Oleh/By  	:	DATO SERI DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue	:	DAVOS
Tarikh/Date	:	24/01/2003
Tajuk/Title 	:	THE PLENARY SESSION ENTITLED HOW 
			THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM 
			WILL CHANGE THE WORLD AT THE 
			WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
Versi 		:	ENGLISH
Penyampai	:  	PM 
	    

      What   is   obvious  is  that  the  fight  against
   terrorism has already changed the world.
   
   2.    We were carefree before, criss-crossing the world
   in jet planes for pleasure and for business.  The world
   had  become  a village, every part of it accessible  in
   less  than 24 hours from any other part.  Not only were
   the  towns  almost identical in terms of buildings  and
   facilities but we expected and we knew we could get the
   same  food  and  drinks, hotels and shops  and  branded
   goods in every country across the world.
   
   3.    But  we  were not satisfied.  We wanted identical
   political  and  economic systems, namely democracy  and
   deregulated free trade with identical laws and  uniform
   practices  as  well.   We  wanted  globalisation  in  a
   standard  environment.  Everyone  must  conform  or  be
   economically strangled.
   
   4.   We believe that there are far too many corporations
   in  the world  in each business.  Most were financially
   weak and inefficient.  We should get rid of all the small
   businesses and have only a few super-giant so-called multi-
   national  corporations  to take over  everything,  from
   retailing  noodles to producing and selling aeroplanes.
   Who  needs papa-mama shops when hypermarkets can supply
   everything we need in life.
   
   5.   But there are countries which insist on protecting
   their little inefficient banks and industries.  They must
   be  eliminated.  Sanctions should be applied.   Markets
   should be closed to their products.  And where they had
   somehow survived and developed their countries, undermine
   their currencies and destabilise them.
   
   6.    And  so  whole regions were made poor, forced  to
   borrow from the rich, and become permanent debt slaves,
   completely  compliant to the demand that  they  conform
   and accept globalisation.
   
   7.    It looked like things would go according to plan.
   The  whole  world  was becoming a huge standard  market
   place  for  the standard products and services  of  the
   consolidated,  amalgamated,  merged  giant  banks   and
   corporations.  There could be only greater  growth  and
   more  wealth for the rich proponents of free trade  and
   globalisation.
   
   8.    Yes  the  poor  would also benefit.   They  would
   provide  cheap  labour.   Still automation  and  robots
   would throw most of them out of work.  But that is  the
   price  we all have to pay for the technology which  has
   made cheap and better products possible.  The dole will
   take   care  of  the  unemployed.   Too  bad   if   the
   governments  of the poor countries have no unemployment
   benefits.  That is their problem.  Free trade  must  be
   upheld at any cost.
   
   9.    Many  people all over the world lived  in  abject
   poverty.  And many live in fear of terror attacks.  The
   Palestinians of course deserved to lose their  country.
   For two long years the world watched in the comfort  of
   their homes, 200,000 Bosnians being slaughtered.  Bombs
   were  periodically  rained on  Iraq,  killing  innocent
   civilians.    In  Northern  Ireland,  Protestants   and
   Catholics live in fear of the next bomb.  And  in  many
   parts  of the world there were constant fears of terror
   attacks.
   
   10.   The world accepts that these people deserve  what
   they  got.   They live in terror because they  did  not
   know  how  to  protect  themselves;  to  take  security
   measures.   Those  who know and have  the  means  would
   always be safe, watch terror from a safe distance.
   
   11.   Then literally out of the blue terror came to the
   wealthy and the protected.  After September 11  no  one
   is  safe.  And everyone anywhere can be the victims  of
   terror attacks.
   
   12.    Unfortunately   having  ignored   terrorism   as
   something  that can only happen to others,  the  people
   most  capable of tackling terrorism do not know how  to
   tackle  it.   They  can only think of  improving  their
   defenses with more stringent security measure and  more
   sophisticated  weapons.   1.3  billion   Muslims   were
   identified  as  the  potential  enemy.   They  must  be
   harassed, restrained, detained indiscriminately.  Their
   shoes   have  to  be  examined.  No  pen-knives,  paper
   cutters, metal cutlery on aircrafts.  Every ship has to
   be  thoroughly examined.  Every port in the world  must
   be  checked constantly.  Marshalls with weapons on very
   aircraft.  And many, many more security measures.
   
   13.   All  these have strained relations  between  many
   countries and people, affected economic development  of
   the  world  adversely and domestic  politics  as  well.
   Everyone  is  frightened  of flying  or  travelling  to
   certain  countries, frightened of living  at  home,  of
   investing,  of receiving parcels, of large  gatherings,
   of  high  rise  buildings  and  parked  vehicles.   The
   tourist   industry,  the  hospitality   industry,   the
   airlines have seen bankruptcies galore.
   
   14.  Against these enormous losses and the huge outlay on
   defence and security, the cost of mounting the attack such
   as  on   September 11 is minimal.  No costly  missiles.
   Just  a  dozen people in hijacked aircrafts can  create
   havoc.
   
   15.    The   question  is,  how  long  can  all   these
   defence/security measures be kept up.  How long can  we
   live  in  fear;  how  long can  we  withstand  economic
   downturns?  How long can the fight against terrorism be
   allowed to blight our life, to change the way we live?
   
   16.   So what should we do?  The Israelis have the most
   thorough defence against terrorist attacks but the attacks
   are  still going on.  Abroad, the Israelis are  sitting
   ducks.   So  are  the other targets of the  terrorists.
   Terrorising the terrorists as the Israelis have done has
   not reduced the number of terrorist.  In fact they seem to
   increase.   Attacking Iraq and getting  rid  of  Saddam
   Hussein is most likely to create more anger and increase
   the recruits for terror attacks.
   
   17.  For as long as there are people who are oppressed,
   whose land has been expropriated, whose sufferings have
   been  ignored; for whom there is no justice, there will
   be  terrorists and acts of terror.  It only  cost  them
   their  lives, something they seem to care  very  little
   about.   The bombs can be made cheaply and the delivery
   vehicles hijacked.
   
   18.  Today, the whole world is suffused with hatred and
   anger.   No  one  is seeking for anything  else  except
   revenge.  Both sides are saying "they will pay a  heavy
   price for this".
   
   19.   Giving fancy reasons for the acts of terror  will
   only result in our not taking the right actions.  Is it
   true that Islam teaches its followers to terrorise non-
   Muslims?  Is it true that Muslim poverty is at the root
   of  their  dastardly behaviour?  Is it true  that  they
   envy the freedom and the democracy of the West?
   
   20.   September  11  was the work of  people  who  were
   neither   poverty-stricken,  nor  ignorant,  nor   even
   directly   suffering   from  oppression.    They   were
   apparently  ordinary  people with families,  sufficient
   income and enjoying a comfortable life.  They were  not
   Palestinians or Afghans or Libyans, Sudanese, Iraqis or
   Iranians,  all of whom have good reasons to hate  their
   western  detractors.  Yet they were prepared to  die  a
   horrendous death.  Given the opportunity, there will be
   others who will do it again.
   
   21.   It  is  time that we examine the true  causes  of
   terrorism.  It is time that we remove the causes,  If we
   don't, if we continue to delude ourselves then the fight
   against the terrorists will never end and the change in
   the world caused by terrorism will remain permanent.

   Sumber : Pejabat Perdana Menteri