US President Barack Obama's visit to Malaysia presents an opportunity to lay bare and acknowledge the ethnic and religious divisions in the country. – Reuters pic, April 26, 2014.The hype around this weekend’s visit by United States President Barack Obama is that it will put a shine on Malaysia’s efforts to project itself as a role-model Muslim country.
But that may not be the whole story.
The truly important parts may not be in the glamorous photo opportunities the US President has with members of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration, or Obama’s admiration of the national mosque.
The real action could happen away from the public eye when senior US and Malaysian officials barter for policies that are important to each of their bosses.
At the same time, Obama’s visit presents an opportunity to lay bare and acknowledge the ethnic and religious divisions that have divided Malaysian society ever since the 13th general election last year.
Or if Obama and his administration choose to ignore those rifts, it would give the extremist forces of Malaysian society the licence to continue to pull the country apart.
International relations experts mostly agree that headline-grabbing diplomatic visits are essentially about each government’s domestic priorities.
More so if the world’s top superpower decides to visit a middle-tier country such as Malaysia.
"Malaysia is a soft ally to the US,” said international and strategic studies academic Dr Balakrishnan RK Suppiah, making a comparison with the Philippines and Singapore.
The latter two countries are more important to the US. America has treaties with and military bases on each of them, making visits to these two island nations bigger priorities for any US president.
Balakrishnan, of Universiti Malaya, said Obama’s visit is the culmination of Najib’s tireless efforts at forging closer relations with the US after years of partial neglect by his predecessors.
“On all fronts, economic and political, it is positive for Malaysia but more so for Najib’s standing,” said Balakrishnan.
Aside from giving Najib something to boast about, Malaysia is also looking to get US help in its campaign for one of five non-permanent seats on the prestigious United Nations Security Council.
Countries aiming for a non-permanent seat need to get elected by the UN General Assembly. These seats are typically allocated according to region, with Asia Pacific getting one seat.
According to a report in The Star quoting Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, Malaysia is aiming for the Asia Pacific seat.
Obama’s administration, on the other hand, is expected to give an extra push to get Malaysia on board the controversial supra-trade treaty, the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
Negotiations between the US and Malaysia (and several other countries) have stalled since late last year after the latter did not agree to certain sections such as on government procurement and intellectual property.
No one expects the TPPA to be signed over the weekend but Obama can make a compelling case for it to Najib.
“Obama hopes to build momentum (ahead of his Malaysia visit) if he is able to convince Japan,” said Klang MP Charles Santiago who has closely followed the TPPA’s negotiations.
“If he is able to convince Japan, it will help him pressure Malaysia.”
According to reports on US news site The Huffington Post, the TPPA is an important plank in Obama’s Asia Pacific policy and his larger trade agenda, which includes a similar trade pact with Western Europe countries.
“It would bolster Obama’s credentials if he got the TPPA going again,” said Santiago, an economist.
In its current form, the TPPA would likely do more harm than good, according to a coalition of Malaysian business groups and NGOs.
An April 24, report on Huffington Post also claimed that some US trade groups, environmentalists, labour unions and a significant portion of the US public are against it.
But even if the US can’t offer more significant trade, it can still offer political legitimacy.
Not just for Najib, but for local groups who hope that America can lend its weight and speak up about the downward spiral in communal tensions and civil liberties under the prime minister.
According to Bar Council member Andrew Khoo, this includes policies that bar Christians from using the term Allah and persecute Shia Muslims.
“(President Obama) would do well to note the sorry state of (Malaysia’s) human rights and call for greater respect for civil liberties,” Khoo wrote in The Wall Street Journal.
According to an AFP report yesterday, Obama is scheduled to meet representatives from the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih), moderate Muslim groups, the council of churches and the Malaysian Human Rights Commission.
Activists are hoping that the meeting will persuade the US to nudge the Najib administration into owning up to and dealing with these issues.
“President Obama needs to deftly use his public appearances and statements to demonstrate concern about what is happening in Malaysia.
“And to say what many Malaysians fearfully cannot. The usual mantra of moderation can no longer conceal the escalation of extremism and repression,” Khoo wrote.
If that were to happen, Obama’s visit could then be justifiably described as truly positive.
If not, the ruling BN administration gets an endorsement from one of the world’s most vocal human rights champions.
An endorsement that allows the administration to continue ignoring abuses at home while parading itself overseas as a beacon of democratic Muslim moderation.
And that can’t be positive for either Malaysia or the US. – April 26, 2014.
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