Experts: Anwar's vocal pro-Palestine stance won't affect M'sia

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s vocal support for the Palestinian cause is unlikely to have a significant impact on Malaysia’s geopolitical and economic standing, said international relations analysts.

However, one expert struck a note of caution over whether Anwar’s pro-Palestinian stance and condemnation of Israel could trigger economic challenges.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan said there is nothing new about Malaysian leaders’ firm stand in support of Palestine.

Although the US House of Representatives had passed a bill regarding restrictions on foreign entities that support Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Azmi said there is no cause for alarm.

“What Anwar is doing is not directly saying that we are supporting Hamas. We are supporting the Palestinian people in their plight to get freedom in the face of the conflict in Gaza.

“Yes, we don’t consider Hamas as a terrorist group, but there is nothing wrong with that.

“There is no international law that says it’s wrong to show moral support towards Hamas,” he told Malaysiakini.

The “Hamas and Other Palestinian Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Bill”, which was first tabled in January, requires the US president to impose sanctions against foreigners who knowingly provide significant financial, material or technological support to certain militant groups in Palestine.

The president is required to impose economic sanctions against these supporters within 180 days after the bill becomes law.

The law also requires the US president to come up with a list of countries that provide such support for these groups within 90 days of the law being enacted and impose sanctions within 180 days.

However, the president may waive the enforcement of some of its provisions, particularly on humanitarian grounds.

The bill will be scrutinised next by the US Senate.

The US was among those who had mounted pressure on Malaysia in regard to the latter's stance on the Palestine issue.

This came amid the worsening conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Anwar, on Oct 31, revealed that the US had in three instances pressured Malaysia into reviewing its stance on Hamas after it refused to brand the latter as a terrorist group.

He also said the Foreign Ministry had received three demarche notes from the US Embassy – two were received on Oct 13 and 30, while another one was sent to Malaysia's ambassador to the US in Washington.

Demarche, by definition, refers to a course of political action.

On that note, Azmi asserted that Anwar being vociferous in his support for the Palestinians does not merit being sanctioned by the US.

“I don’t think there will be repercussions from the bill or any law that the US have towards us, we have never provided arms or ammunition to Hamas.

“We are being vocal in the correct way. We are together with other international community that sympathise towards the Palestinians.”

Sharing similar sentiments was a recently retired assistant professor of Strategic Studies and International Relations at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Sharifah Munirah Alatas.

She dismissed the likelihood of any effective diplomatic or geopolitical retaliation by the US or Israel as the majority of nations in the Global South see the US as hypocritical and practice double standards.

“One also has to remember that the struggle for self-determination by the Palestinians has been several decades in the making, with no sincere attempt at any solution, from major players in the international community. In many ways, this is colonialism, racism and fascism combined.

“Malaysia will not be the only country to be singled out, simply because a majority of nations of the Global South are against what is happening in Gaza.

“Supporters for the US are outnumbered,” she told Malaysiakini.

Munirah said it was evident, citing an audience response from the Youth Economic Forum 2023 held on Oct 28, which she attended as a panellist.

“A few hundred young Malaysians in the audience were asked a hypothetical question: ‘If we were asked to take sides in Asean, whether to ally with the US or China, what would you vote for?’

“Last month, the answer would have been the ‘US’. Last week, the unanimous answer was ‘China’,” the former visiting professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Indonesian International Islamic University added.

While concurring that there will not be diplomatic ramifications, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun didn’t fully echo Azmi and Munirah’s sentiments.

Oh expressed concerns that Anwar’s firm stance on Putrajaya not giving in to any coercion could spell trouble to the country’s economy.

“There are many multinational corporations that are either owned by Jews or are sympathetic to the Zionist and Israeli cause.

“It might hurt Malaysia’s foreign direct investments and trades.

“It will be a bit harmful on the economic front,” he said.

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