Taking Malaysia-US Ties to a New High

Posted by AsiaViews | Sep 24, 2017 | 0 |

MALAYSIA

New Straits Times

Sep 17, 2017

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has taken Malaysia-US relations to new heights by enhancing 60 years of friendship between the two countries with his visit to Washington from Sept 11 to 13. Some observers call President Donald Trump’s invitation to the Malaysian delegation led by the prime minister a coup. Najib is only the second leader from ASEAN to be invited by Trump just eight months into his presidency.

Writing in The Hill newspaper and website, a publication read by opinion leaders in America, on the day of his visit to the US on Sept 11, Najib said if America wished to find a partner for peace, prosperity and security in the coming decades of the 21st century, it would find a staunch and steadfast friend in Malaysia. Trump’s Merdeka Day greetings of “so proud to be your friend since the beginning!” to Najib seems to show great prescience on the part of the US president of Malaysia’s offer of partnership.

Yes, Malaysia-US ties are as old as Malaysia. And, now, it is at a new high with this month’s visit to Washington by the country’s high-powered delegation led by Najib. The offer of partnership by Malaysia and the acceptance of it by US is a welcome move in this very much radicalized world in many parts of the globe, including Southeast Asia. It is comforting to note Malaysia’s assurance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with US to fight terrorism, no matter what the motivation is for the menace. Extremism begets extremism. Nations, both small and big, must work together to move from curing this disease to preventing it. One preventive solution is a global effort to help the displaced, the persecuted and the hapless.

It is, therefore, an exemplary sign of leadership shown by Malaysia to put the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar on the agenda of the discussions between the two countries’ leaders. Malaysia and US can do many great things together in putting a stop to terrorism as they have done in the past in Syria and Afghanistan, and preventing the refugee problem from happening at its source is one such magnanimous solution for humanity.

Naib’s visit to Washington during the early years of the presidency of Trump is important for another critical reason. There is so much of misunderstanding about Islam that it breeds Islamophobia, especially in Western minds. As a leader of a Muslim-majority country, Najib sees it as his duty to the faith to correct the misconstrued perception of Islam. Addressing Trump and Americans in The Hill article, Najib put it so well: “Your enemy — those who blaspheme against the religion of a majority of Malaysians claiming their terrorism is Islamic—- is our enemy, too.”

The world of 195 nations must be made safe so that people of every nation can dedicate their lives to the pursuit of happiness. Najib has shown that one small nation can make a difference, with some help from the US. And, that is the power of one.

(https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/leaders/2017/09/280677/taking-malaysia-us-ties-new-high)

About The Author

AsiaViews

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Neigborhood Watch

Subscribe To Newsletter

POINTS TO PONDER

EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

Taking Malaysia-US Ties to a New High