KUALA LUMPUR – PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang did not do his image any favours after issuing a false statement that the Western world did not provide any help to Turkiye following the devastating earthquake there that killed tens of thousands, said an academic.
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said the Marang MP’s recent social media post regarding the matter is unlikely to hurt Malaysia’s image at the international stage, but rather further diminish the politician’s waning credibility.
Speaking to The Vibes, Oh noted that Hadi has never been renowned as a serious statesman among global leaders.
He pointed out how despite his previous appointment as Malaysia’s special envoy to the Middle East, the PAS leader was still purportedly banned by Saudi Arabia from visiting the country.
This is due to his affiliation with at least one organisation considered as terrorist-linked by the Saudis, he added.
“As such, his post (about the aid for Turkiye) is unlikely to affect Malaysia’s international standing, now restored under the universally esteemed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Instead, it will just further erode Hadi’s dwindling credibility, if any is left,” he said today.
On Friday, Hadi had posted a Twitter thread commenting on the recent massive earthquake that hit Turkiye earlier this month, accusing European nations of not offering help to the republic.
He noted that much of the efforts of these countries were instead focused on assisting Ukraine fight its war against Russia.
The said tweets have since been deleted after garnering online brickbats, although the original thread was retained.
Former Kangar MP Noor Amin Ahmad today questioned the motivation behind Hadi’s statement and said it can be construed as a blatant attempt to create a negative perception against Malaysia’s international relations.
Multiple international news outlets, including Al Jazeera and Sky News, have previously listed and elaborated on actions taken by countries across the world, including many European states, to assist Turkiye.
Among these are the European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, Universiti Malaya International and Strategic Studies Department senior academic K.S. Balakrishnan similarly said while there is some truth to Hadi’s statement that the response from Europe was slow, this will not affect the perception of Malaysia.
Furthermore, Malaysia has already sent its own search and rescue team to Turkiye.
“This also offers the opportunity to Anwar to impress Turkey. Anwar likes that, and he definitely wants to show that to the Muslim world.”
The prime minister had recently visited Turkiye, where he met with the leaders of the country as well as Malaysia’s rescue personnel there.
Immediately following his return, Anwar went to Parliament to pay special tribute to the Malaysian search-and-rescue teams assisting earthquake victims and proposed offering service medals and special allowances to those involved in the effort. – The Vibes, February 19, 2023
