[Kita siarkan rencana ini untuk menunjukkan siapa yang tidak tahu-menahu perkembangan sebenarnya. Dollah Badawi bermatian menyangkal lapuran FEER sehingga membebel tidak menentu. Sekarang Mahathir sudahpun mengakui dia berhasrat ingin menemui Bush - sekaligus menempelak budak yang tidak tahu itu yang mahu mengajar orang yang lebih tahu. FEER tidakpun menarik balik lapurannya itu kerana buktinya boleh ditunjukkan seandainya perlu.

Kata-kata Dollah Badawi sudah tidak bersangkut lagi. Dia mengatakan pembangkang bebas bersuara tetapi sekarang ceramah aman pun sudah tidak dibenarkan. Cuba teka arahan menarik balik ceramah itu dari siapa datangnya? - Editor]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=406530591

Malaysian leader accuses US of faultfinding

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's No. 2 leader accused the US government on Wednesday of trying to find fault with other countries and ignoring the political realities of this Southeast Asian nation.

"They make comments as if they don't know what is happening in our country," Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters. "I do not know what they want. This never ends."

Abdullah was responding to a report in the latest issue of the Hong-Kong based Far Eastern Economic Review magazine, which detailed a meeting between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar on July 16.

The article, citing US officials and Asian diplomats it did not identify, said Syed Hamid had asked about a possible meeting between President George W. Bush and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum talks in Shanghai in October.

The magazine reported Powell as saying this would depend on three issues - the Malaysian government's treatment of jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim, its handling of opposition leaders, and unexplained delays in the regular local publication of at least two foreign-based news magazines.

Abdullah denied that Mahathir, who has expressed hopes of warmer ties since the change of administrations in Washington, sought a meeting with Bush. He added there should be no need to set any conditions for talks.

"There are these groups in that government who always try to find fault with others," Abdullah told a news conference at Parliament. "Are they not aware that the opposition parties here are free to hold talks, to curse at other people and hurl all sorts of accusations?"

Relations between Malaysia and Washington turned frosty after former US Vice President Al Gore, visiting Kuala Lumpur in late 1998, expressed sympathy for supporters of Anwar, Mahathir's former deputy who is now serving prison terms totaling 15 years for corruption and s###my.

Mahathir fired Anwar in 1998 amid disputes over handling the Asian economic crisis. Anwar claims that he was the victim of a conspiracy to stop him from challenging Mahathir for power. The government denies it.