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A comparison uneven

15 November 2003, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Farhan Quddus, Old DOHS, Banani, Dhaka
15 November 2003, 18:00 PM
Over the years, Mr. Mahmood Elahi of Canada has been contributing to the letters page of The Daily Star with comments bordering on the absurd to the ridiculous. At first, my impression was that the gentleman was probably deprived of genuine unadulterated information, having access to only Fox News and other US media. How else can one explain his pathetic comments in favour of the war in Iraq, his blind support for the US administration, his open condemnation of any leader regarded as "rogue" by the United States and mistrust for anything that is not endorsed by the US administration? I was still willing to give him the benefit of doubt, as every man has the right to have an opinion, regardless of how absurd it is.

However, his last comment on Mahathir Mohamad, comparing him to Hitler hit the "all time high" as being the most ridiculous letter ever published in The Daily Star. There has to be some limit to how much ignorance can be tolerated and how far from reality does a man have to be to utter such garbage.

Any Asian who has lived and travelled on this side of Asia will know the huge contributions made by Mahathir. His legacy is not limited to the development of Malaysia alone. Mahathir has steered the course for Malaysia over a period of 20 odd years and transformed a village into one of the most modern and developed countries in the region. Mahathir's contribution in the Asian Forum towards building this region into an economic superpower is no secret and anyone with has the slight understanding of Asian politics will agree to that. While we all know what western styled democracies stand for, trying to implement the same in Asia doesn't always work. Mahathir's approach to democracy and development of his nation is in tune with how he felt that his people would respond to his leadership just like Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew who applied his own techniques towards achieving his goals, and if the approach were brutal and dictatorial to the eyes of the West, then be it!

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If the end result leads to the eradication of poverty and a better future for the people, then this is the style of governance which should be the model to be followed. Asia needs leaders with such vision and not go by the textbook version of the principles of democracy and the dictates of the West. Mr. Mahmood Elahi will benefit far more from a visit to Malaysia rather than making pathetic assumptions over a speech taken out of context and the western media's portrayal of a leader feared by the West.