MALAYSIA will need to work harder to showcase the success of the Asean regional grouping to the new United States president Donald J. Trump due to the latter's professed "protectionism" leanings.
Yusmadi Yusoff, a former PKR International Bureau head, said that Malaysia as the chair of the 11-member Asean grouping needs to convince Trump of the region's strategic interest in global order and economic growth.
"Look around, there is nowhere else but Asean which reflects a stable and growing region. It is because the region's members aspire to be friends with everyone including the big powers from the US to China and Russia besides Europe," said Yusmadi.
He said that the spirit of Asean consensus building can be a model for the US to explore in trying to find peace in conflict regions such as Russia - Ukraine and the Middle East.
Except for Myanmar, which is reportedly said to be in a civil war following the military coup, which ousted Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi's government, Yusmadi said that Asean is working to resolve the conflict through dialogue.
Inter-faith or inter-civilisation dialogues are staples of Anwar's diplomacy drive, and this can be fruitful in a world divided by such polemics, he said.
Peace is the key word in the region, as it can bring about prosperity which many Asean members are seeking to attain though some have already secured it like Singapore.
Yusmadi said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who would also chair the Asean leadership, has a vital role to play in reaching out to Trump and in trying to underline the importance of the region to economic powers like the US and China, not to mention the BRICS economic grouping of which Malaysia is an associate member.
In hindsight, Yusmadi said that the majority of the governments know what Trump stands for although it remains to be seen what sort of global order the Trump 2.0 administration would crave in view of Trump's victory in the recent US national elections.
He acknowledged that many quarters are worried due to the protectionism policies which Trump was advocating, but on the same score this is his second term, so the world may be accustomed by now to the "Trumpnomics" ways.
Trump may be more Pro-Israel
Political scientist Prof James Chin said that Trump, unlike the current administration of Joe Biden, has inclinations to be more pro - Israel whereas Malaysia has sought to become the voice of conscience for the oppressed Palestinian community in the Gaza Strip, and now Lebanon besides the war of attrition with Iran.
"There might be some issues which need to be mitigated. We know that Malaysians do not really trust the US when it comes to the Middle East issue. With Trump, it may get worse."
Chin said that this is one area which Malaysia may suffer from if Trump allows Israel to expand its war and it can become dangerous if the incoming president allows it.
Chin also said that Malaysia, as the Asean chair's biggest issue, is to ensure that the US respects the international rule of law when it comes to the region.
The polemics would remain the same - the South China Sea overlapping claims, the Taiwan - China conflict and the global economy, especially with the undefined trade war between the world's two largest economies of the US and China.
Chin also said that Anwar as a chair of Asean can offer the US a moderate voice of the Muslim world. - November 8, 2024.
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