracy behind every crisis affecting Muslim nations.'

Dr Mahathir also blamed the 1997 Asian financial crisis on a plot by currency speculators and Jewish bankers.

The government has strongly denied it is anti-Semitic, blaming the western media for  reporting  parts of Dr Mahathir's speech out of context.

While the government-controlled media slavishly defended the premier's remarks, ordinary citizens worried that Dr Mahathir, who is retiring on October 31, might have gone too far.

'He might have antagonised the rich and powerful who may retaliate, bringing dire economic repercussions on the country,' wrote Wong Fei Hoong in the Malaysiakini website, the only news organisation in Malaysia that is independent of political parties and allows correspondents free rein.

Another writer to the website said: 'Malaysia can be known for many great things ... but now it is racism or anti-Semitism for which we will be known.'

A third writer calling himself Malaysia Chew said: 'He could not resist a swipe at the Jews. I am glad Mahathir is retiring soon. His latest speech is going to undo all the good he has done.'

Political analyst James Wong, a former member of parliament, said remarks by Dr Mahathir had  served to isolate  the country politically and diplomatically, both with friendly European powers such as Germany and France, and within Southeast Asia.

'Although the domestic media defend Dr Mahathir's remarks, the diplomacy [of his government] is in shambles,' he said.



Debate rages over Mahathir's views on Jews