[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S10900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     OUTRAGE OVER MALAYSIAN REMARKS

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today to express my outrage 
and disgust at recent comments by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime 
Minister of Malaysia. According to reports by official Malaysian news 
agencies, the Associated Press, and Reuters, Dr. Mahathir speculated 
last week that the collapse of Malaysian currency and the subsequent 
turmoil in its stock market may have been the result of an 
international Jewish conspiracy to oppress his predominately Muslim 
nation.
  Malaysia is in the midst of an economic crisis. Its currency, the 
Ringgit, has depreciated over 25 percent, which has sent its stock 
market to all-time lows. The Prime Minister has blamed the crisis on 
currency speculators, most notably the famous hedge fund manager George 
Soros, who is Jewish. Soros has denied trading extensively in the 
Ringgit and most financial analysts agree that currency traders could 
not have triggered the Ringgit crisis.
  I do not want to mischaracterize Dr. Mahathir's remarks, so I will 
quote them directly, as reported by the Associated Press. According to 
the AP, Dr. Mahathir said, ``The Jews robbed the Palestinians of 
everything, but in Malaysia they could not do so, hence they do this, 
depress the Ringgit.''
  Referring to the economic progress made by Malaysia over the past 
decade, Dr. Mahathir said, ``Incidentally, we are Muslims, and the Jews 
are not happy to see the Muslims progress.'' Finally, he speculated 
about a global anti-Malaysian conspiracy saying, ``We may suspect that 
they [Jews] have an agenda, but we do not want to accuse.''
  Mr. President, I was shocked by these comments. They are patently 
outrageous, hateful, and blatantly anti-Semitic. I thought it 
appropriate that the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which is based in Los 
Angeles, immediately demanded a clarification from the Malaysian 
Government.
  Today, the Simon Wiesenthal Center shared with me a letter it 
received from Hashim Makaruddin, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister. 
Rather than clarify Dr. Mahathir's remarks, Mr. Makaruddin's letter 
confirms a hostile attitude among Malaysia's leaders.
  Mr. Makaruddin denies that the Prime Minister specifically alleged a 
Jewish conspiracy to stifle Malaysia's economic growth. He writes that 
Dr. Mahathir ``was merely explaining that the currency crisis now being 
faced by Malaysia was the doing of George Soros, who is a Jew, and that 
among the victims which suffered were Malaysia and Indonesia, which are 
Muslim countries. Because coincidentally Mr. Soros is a Jew and 
Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslim countries, there are people who 
thought that this currency manipulation was a Jewish `conspiracy' 
against the Muslim countries. This was what Dr. Mahathir told the crowd 
at the rally.''
  Mr. President, in other words, the Prime Minister's explanation is 
that he was not advancing his own anti-Semitic views, he was simply 
repeating the anti-Semitic conspiracy theories advanced by others 
without refuting them. Clearly, it is wrong for any government leader 
to lend official credence to such anti-Semitic views by repeating them 
at a widely attended rally.
  I find Mr. Makaruddin's explanation of the Prime Minister's remarks 
wholly unsatisfactory.
  I call on Prime Minister Mahathir to apologize to those who have 
taken offense at his remarks. I do not believe any other course of 
action can undo the damage done by these hateful and irresponsible 
comments.

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