Of all the negative side-effects of Sept 11 and the so-called 'war on terror' (re: Washington's latest attempt to impose its vision of Pax Americana on the world at gunpoint), the constant and steady erosion of human rights and fundamental liberties has to be on the top of the list. Thus far we have witnessed the introduction of new restrictive and repressive laws the world over, from the United States to Australia, and right here in the Asean region.

Now, more than ever, governments everywhere are able and willing to arrest, detain, interrogate and even liquidate their own citizens with scant regard for the consequences and political fallout that may follow for the simple reason that it will not come: Terror and the fear of terrorism have become hegemonised.

Yesterday was the anniversary of Operation Lallang. For those of us with a memory that extends slightly longer than the latest Eminem hit, Ops Lalang, which took place in 1987, was a turning point in Malaysian history. For an entire generation of young Malaysians it was a turning point in their lives and marked the moment of their political awakening.

But this time round the commemoration of Ops Lalang has been muted somewhat. Doubtless one of the reasons for this (apart from activism fatigue) is the climate of general fear and paranoia that has been created in the wake of Sept 11 and the recent bombings in Bali.

To make things worse, there now seems to be a growing consensus among intellectuals, politicians, public figures and opinion makers all over the Asean region that during times like these, governments have the right (if not the duty) to safeguard and protect the well-being of their citizens with even more security laws and regulations. In Indonesia, for instance, the 'moderate' Muslims of the NU and Muhamadijah have gone as far as calling for the outright ban of so-called radical Islamist movements and organisations in the country.

Elsewhere, the white-collared liberals of the region have called for the imposition of stricter laws and regulations to curb the excesses of those dubbed 'fundamentalist extremists'. Doubtless, they are fearful of the prospect of having their latest wine-tasting ceremony or fashion show disrupted thanks to a well-placed pipe-bomb.

Lest I am misunderstood once again, allow me to make myself clear. I am not, of course, condoning or promoting acts of violence and indiscriminate mayhem on innocent civilians. Nor would I tolerate the intolerant rhetoric of some of the more vocal and misguided religious movements and parties in the region. But it should be pointed out that the use and abuse of religion for political ends has never been the exclusive monopoly of opposition movements only.

In Malaysia and Indonesia, we have seen how the ruling elite and parties in power have also used and abused religion for the sake of their political agendas. The Islamisation race we have seen in the region has led to the inflation of religio-political discourse, and which has manifested itself in the form of increasingly repressive 'religious' laws that impinge on the personal rights and private lives of ordinary citizens in both countries.

Thanks to this race to out-Islamise each other, in Malaysia and Indonesia (and to a lesser extent in Singapore, Philippines and southern Thailand as well) there are now political parties and organisations that have helped to normalise an increasingly narrow and exclusivist form of normative Islam.

With the constant promotion of highly conservative and reactionary Islamist thinkers like Ibn Taymiyya, Sayyed Qutb and Abul Alaa Maudoodi in the madrasah (religious schools run both by the state and opposition) in the region, is it any surprise that Asean has now become fertile ground for radical elements?

Running into jailer's arms

None of this, however, should distract us from the real danger that the Asean region faces as a whole. Lest it be forgotten, the people of Malaysia and the other Asean countries have less to fear from so-called 'terror networks' and 'extremist movements' than from the loss of their fundamental liberties and freedoms that will undoubtedly be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency as the 'war on terror' lumbers on.

Here is where the real costs of this conflict will be incurred. (I am not being cynical here: while a bomb blast may take out a hundred innocent victims or more, repressive laws that restrict political freedoms will affect the entire country and its effects will be long-lasting.)

Due to the doom-laden warnings from 'security experts' like Rohan Gunaratna (author of Inside al-Qaeda: Global Terror Network), the ordinary people of Asean (Malaysia included) have been scared witless by the phantom menace of global terrorism at their doorstep.

The bombing in Bali, the facts of which have yet to be presented to the public in the open, has only made things worse by scaring the genteel masses even further, driving them into the waiting arms of the state security apparatus that wants to 'protect' them through the use of antiquated laws going back to the colonial era. A Foucauldian twist ensues: the governments of the region are now laughing all the way to the jail as they introduce more and more repressive laws and regulations, ostensibly in order to 'care' and 'protect' the defenseless masses.

But Rohan Gunaratna's book was merely the cherry on the cake: Long before the book descended on the region, the governments of Asean were already busying themselves with the task of demonising Islamist opposition movements in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines. In the Philippines, the central government was occupied with the task of attacking the Abu Sayyaf movement.

In Indonesia, Jakarta was already condemning the activities of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), at a time when the links between militant Islamist groups like the Laskar Jihad and Fron Pembela Islam to elements of the Indonesian armed forces was already well known.

Likewise in Malaysia, the government was busy arresting members of the clandestine al-Ma'unah group and the Malaysian Mujahidin Group (KMM), though many of those caught were not given the right to defend themselves in an open trial.

Uncle Sam close at hand

Now under any other circumstances, such crackdowns on opposition movements would have led to a massive public outcry not only in the Asean region but worldwide as well. But this time round, the governments of Asean are free to act at will for the simple reason that Uncle Sam is close at hand to cover their backs.

After being designated the 'second front' in the so-called 'war on terror', Asean is bound to be the recipient of Washington's attention. It should be clear to all by now that what is happening in the Asean region is no mere flash in the pan. America's (and to a lesser extent, Britain's and Australia's) claim that it wants to play a more active role in the region to help the governments of Asean combat terrorism should be read for what it is: a unilateral effort on the part of the US to re-establish its military and security presence in Asia.

In the course of doing so, the predominantly Muslim countries of Asean (Malaysia and Indonesia) will play an increasingly important role as 'model states' that are meant to provide counter-factual examples of 'moderate Islam' at work. Already the image of Malaysia and Indonesia have improved by leaps and bounds, despite the fact that death squads and terror groups openly operate in Indonesia and that people are being arrested and detained without trial in both countries. If these are examples of 'moderate Islam' at work, then one can only wonder what an 'extremist' form of Islam would look like

The bottom line is that Asean (Malaysia included) has now been dragged into the global chessboard logic of the new Cold War that is the 'war on terror'. As was the case during the Cold War of the past, fundamental liberties and personal rights have little worth and can be discarded along with the rest of the 'collateral damage' that would be caused as a result of America's flexing its muscles on the global stage.

Worse of all, as the 'war against terror' ensues, Washington and the other Western powers will undoubtedly be prepared to look the other way as the 'moderate' Muslim states that are its new allies rob the citizens of their countries of their political rights as well.

(Let us not forget that among the West's allies during the Cold War were countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey, both of which had appalling human rights records then but were let off the hook.)

It is against this backdrop of growing public anxiety and paranoia that this year's commemoration of Ops Lalang took place. The fact that the commemoration has not attracted as much attention and support as it did in previous years would suggest that many ordinary Malaysian citizens have bought the line that laws such as the ISA are necessary for their own good and safety.

Call it a fact of life or a trait of human beings, but all governments and political elites know that the best way to normalise authoritarianism is to create a culture of fear and dependency among the public that would, in turn, lead to calls for more state control and policing.

If indeed the attacks on Sept 11 and the bombing in Bali were carried out by militant extremists, then they have done the world as great disservice by opening the way for more authoritarianism to follow.

Malaysia today is one scared country, filled with lots of scared people who are willing to surrender their rights for that extra bit of 'security'. None of us have asked whether we should be frightened in the first place, and if so, who and what should be really frightened of? That, in the end, is the scariest thing of all. Welcome to Pananoia-stan.