But the peace and tranquillity of its capital city will be temporarily interrupted this Saturday as voters of Kuala Terengganu decide on its Member of Parliament. The result is likely to cause an impact on the domestic political scenario. Its significance stems from the ability of Barisan Nasional to halt the momentum of Pakatan Rakyat ahead of the Sarawak elections. But the elections will be put in perspective by what is happening on the world stage, in Gaza. 

Many had predicted the unfolding atrocities the moment Hamas won 76 of the 132 parliamentary seats, giving the party at war with Israel the right to form the next cabinet. As the rest of the world prepared to usher the New Year, the country now dubbed as the “serial terrorist” began its onslaught of Gaza.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, as of Jan 12, the attacks had killed at least 910 Palestinians and wounded 4,250 others. The death of more than 292 children and 75 women, and injuries to more than 1,497 children and 626 women is a testament that this barbaric massacre knows no mercy or compassion.

As the world assumes its place as spectators, this incident has further strengthened the claims of double standards practised by the developed nations, especially the United States.

The arrogance of Israel has violated 35 UN resolutions. From the period 1967 until 1989, UN passed 131 resolutions concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict. From another study, from 1967 to 1988 the Security Council passed 88 resolutions directly against Israel. During that span, Israel was “condemned” 49 times. In the General Assembly, 429 anti-Israel resolutions were passed, Israel was “condemned” 321 times. But until today, no action has been taken against the country, unlike that of Iraq.

Sadly, the evil unleashed on the people of Palestine is not constrained to psychical military attacks but also includes economic blockages, humanitarian abuses and psychological warfare calling the Palestinians to abandon their houses and resist Hamas.

It is beyond belief that any sane human watching the inhumane acts on 24 hours news feed could isolate oneself from the incident, and remain a spectator. Therefore it is encouraging to see the many Malaysians, regardless of race, gender and political beliefs expressing their frustrations on shared platforms.

But it is equally important that our anger is channelled to the right targets.

As an illustration, more than 2,000 Muslim restaurants belonging to the Association of Muslim Restaurant Operators have stopped selling Coca-Cola products to their customers. This action must be examined carefully as it may prove to be a counter productive measure that could end up hurting Malaysians economically; more so at the back of an already gloomy economic outlook.

If we look deeper, most of the brands are directly connected with our economy. Let’s use the Coca-Cola example. In Malaysia, Coca Cola is produced by F&N Coca-Cola Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Their 1,700 employees are predominantly Malaysians (60 per cent of whom are Malay Muslims).

In terms of ownership, the company is partly owned by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF)!

Another example is the popular fast food chain McDonald’s. As at end November 2008, Malaysia had 185 McDonald’s outlets with thousands of Malaysian employees. Furthermore, McDonald’s Malaysia’s key supplier for chicken, beef and fish patties, MacFood Services Sdn Bhd, is a Malaysian company that also exports more than 50 per cent of its Malaysian products to other countries around the world.

There is no question that we should take whatever actions within our grasp and means against the monstrosity of Israel and the nonchalant attitude of the developed nations, especially the United States. However, these actions must be scrutinised to ensure that the friendly fire is kept at the minimum.

When analysts and commentators talk about how the Kuala Terengganu decision is a matter of life and death for the opposing political coalition in Malaysia, the unfolding drama in Palestine brings perspective and humility to the true definition of life and death politics. At the back of the events unfolding on the international scene, on Saturday, the voters of Kuala Terengganu will know the true value of the power of the vote.