Viewing Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR – I am fortunate to have been invited, through the recom-mendation of former Malaysian Ambas-sador to the Philip-pines Mohamad Taufik, to join the Malaysian International Visitors Program (MIVP), which was organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.

ISIS was set up in 1983, and two year ago, organized almost on a monthly basis, the MIVP, which enables leading personalities from countries around the world to interact with Malaysia’s government and private sector leaders talk about Malaysia’s political and economic and socio-cultural environment policies.

The first speaker at the 10-day program which began Wednesday, was Tan Sri Noordin Sopiee, chair and CEO of ISIS Malaysia, and one of his country’s leading political scientists and economists.

For four hours, Dr. Sopiee held his audience of 15 journalists from 14 countries spellbound as he talked charismatically about his country’s history and economic development since it was granted independence by the British in 1957.

At the time, Malaysia was politically unstable, having been occupied by the Japanese in World War II, devastated by a civil war and race riots, with a lameduck economic growth of 3.5 per cent, an uneducated population, and no experience of democracy or self-rule.

Dr. Sopiee said Malaysia was "a candidate for the dustbin of history."

After nearly 47 years, he said, Malaysia still has a "profoundly divided people," but dramatic changes have taken place in the political, economic and social landscape. The Malays are now in control of the economy, particularly after the Chinese (the ethnic minority that had held sway over the country’s economy) left the federation and formed the sovereign state of Singapore. Malaysia has evolved from a rubber and tin economy to the world’s fourth most industrialized economy, with a 7 per cent economic growth, with a 90 per cent of exports being manufactured goods, with no racial riots since 1968, and having free elections.

Sopiee attributes the success of his country to the government’s sensitivity to the people’s needs, power-sharing among political parties, a comparatively excellent civil service, economic pragmatism, and foreign direct investment.

Add to all that the policy that recognizes harmony and consensus-seeking, sensitivity and compromise (live and let live, and a give ethic), social discipline, self-responsibility, and a communitarian" ethic.

Malaysia still has to solve some "serious problems" like corruption (but not in the scale of corruption in the Philippines, he told me after his talk), and political Islamic fundamentalism.

He agreed with the journalists (including those coming from Russia, Yemen, Egypt, the People’s Republic of China, India and Pakistan) that Muslims all over the world have been discriminated against. IT is for the protection of the Muslims that made Malaysia not side with the United States when it invaded Iraq.

As to his country’s hosting of the Philippine Government-Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace negotiations, Dr. Sopiee said his government did not want to do it on the ground that the Muslim problem in Mindanao must be solved by the government of the Philippines, but President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo requested Malaysia’s mediating role.

He does not think that reaching an accord will solve the Muslim problem in Mindanao. For sure, the talks are useful in that the demands of both parties are being brought out in the open. But the solution goes deeper– the root causes of discontent must be addressed – poverty, poor education, lack of infrastructure. Unless these are resolved, Dr. Sopiee does not see light at the end of the tunnel for Muslims in Mindanao.

He points to the lack of representation of all the Moro tribes in the peace talks. Right now, the composition of the MILF panel consists of rebel leaders from Maguindanao, and none from the Tausug and Maranao tribes. An accord reached only with the MILF from Maguindanao will only result in resentment, and possibly armed resistance from the MILF-Bangsamoro People’s Army.

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