PRM says 'no' to attack on Iraq, will join protest at US embassy
PRM viewed with grave concern a likely military strike on Iraq and will join a peaceful demonstration against the "hypocrisy of United States" in front of its embassy in Kuala Lumpur next week, said the party's youth vice-chairperson Jonson Chong.
He said despite the "so-called evidence" provided by US Secretary of State Colin Powell this week, the party resolutely believes that waging war against Iraq is not the solution to an uncertain problem.
He added the justification that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction as claimed by US cannot stand because other countries including US also own such weapons.
On another charge that Iraq has aggressive tendency towards its neighbours, he said "the argument again cannot stand because there are also other countries with greater destructive power than Iraq which have posed as great threats to international peace and security".
He said US itself had in the past demonstrated its lack of respect for the territorial and political sovereignty of its other countries by conducting clandestine operations or blatantly breaching its neighbours' security.
PRM viewed with grave concern a likely military strike on Iraq and will join a peaceful demonstration against the "hypocrisy of United States" in front of its embassy in Kuala Lumpur next week, said the party's youth vice-chairperson Jonson Chong.
He said despite the "so-called evidence" provided by US Secretary of State Colin Powell this week, the party resolutely believes that waging war against Iraq is not the solution to an uncertain problem.
He added the justification that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction as claimed by US cannot stand because other countries including US also own such weapons.
On another charge that Iraq has aggressive tendency towards its neighbours, he said "the argument again cannot stand because there are also other countries with greater destructive power than Iraq which have posed as great threats to international peace and security".
He said US itself had in the past demonstrated its lack of respect for the territorial and political sovereignty of its other countries by conducting clandestine operations or blatantly breaching its neighbours' security.
Double standards
"Thus, it is extremely hypocritical for US to lead the charge against Iraq on the basis of these two reasons. To ignore this fact and proceed with war against Iraq would be a blatant practice of double standards, which must not be allowed to happen," said Chong in a statement.
On Wednesday, while addressing the United Nations Security Council, Powell presented tapes of intercepted conversations and satellite pictures to prove that Iraq had not disarmed its weapons at the end of the 1990 Gulf War.
However, Chong cautioned that the solution to terrorist problems is not violence and war as they will begin an "extremely vicious cycle".
He said PRM opposes war on humanitarian grounds because it is ordinary men and women who would have to suffer the consequences of war.
"It is all too easy for a few politicians to make decisions to go to war in their luxurious offices. In reality, it is inevitable that there will be civilian casualties and loss of innocent lives," he said.
He called on Malaysians to participate in the peaceful protest at the US embassy on Feb 15.
He said PRM will attend the event because it believes that peace-loving people "must not allow a war led by a hypocritical US administration to take place".
The demonstration is part of a global protest in more than 60 cities around the world next week against a US war on Iraq.
