Amanah leader warns Anwar: Trump visit could fan flames of unrest

Summary

• Amanah’s Raja Kamarul Bahrin warns that Donald Trump’s visit risks creating perceptions among Islamic extremists that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is aligned with US interests.

• He says such perceptions are “very dangerous” and risk fuelling internal unrest ahead of elections.

• He also submits a memorandum to the US embassy denouncing Washington’s complicity in Israel’s strike on Qatar.

Amanah’s Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad warned Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that there could be unintended side effects from US President Donald Trump’s visit to Malaysia.

The party’s international bureau chairperson said Trump’s visit could heighten perceptions from local Muslim extremists that Anwar is serving US interests, despite the premier’s pro-Palestine stance.

“(These) perceptions created (are) very dangerous (and could) create internal unrest gearing up to the upcoming election,” he told Malaysiakini.

Previously, Anwar announced that Trump would be in Malaysia next month to attend the Asean Summit, which Malaysia will be hosting in Kuala Lumpur as the regional bloc’s chair.

On Sept 5, a group of 23 NGOs urged Putrajaya to cancel Trump’s visit due to Malaysia’s clear moral stance against the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.

The groups detailed a laundry list of Trump’s record and policies, asserting they demonstrate a “blatant disregard” for Palestinian life and a “direct complicity” in enabling violence imposed on Palestinians.

As such, they said that welcoming Trump to Malaysia is “not only inappropriate, but profoundly offensive”.

Commenting further, Raja Kamarul said he was unsure, when asked by Malaysiakini, if Amanah ministers have brought the matter up in cabinet meetings.

“I don’t think so. I have not heard it. (Maybe they are) playing (it) safe. I have to speak up,” he said.

When asked whether Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit could stir up similar sentiments, he said no.

But he added that local Muslims are unhappy with Modi’s extremist views as well.

Submitting memo to US embassy

Yesterday, Raja Kamarul handed a memorandum to the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, denouncing the country’s complicity in Israel’s recent strike aimed at Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar.

He said the memorandum was received by one of the embassy’s staff members.

“I stated (my) worry that Trump’s visit may stir a demonstration in Malaysia, causing local unrest similar to Indonesia, as we suspect foreign agents played a part in Indonesia.

“I stressed our concern that Trump’s visit to the Asean summit may disrupt… longstanding harmony within Asean or with immediate neighbours, and the US may try (to) divide and rule Asean like they carved up and split the Arabs in the Middle East into infighting.

“The US is already goading the Philippines to be confrontational with China,” he said.

According to Al Jazeera, Israel’s drone strikes in Doha - home to the largest US military base in the region - had killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer.

The strikes narrowly missed Hamas senior leaders who met to discuss Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire.

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