Games nations play
How to turn a blind eye to Western atrocities
IF the British members of parliament (MPs) had their way, they will rename the China Olympics 2022 “Genocide Games”. On Friday, they did just that, but only in Westminster. Voting unanimously, the MPs called on the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to boycott the Winter Olympics there. Unsporting geopolitical behaviour of a British strain? Depends on the world view of the one who is sitting in judgment. A just judgment — any other variety is a bad one by definition — will measure any errancy of Western or Eastern origin by the same ruler. The motion brought by Conservative MP Tim Loughton says China should not be allowed to host the prestigious games because the Beijing government is “credibly accused of mass atrocity crimes”. Fair point, to the extent the allegations of atrocity crimes against the Uighurs are true. After all, when we describe someone to be sporting, we mean the person to be fair in his treatment of others. We see no reason why this shouldn’t apply to nations. Anyway, the world is teeming with unjust nations. But is London just? If it were, it would have measured its errant behaviour with the same ruler that it now dangles at Beijing. Loughton is asking us to note the “passionate intensity” of the British MPs for human rights, but not the lack of their conviction when measuring British errancy.
Applying the same human rights ruler would have meant London not bidding for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Only nine years earlier, Britain under prime minister Tony Blair invented a lie about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction to illegally invade the sovereign nation. In the protracted war that lasted years, many innocent Iraqis lost their lives. No court in the world, be it municipal or international, held neither Blair nor former United States president George W. Bush accountable for the “atrocity crimes” in Iraq, except a tribunal in Kuala Lumpur set up by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Malaysia’s point is this: do not take justice lightly. Different Volks for different folks are fine for vehicles, but not for justice. The very same ruler that was displayed in Westminster on Friday would also have called for a boycott of the Olympic Games in the United States and Europe. For they too stand “credibly accused of mass atrocity crimes” at one point or another. Do not get us wrong. We are not defending China’s behaviour. Beijing must answer the allegations just as all other rightly accused nations must.
A just world order will demand the same behaviour of the meek and mighty. We have said this before. Bare denial is no denial. China must come forward and allow the International Criminal Court to investigate the “credibly accused mass atrocity crimes” against Beijing. If the ICC finds none, it will be the best chance for China to name and shame its accusers. Being just doesn’t just mean ending in Beijing. London, Washington, Tel Aviv and some European capitals, too, must allow the ICC to investigate war crimes. International law must apply to all and sundry. Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done. W.B. Yeats was right after all: “The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” Perhaps the “Second Coming” is near, though not as what Yeats had in mind.
Malaysia’s point is this: do not take justice lightly. Different Volks for different folks are fine for vehicles, but not for justice.