CHANGE is coming. No, that slogan’s too 2016 for us. That made then presidential bet Rodrigo Duterte win, But I am using that phrase for our neighbor, Malaysia, which recently elected as prime minister the engineer of its economic growth, Mahathir Mohamad., who incidentally is already 92 years old.
Mahathir was a dictator, but he voluntarily stepped down at age 78. He must have seen something wrong in the way his country was run by his successor, Najib Razak Mahathir, who is close to China, that he has gotten back. During the campaign, Mahathir vowed to review China’s investments in Malaysia.
“We need to study all things done by the previous government,” he had said. “It’s not only about China, it’s about a lot of things.”
From 2013 to 2017, Chinese investment in Malaysia increased by almost 350 percent, according to Citi Research quoted in the South China Morning Post report, “134 Billion Reasons for Mahathir not to Rethink Chinese Investment.” That’s US $2.36 billion. And more is coming, like the US$101 billion worth of rail and port projects over the next two decades.
As for the loans China dangles, here’s what Mahathir said: “What worries us is the amount of money borrowed by the (Malaysia) government... A responsible government must try to reduce borrowing otherwise we will be in a bad shape.”
It’s an advice best heeded also by the Philippines and the Duterte administration, which is poised to be trapped in Chinese debt because of its obsession with its “Build, build, build” program. And that’s not the only wisdom Mahathir imparted. There is also his taking a hard look at the Association of Southeast Asian Nation’s (Asean) wimpish stance on Chinese designs in the South China Sea.
With Najib replaced, that’s one leader chummy with China out of the Asean equation. Najib had adopted a “keep quiet” policy despite China’s continued militarization of the South China Sea, its latest act being the installation of missiles in the Spratlys and the landing of a bomber plane in the Paracels.
An Asia Times report, Mahathir was said to have raised concerns over the China’s activities in the South China Sea and seeks to “ensure our voice is heard because Malaysia does have islands in the area and this we must uphold.” He even described China’s leadership as “more ambitious” as shown by its willingness to flex its muscle a bit.
One Mahathir insight also seems to refer to the Philippine situation. He noted China’s ability to rapidly “increase their influence over many countries” in Southeast Asia even “without actually conquering them.”
It thus seems like Mahathir’s return to power in Malaysia would soon expose the Duterte administration’s inadequacies especially in foreign policy. Mahathir may be old but age has not transformed him into a wimp. His vision, which was shared by former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, has remained.
Mahathir and Lee had tried to mold Asean into a regional power. It’s just unfortunate that the Asean leaders who succeeded them became wimps in the midst of China’s economic and diplomatic offensive in the past few decades, melting their resolve. Hopefully that will change with Mahathir back in the saddle.