Sunday February 4, 2007

Dr M nominated for Nobel Prize

By JUNE H.L. WONG

PETALING JAYA: Four non-governmental organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina have nominated Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the Nobel Peace Prize 2007.

They are the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, the Congress of Bosnik Intellectuals and two Christian organisations – the Serb Civic Council from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croat National Council.

The move to nominate the former Prime Minister was spearheaded by Dr Ejup Ganic, who was Vice-President of Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1990-96 and President of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina until March 2001.

Dr Ganic, currently the Chancellor of the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, worked closely with Dr Mahathir in the 1990s when Malaysia provided economic, political and humanitarian support to a Bosnia-Herzegovina recovering from the trauma of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the 1992-95 civil war.

Nominations to the Norwegian Nobel Committee closed on Feb 1 and this year’s list includes former US Vice-President Al Gore, Finnish peace broker Martti Ahtisaari and Chinese dissident Rebiya Kadeer.

In a nomination paper signed by Dr Ganic made available to The Star, Dr Mahathir is described as the Third World’s “most illustrious contemporary” and its “most courageous advocate.”

Dr Ganic said that Dr Mahathir had influenced the world by leaving behind lessons on how diversity could be managed, conflicts reconciled and multi ethnicity harnessed to build a vibrant economic and political system.

He also highlighted Dr Mahathir’s “Prosper Thy Neighbour” policy, his enlightened vision of Islam and his work as an ambassador of peace in Iraq-Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina, southern Thailand, Philippines and Aceh.

Dr Mahathir, 81, who retired from public office in 2003, launched the Kuala Lumpur Initiative to Criminalise War in December 2005 and chairs the Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO) that was set up to implement the initiative.

PGPO’s “Expose War Crimes: Criminalise War” Conference and Exhibition begins tomorrow at Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

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