By Anwar Ibrahim
Washington Post
April 25
For 15 years, the people of Malaysia have been immersed in our own Arab Spring. After enduring a corrupt and authoritarian regime for more than five decades, an era has emerged in which we are standing up for our rights.
For the first time in our history, the voices of reform and democracy represent the majority. In last year’s general election, the popular vote in favor of the opposition would have swept from power the authoritarian regime of Najib Razak and the party that has ruled Malaysia since its independence in 1957. In its place would have been the Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance), poised to push the nation on the path to greater freedom and democracy. Alas, widespread fraud and devious gerrymandering perpetrated by the ruling party, a situation the White House noted, affected the outcome. A study conducted by Harvard ranked Malaysia as having one of the worst records on electoral integrity in the world.
Despite this setback, the Malaysian people have remained steadfast. Despite anger and frustration over our government’s continued corruption and abuse of power, we have pursued a peaceful approach to educating and engaging with the masses. Thousands have come to hear our message and embrace our cause.
President Obama’s visit to Malaysia this weekend comes at a pivotal time. It would be an opportune moment to live up to the ideals Obama espoused in his campaign and the early days of his administration. Then, there was hope that U.S. engagement with Muslim countries would be based on mutual respect and mutual interest. Yet as the Arab Spring came and went, hope was eclipsed by disappointment. It is baffling that the United States can talk about a democratic transition in Egypt today as hundreds of innocent people are sentenced to death while thousands languish in prison.
In Malaysia, there is an opportunity to take a different path.
Our agenda for Malaysia is straightforward. We envision a nation that enforces the rule of law; a country where judges are independent of executive influence, the media are free and the election commission conducts its affairs unfettered by the dictates of the ruling party. We would fight corruption by guaranteeing the independence of the Anticorruption Commission and removing the laws that make government procurements opaque.
In our Malaysia, all media would be independent and free to shine sunlight on excesses of power, be they in government or the private sector. Most certainly we would repeal draconian laws, such as the Sedition Act, so they cannot be used to muzzle political opponents. In our pursuit of a robust and dynamic economy, social justice principles would prevail over unfettered accumulation of wealth by the rich and powerful. Rent-seeking projects would no longer be allowed to be masqueraded as infrastructure spending, nor would the misappropriation of state funds be permitted under the guise of subsidy cuts while higher and higher taxes are foisted on the middle and lower classes to pay the bills.
In tending to the needs of all races, the Pakatan Rakyat envisions a pluralistic society in which moderate Islam coexists harmoniously with other faiths whose espousal is a fundamental liberty under the federal constitution. It would be a far cry from the diabolical politics of the ruling party, which purveys to the Western world its facade of moderation in religious and race relations while pursuing a policy of race baiting and incitement to religious hatred — abuses widely documented by groups including Suaram and Human Rights Watch. With the print and electronic media under the regime’s full control, rumors are spread about an imminent government takeover by Christians, threats of violence are hurled against non-Muslims, Bibles are seized and bishops get hauled in by the police for interrogation. My address to a congregation in a Catholic church one Sunday was condemned as an act of apostasy.
No doubt Malaysia’s media will shower praises on the regime in the wake of Obama’s visit. Malaysia has descended to 145th place on the Reporters Without Borders index of media freedom, so it takes some effort for Malaysians to get the truth. And the truth is that the U.S. pivot to Asia should not merely be about trade and investment or the creation of alliances of the world’s great powers, important as these goals may be. The values of freedom and democracy must remain paramount, and even if Wilsonian idealism appears to be on the wane, Jeffersonian ideals still resonate with the people in this part of the world.
It is not the business of US or any other country to ensure justice in this country – that is the duty of Malaysians.
What is not in the US interest to do is buy into the facade that Malaysia is and will be a so-called “moderate” country. Obama main concerns are very short-term is firstly TPP, China and a foreign policy program in shambles in most places.
The problem is Najib’s support for TPP is like his support for Hudud – completely fake. Among the corridors of Putrajaya, they are hoping the entire thing will fail so they don’t have to do it.
Given that Obama cannot count on Najib to deliver the most important piece of his relationship with Malaysia, there is no reason for him to compromise on standing up for fundamental long term interest of US – that of a plural, secular Malaysia through constitutional and institutional guarantees of the founding country. Its why the next most important meeting other than Najib should have been to pay homage to Karpal Singh which he failed to do..
Gen 12:3. Brunei is in the spin cycle of the Wahabbi washing machine. It is drying time. Malaysia is next.
Saudi Arabia is the epicenter of Sharia bearing down on multi-cultural Malaysia, but that is not the big story. The big story is that Israel ultimately sanctions Wahabbi influence in Asia using the House of Saud that has always been in obedient lockstep with the sand-artist that gifted Arabia to the Bedouin over the Emir of Mecca a century ago.
Essentially, anti-Semitic nations such as Malaysia and Brunei are thrown into the centrifuge. They are ‘punished’ with ‘change’ not by the epicenter but by the nation that micro-manages the machine.
FTA, TPPA and such are abbreviations that pale in comparison to Islam’s legal code threatening Malaysia’s secular constitution.
Taking a cue from Israel’s protégé next door, Malaysia may be placed in safe-mode if it formalizes relations with Israel, perhaps while its ‘spokesman’ is visiting Malaysia.
Has america lost her mojo?
Yes. Iam afraid she has.
There are so many problems facing the US and I don’t think Obama is in any position to formulate any strong policy to go forward. With him piling up more debt during his second term, I think he is out of gas! Hence pleading to him to take any firm stand on such an issue may be beyond him as he just didn’t want to rock what he thought he had in hand. Just see how Putin just brushed US aside! Putin has just hooked India with the pipeline through China; so India too will take a more neutral stand. He will certainly have Japan and the Philippines secured but with limited financial at his disposal; we can just wonder the number of nations who would jump into his ship!
4 reporters asked questions to obama and najibb. no reporter from malaysia dared to ask about anwar issue. an american cbs reporter did it. immediately one would recognise that there is no media freedom in boleh and one cannot speak freely.
the president has vested interest. his country comes first. he’s probably came to find out about china. so he will deal with the devil himself to come out tops to protect america’s role as the superpower of economics, sciences, trade and commmerce. what does he care about the abuse of power in malaysia? he’s got what he has come for.