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Malaysia Wants To Sweeten Ties With U.S.
by Kazi Mahmood for IslamOnline
KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - After years of accusing the U.S. for all of Malaysia's ills, the Southeast Asian nation announced Friday it intended to finally sweeten its ties with the United States.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said his country looks forward to having refreshed ties with the United States under President George W. Bush's administration.
The Premier said the new outlook includes minimizing misunderstandings between Kuala Lumpur and Washington, adding that he has conveyed the message to the U.S. ambassador here, B. Lynn Pascoe.
Mahathir met with Pascoe at the Parliament House Tuesday amid criticism of the foreign envoy's meeting with the opposition National Justice Party (NJP) in a closed-door briefing on the health condition of jailed leader Anwar Ibrahim.
Mahathir insisted that the U.S. ambassador called on him and that he explained his government's stand towards the new administration in the U.S.
The aging Malaysian premier added that he believed that with this new administration in Washington, Malaysia could invigorate its ties with the U.S.
Kuala Lumpur and Washington have had strained ties due to perceived U.S. interference in Malaysian internal affairs.
Last August, Malaysia took exception to Washington's attacks against the Malaysian judiciary for it's handling of a case involving former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Former U.S. vice president Al Gore, whom Bush defeated in last year's presidential election, had also angered Malaysians by expressing support for Anwar's movement for reform when Gore addressed a function during the 1998 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum meeting here.
On March 30th, Mahathir warned foreign countries to keep out of Malaysia's internal affairs. Mahathir was upset over the fact that foreign diplomats in Kuala Lumpur had attended a media briefing on Anwar Ibrahim's health organized by Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar's wife.
"It is not proper for them to be involved in such a meeting," Mahathir said, adding, "We don't want foreigners to meddle in our internal affairs. We are perfectly capable of solving whatever problems that affect our country."
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said that Malaysia would summon all foreign diplomats as soon as possible "to explain the Malaysian political situation" - in particular with regards to Anwar Ibrahim's health.
"We are not happy because the closed-door meeting had discussed the Anwar issue, a political issue and not a medical issue which can be resolved in the country," Syed Hamid said.
The foreign minister added that the briefing discussed political matters concerning the political struggle of the National Justice Party.
In its "Country Reports" published in February 2001, the U.S. State Department had described Anwar as a political prisoner.
The Malaysian government is currently upset with the U.S. since a reform movement currently espoused by opposition parties in Malaysia seems to have gained the sympathy of the superpower.
The U.S. has voiced opinions on two court cases against Anwar Ibrahim, saying they were given the impression that the Malaysian judiciary system was corrupt.
In a follow up to the secret meeting between NJP leader Wan Azizah and foreign envoys, Mahathir also lambasted neighbors Singapore and Indonesia for their participation.
"They should be sensitive to our feelings and not interfere in our domestic affairs," he said, adding that such meddling could place in jeopardy the spirit of ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Syed Hamid said officials from the Australian, British, Canadian, French, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, U.S., German and New Zealand missions also attended the briefing.
"The government also has not summoned ambassadors for explanation [for attending the meeting], although we found that many of them view the government negatively. Despite this, we choose not to offer them [an] explanation, although we can do so because we have information that they don't," Mahathir said.
At his meeting with Pascoe, Mahathir said he also stressed that Malaysia would continue being vocal on issues that the country feels strongly about.
"Being a free country we shall say it out when there is a need to speak out. We do not want our credibility to suffer for taking sides," he said.
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