The sodomy conviction of Malaysia’s opposition leader has set back, but not derailed, Washington’s improved ties with a country that is becoming increasingly important for US diplomacy and trade policy in Asia.
The White House strongly criticized the conviction of former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose case was widely seen as politically motivated. That could dash Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s hopes this year of being his nation’s first leader to be invited to the White House since 2004.
US President Barack Obama’s administration has been considering inviting Najib as Malaysia takes the lead of the 10-nation ASEAN group that has become pivotal for Washington’s engagement with the region.
Photo: EPA
Anwar on Tuesday began a five-year prison term. He posed the most serious threat to Najib’s ruling coalition, whose popularity has eroded after more than five decades of dominance.
An earlier sodomy conviction against Anwar was overturned in 2004 after he had served six years in prison. That case also drew US criticism and contributed to a rocky period in US-Malaysian relations in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s.
However, ties have improved on Najib’s watch. In April last year, Obama became the first US president to visit Malaysia since 1966, and the two leaders played golf while both vacationed in Hawaii in December last year.
Malaysia is important to the US for various reasons. It is among 12 nations in a proposed trans-Pacific trade pact, the main economic plank of the administration’s so-called pivot to Asia. Negotiators are scrambling to finalize a deal amid US hopes that the US Congress can approve it later this year.
Malaysia, a moderate Muslim nation of 30 million people and currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, is also important partner for US in countering violent Islamic extremism.
On Tuesday, Obama’s special envoy for the global coalition to counter the Islamic State group held talks with Malaysia’s defense minister. The US Department of State credits Malaysia with taking steps to halt flows of foreign fighters.
The US and Malaysia cooperate on counter-terrorism and have deepening military ties, conducting joint exercises and other training activities. Malaysia sent military medics to Afghanistan, and has supported a US-backed drive to counter proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
So while the White House was quick to speak out over Anwar’s conviction for sodomizing a male aide, it spelled out no negative consequences for the US-Malaysia relationship, which was upgraded last year to a “comprehensive partnership.”
US National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said the case raised “serious concerns about rule of law and the fairness of the judicial system in Malaysia.”
However, she added: “We remain committed to expanding our cooperation on shared economic and security challenges.”
The measured US response reflected the delicate line Washington attempts to tread, criticizing infringements on political freedom in Asia without sacrificing its strategic goals.
Thailand is another case in point. The military coup in May last year prompted the US to suspend military aid, straining relations, but this week the US pressed ahead with its annual Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand, albeit on a smaller scale than past years. It is the largest, multi-nation military drill the US conducts in the region, with 3,600 US troops taking part.
Malaysia’s regional importance intensifies this year as it takes the rotating ASEAN chairmanship. This is a crucial year for the grouping, which is aiming to achieve economic integration by the end of the year.
The US is looking for ASEAN to make progress on a legally binding code of conduct to tamp down tensions between China and its neighbors in the disputed South China Sea.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Tuesday said she was not aware of plans to change US participation in ASEAN meetings in the light of Anwar’s conviction.
“We’re not engaging in quid pro quo actions,” she said, but added that the verdict and the Malaysian government’s intent to expand a sedition law to prosecute critics could influence the course of the bilateral relationship.
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