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Strategies & Market Trends : Asia Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mdmdm who wrote (7481)	11/13/1998 4:33:00 PM
From: Stitch	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9980

David, <<I would appreciate comments on this to understand the situation more completely.>> It would be foolhardy to forget that not very long ago Anwar was deeply set in the "system". It would also be remiss to completly forget his younger firebrand Islamic days. But in my opinion Anwar has matured considerably in his thinking since then. No doubt there have been ovations from the fundamentalist here. That Anwar became a "cause celebre" is just too good an opportunity to pass up. But keep in mind that the opposition DAP (Chinese) party has made small statements of solidarity with reformasi as well. There was an article written about 3 years ago concerning Anwar and his potential to bridge Islam with the west because of his moderate views. Malaysia, at that time, was seen as a potentially calming influence between the West and the more rigid fundamentalist Middle East. I suppose the gulf war could have given rise to these ideas. In times of extremes we tend to look for the middle ground and may even be guilty of seeing it where it is not. That Malaysian "officials" continue to support Mahatir could be explained many different ways. For one: Mahatir seems to represent the status quo for those who became much better off in the last 10 years here. For two: Mahatir is applauded for his bluster against the West, which is a popular theme these days...for obvious reasons. For three: to openly oppose Mahatir is very costly indeed. <<4. The result of Anwar's arrest has pushed Anwar even more firmly into the Islamic fundamentalist camp for support. 5. The US would be better served to continue to support the Mahatir government or they will end up with a Castro situation in Malaysia and a disruptive Malaysian Islamic fundamentalist government in the SE Asia region.>> I think this is a red herring. I do not think Anwar has any intention at all of embracing extreme fundamentalism. But the political and social realities are that in an Islamic culture you cannot appear to discard Islamic thinking entirely without risking being totally ostracized. In addition, Anwar's situation is dire and if it were me, any friendly support would feel welcome. So it is an easy red herring to float and those Mahatirites in the political know do so with a gentle nudge towards the West in hopes it will ease the scathing criticism that is so richly deserved. All my opinion of course and I would be eager to hear yours based on your time here. Some good reading: "The Invention of Politics in Colonial Malaya : Contesting Nationalism and the Expansion of the Public Sphere" by Anthony Milner and "Chinese Village Politics in the Malaysian State" by Judith Strauch Best, Stitch