15-day ultimatum to Malaysia: Ball now in US court

Phlip Rodrigues

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wasted no time in giving a prompt reply to some members of the US Congress who want Malaysia to reverse what they perceived is its ‘antisemitic’ policy towards Israel.

As expected, the prime minister reiterated the unchanging stand of Malaysia, specifically barring Israeli nationals from entering the country.

The lawmakers – led by a group of House members in a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – have given Malaysia 15 days to change its ‘antisemitic’ policy, failing which they would urge the Trump administration to review security and economic ties with Malaysia, alongside suspending a military education and training programme.

But Anwar remained unfazed.

“That (ultimatum) will not deter us. They may issue threats, but I will firmly defend the rights of the Malaysian people and uphold the government’s decision to continue prohibiting the entry of any Israeli nationals into Malaysia,” he reportedly said.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil also opened fire on the Congress members, describing their actions as “rude” for apparently “interfering in our country’s sovereignty”.

Recall that under the now defunct ‘US-Malaysia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade’, there is a controversial provision that, critics said, subordinates our foreign policy to Washington’s interests, thereby undermining our sovereignty.

If the agreement, signed by Anwar and Trump during the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur last November, was in force, the US legislators could have invoked the provision because Malaysia did not comply with Washington’s interests in that it did not change its anti-Israel policy.

The Congress members could have probably recommended harsh trade measures against Putrajaya.

Their ultimatum, announced on 22 July, will end in about a week’s time. During that period more developments could crop up as both sides size up their respective positions.

Anwar has delivered his unequivocal stand and there is no way he will back down. And there is no chance that the US will abandon its ally Israel.

Still, matters cannot be allowed to fester. Malaysia must still deal with the US, given that the latter is our second-largest trading partner that still wields enormous influence on the world stage.

Anwar has reportedly said that “if we want to seek help in resolving the (Gaza) conflict, I don’t know who else we could turn to”.

Trump will have no problem reaching out to the prime minister since their cordial meeting during the Asean summit. After all, the US president has publicly called the Malaysian leader a “very good man”.

Diplomacy and statecraft will need to take centre stage to clear the dust kicked up by the American legislators by resorting to diplomacy rather than delivering hard-hitting rhetoric.

Anwar has clearly spelt out the country’s foreign policy: Malaysia does not recognise the state of Israel because of “Israel’s brutality, oppression and occupation”. But it is not against the Jewish people.

Thus, this policy – not recognising Israel but not against the Jewish people – should serve as a starting point for Washington to accommodate Putrajaya’s policy.

Perhaps the US Congress members overreacted to what might seem as a harsh statement from Anwar in the wake of the Network School incident.

The school – a tech commune in Forest City, Johor Baru – made headlines when allegations surfaced on social media that it was hosting some Israeli nationals.

Anwar’s remarks that the authorities would track down and deport any individuals violating immigration terms gave momentum to the political storm. It also led to critics misconstruing that Jewish people were being unfairly targeted based solely on nationality, fuelling the congressional backlash.

Since Anwar has delivered his prompt reply, Malaysia must wait for the State Department and the administration to make their move upon the expiry of the deadline.

Will Washington bow down to the wishes of the lawmakers? Or will diplomacy prevail to de-escalate tensions before permanent structural damage is done to bilateral channels?

So, now the ball is in the White House and State Department court. It is up to the US leadership to decide whether to heed the “rude” congressional push of resort to traditional diplomacy to reach an understanding with Anwar.

Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.

Support our work by making a donation. Tap to download the QR code below and scan this QR code from Gallery by using TnG e-wallet or most banking apps: