I find Australian Prime Minister John Howard's declaration that Australia will mount pre-emptive strikes against neighboring countries as part of an anti-terror campaign as alarming. It shows little respect for the sovereignty of nations and it shows little faith in the administrations of these relevant nations, Malaysia included, in increasing its surveillance on suspected terrorists and in mobilising themselves for the greater good of the region. The fact that he has arrogantly refused to apologise to his neighbours shows that he is sticking to his guns — unilateral, Australian action may follow.

It also shows a lack of understanding on Howard's part on the international legal principle of non-interference. When I was in UK studying international law in my second year, one of the fundamental principles we were taught is that no one country can interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

Therefore, it is quite clear that John Howard's position in this matter is unprecedented. It goes to show that he intends for Australia to become the self-appointed 'policeman' of the region. What worries me is that if Howard is left to his devices and unilateral Australian action follows, it would open the door to a whole new world disorder where a particular country could not only meddle in the affairs of another country, but could also take military action just by making allegations against certain individuals there.

Howard's unilateralism cannot be justified and is illogical in terms of international law and politics. What is needed is a more multilateral approach to terror, one to which a majority of countries in the world can agree. Right now, the international organisation which has the structure and mechanisms to initiate such consensus building and in which Howard should start a dialogue on this is, of course, the UN.

Perhaps Howard should consult his attorneys and advisors before making statements and taking a position which just irritates Australia's neighbours and which does not attempt to solve the problem of terrorism in the region. We understand the fact that Australia, or any nation for that matter, has to protect its citizens. However, it should not be done within the boundaries of diplomacy and legality.

The countries in this region have to work together to win this war, and the only way to do this is to understand the enemy. As Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has exhorted many a time: "let's get to the root of the problem."