KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 ― Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said that Malaysia will choose the side of peace and progress in international conflicts.
Anwar said that constant discussion and speculation on choosing sides is not only counter-productive but will only add on to the brewing cauldron of mistrust and suspicion.
“Of late, Malaysia has been perceived as tilting to one side, in a so-called strategic pivot from the other side. This is not only an oversimplification but a gross misperception of our national interests and character. The truth is Malaysia was, is, and will be, on the side of Malaysia.
“We are fiercely independent. That is to say, we refuse to be defined by how major powers see the world, and Malaysia will continue to strive for our national and strategic interests, defined on our own terms. Malaysia stands for peace and progress, fellow-feeling, and above all, abiding adherence to international law and cooperation,” he said in his speech at the 37th Asia-Pacific Roundtable at the Hilton Hotel, here.
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In this vein, Anwar said that Malaysia maintains a strong and fruitful relationship with both China and the United States.
“At the same time, Malaysia will continue to pursue productive and meaningful relations with our other partners, whether they be our longstanding strategic and comprehensive strategic partners, or friends in the global south. Malaysia has a proud history of being part of the Non-Aligned Movement during the cold war.
“In remaining faithful to the principle of non-alignment, we have proven that the pursuit of dynamic neutrality is not only feasible but highly desirable,” he said.
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While maintaining the balance between our relationships with key partners is an important part of Malaysia’s approach to the world, Anwar said that there are situations that call for unhesitating and unequivocal intervention.
“I am speaking here of war crimes, flagrant atrocities committed in the killing fields under the pretext of self-defence, and settler colonialism which is nothing short of a systematic campaign of genocide to displace an entire population of indigenous people.
“The Israeli occupation of Palestine is a scourge on our collective histories and the conduct of nations. The Palestinians live oppressed and besieged while we are alive and free, limited in our influence and power, but sovereign and free. Malaysia is no major power, but make no mistake, we will use our freedom to support the Palestinians’ fight for theirs,” he said.
Anwar said that the humanitarian crisis we see today is not an abstract disaster.
“We cannot stand idly by and allow this to be yet another chapter of mass killings and displacement that furnishes the historical volume of atrocities that have been committed, recognised, and then tragically but conveniently ignored,” he said.
With the US president Joe Biden presented a three-phase deal proposed by Israel to the Palestinian group, Hamas, which he said would end hostilities in the besieged Gaza Strip and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave, Anwar hopes that they will keep re-evaluating its approach and hasten an end to the killings and carnage.