Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad praised China for mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran and and condemned the position of Western countries  that wage wars. 

 

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on Wednesday, Mahathir said, “It seems that Western powers want to see people in conflict with each other,” he said. “The solution for Europe is that there should be war. In East Asia, we’re not fighting war. We have problems with claims by China, but we’re not fighting China.”

 

The veteran politician said some believed that Saudi Arabia and Iran should always be in conflict with each other.

 

“China went to Iran and said, ‘Don’t fight each other.’ China enabled peace to be had between two countries. China is accused of wrongdoings, but they are the ones who promoted peace.”

 

Mahathir also spoke out strongly against so-called Islamic terrorism, which, he said, is based on a misinterpretation of the religion’s teachings.

 

“Islam promotes peace and good relations with other races and religions, and Islam is against killing,” he explained. “The people who lead some Islamic groups do not follow the teachings of Islam. We have problems with people who want to implement Sharia law, but it’s not real Sharia law; it’s their own interpretation. We try to explain the true teachings of Islam and that we have to be tolerant. The problems we have occur when people deviate from the teachings of Islam.”

 

Mahathir added that terrorism is not confined to Muslims. “The atrocities committed by Israel are horrendous, but the world does not take action against Israel,” he noted.

 

Mahathir’s main message was for unity in the world and even a “world government” as countries become more multiracial, migration is made easier and social and political problems become truly global. 

 

“Today, Europe is no longer the land of the white people,” he said. “Now, there are many people there from African and Arab countries. In future, most countries will be multiracial like Malaysia.”

 

He said the world’s problems need a world government that is not dominated and controlled by a few major powers.

 

“We should not allow ourselves to be manipulated by the big powers,” he stated. “We need a new model of government. The population increase has not resulted in more unified governance of the world. We have the United Nations but it does not function well because it is controlled by five countries with veto powers. We have no international law that governs behavior in the world today but there are many common problems in the world. We need something like a world government that is not formed by the rich countries but by all the countries of the world who can have a say in the laws.”

 

In response to the recent G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Mahathir was contemptuous of the results: “When you have conference of people with like minds and they believe that certain people are their enemies, they make decisions that suit themselves. Having a meeting of like-minded countries is like talking to yourself.”