... for this link which I would have never found myself. Singapore and Malaysia's stablity is very important to me becoz that's where I'm from and although I live in UK, still look back to it due to friends and relations there. I was very much in favour of the US retaliation against AQ bases in Afghanistan and frequently argued strongly against those who demonized Mr Bush for the anti-AQ campaign. However, my belief in the righteousness of OpEnduring Freedom was further vindicated when the vids about the Yishun MRT bomb conspiracy were found by the US. This allowed Singapore to save dozens of lives from JI. That's why I will be PISSED at those who think destroying the Taliban and AQ in Afghanistan was worse than 9/11, becoz if it didn't happen, lots of good people would have died! I don't want to see a non-crazy Muslim country like Malaysia get infected with the radical jihadi disease. Singapore and Malaysia do a good job keeping the peace between the different ethnic and religious groups and I don't need any jihadi RATS and ROACHES dirtying the home turf with their unwelcome ideas of hateful bigotry!

It would help of the Prime Minister would cut out the anti-semitism. That doesn't help bring down the hate-level.

I apologize for the previous post. I was refering to Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad, not the Singaporian Prime Minister who gave the speech.

You are indeed very welcome, my friend! Always glad to be able to help out!

"There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil." Gandalf, in The Lord of the Rings

You may be interested to know that in recent elections, the Islamic fundamentlist parties got a good kicking. Malaysia is an interesting place for all their crap about us (Mahatir, the recalcitrant), which in many cases is racism (we Australians are racist, bigoted, 'terrorists' and pseudo imperialists because we send peacekeepers to the Pacific etc.), there are a lot of decent, competent people in those countries, Singapore especially. Indonesia is the real worry, they are diverse and have crazy minorities that can be a real problem. Thier elections later this year are ones to watch. Pucka

I quote from Andy McNab's new story book 'Dark Winter': 'Malaysia was the one of those few places where Buddha, Allah and even Jesus could go out for a night without a fight'. Our former PM Mahatir is infamous for making anti-western stingers every now and then but is willing to speak up about the faults of the Muslim world and is very much against Islamist fundamentalism. He is credited with bringing M'sia out of the 1998 economic depression without foreign borrowing! Anyway, for those who don't like him they can be consoled that he retired. But to us Malaysians he's like a grand old uncle.

Although Mahatir made some outlandish statements against the west and particularly Australia I really dislike the man. However, I respect him as a nationalist, a man who reformed Malaysia and as a man who controlled the radical element. Now that the 'strongman' is gone do you think that certain extremist elements within Malaysia may rise and 'test' the new leadership. I believe that the stability enjoyed in Malaysia was a direct result of Mahatir and I fear that now he is gone things may change. Harry H

Since I never lived in Malaysia, but in S'pore I don't know much about the local politics. But the recent elections show that fundamentalists don't get much backing there, becoz the PAS party (fundies) lost some of their states on the Peninsula's east coast. The Chinese and Indian minorities would never vote for PAS becoz of their proposals for more Sharia. Most Malaysians prefer the Barisan coalition made up of the Malay UMNO, Chinese MCA and Indian MIC. The new PM Badawi is concerned with the southern Thailand insurgency being started by fundie rebels. That's why Malaysia is giving non-military assistance to Buddhist majority Thailand to quell the insugency. Unlike some Muslim countries, this one helps the cause for peace, not the fellas who are the same religion.