After having read Syed Husin Ali's book, Two Faces, where he describes his personal experience and those of his fellow detainees in Malaysian jails, I feel that Malaysians should stop condemning others and instead look inwards.

The tortures described by Syed Husin at the hands of the Royal Malaysian Police occurred during peacetime mind you. What happened in Iraq, while no doubt reprehensible, occurred during a war.

What our Malaysian police committed upon detainees in times of peace is definitely immoral and there can be no excuses. Our political leaders should refrain from condemning the tortures in Irag and instead condemn the war there.

If we accept the Iraq war, we have to accept the immorality of it and any subsequent actions that arise. Therefore, we must call for the aggression to stop.

And as Malaysian political leaders feel so strongly about torture, I hope they will address their strong emotions towards Malaysian law enforcers instead of wasting their effort condemning tortures worldwide.