KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia
has always been committed to seeing a world free from terrorism, stressing the
importance for the international community to deal with various aspects of
terrorism in a balanced way.
Charge d’Affaires ad interim of the Permanent Mission of
Malaysia to the United Nations (UN), Datuk Saiful Azam Martinus Abdullah said
the international community must do more and act accordingly if they were truly
sincere and committed to eradicating terrorism and extremism.
“We cannot pretend that the problem in the Middle East
does not exist, nor can we continue to live in a state of denial of the
atrocities that have been committed. Only through action and results, we can
realise our hopes of a world free of terrorism,” he said in his address at the
General Assembly Plenary Meeting in conjunction with the United Nations Global
Counter-Terrorism Strategy Week in New York, on Thursday.
Elaborating on Malaysia’s efforts on eradicating
terrorism, Saiful Azam said Malaysia was supportive of efforts to enhance
counter-terrorism measures, including the creation of an overall UN
counter-terrorism coordinator and this would create greater coherence to combat
the global scourge.
To strengthen counter-terrorism work at the national
front, he said.
Malaysia had ratified nine of the 13 international
conventions and protocols, as well as taken various measures to fulfil its
obligations that had been set forth by the General Assembly and Security
Council.
Currently, he said, Malaysia was in the midst of amending
relevant national laws to enable it to accede to the remaining conventions and
protocols. He noted that Malaysia also had established the Southeast Asia
Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT), aimed at enhancing
capacity-building and extending technical assistance at the international
level.
Since its inception in November 2002, the centre has
conducted 96 training courses, workshops and forums attended by 3,038 local and
foreign participants. Of late, Saiful Azam said, SEARCCT had expanded
collaboration with other international organisations such as the UN
Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC).
In addition, Malaysia had also signed bilateral
agreements to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism with many partners in
the region and beyond.
In Southeast Asia, Saiful Azam said, cooperation in
combating terrorism primarily took place within the framework of the Asean
Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime, that included discussions on
cooperation and overseeing the implementation of activitities as well as
sharing of intelligence to combat terrorism.
“The signing of the Asean Convention on Counter-Terrorism
in Manila on Jan 13, 2007 by all Asean member countries has turned it into the
primary framework for Asean cooperation in combating terrorism.
The Convention reflects the commitment and cooperation of
meeting the challenges presented by international terrorism,” he stressed.
In addressing some of the more common factors that led
people to turn to terrorism, Saiful Azam said Malaysia had taken various
measures to eradicate hardcore poverty in the country and ensured that the
population enjoyed equitable economic growth.
“We (Malaysia) believe in the saying, ‘prevention is
better than cure’. The government has always ensured that Malaysia’s
expenditure on education consistently exceeds 20 per cent of the annual
national budget, so that citizens can lead their life with dignity and hope.
“If there are populations that live in dismal conditions
and with despair that neither they, nor their children, have any hope for
improvement in their lives, our efforts to eradicate terrorism may end in vain,”
he said.
Saiful Azam said Malaysia also was supportive of
interfaith and intercivilisational initiatives such as the UN Alliance of
Civilisations to promote greater understanding among all religions and
civilisations in the world.
“Malaysia believes that the real problem that exists
today is not between peoples of different faiths and cultures, instead it is
between moderates and extremists of all faiths and cultures,” he said.
He noted that it was due to this reason that Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had called for the establishment of a
Global Movement of the Moderates at the 65th General Assembly, as an avenue
that supports a voice for reason, understanding, tolerance and respect.
Bernama
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