FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 02, 2001
Malaysian PM warns off gay UK ministers
LONDON: Malaysia's veteran Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad lashed out at homosexuals in public life Thursday, saying he would throw out any homosexual British minister who visited the country with his male partner.
The autocratic Mahathir, who had his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption, said that homosexuality was unacceptable in his predominantly Muslim country.
"The British people accept homosexual ministers but if they ever come here bringing their boyfriend along, we will throw them out," he said in an interview with BBC radio.
Supporters of Anwar Ibrahim always maintained that the charges against him were trumped up and that he was imprisoned because he had dared to challenge Mahathir's authority.
However Mahathir insisted that the due process of law had been followed against the man he had once designated to be his successor. "We can't have a deputy who is homosexual, not in this country. So we had to take action. In this country a homosexual is not acceptable as the prime minister," he said.
British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell said Mahathir's comments were not surprising given Malaysia's poor human rights record, but said that they showed the nature of some of the countries being lined up in the international coalition against terrorism.
"It does appear that the Malaysian prime minister does appear to be dictating to our government who it should send as its representatives," he said.
Although Malaysia has condemned the September 11 attacks in the United States, Mahathir, who is under pressure from opposition Islamist parties, has refused to back the military action being taken against Afghanistan.
"We do not believe that attacking Afghanistan is going to help. If we are seen to be going all out unthinkingly supporting America we will lose support, even from our own people," he said.
"They have to find the roots of the problem. People don't blow themselves up for nothing. They must be thinking about something."
( AFP )
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