Abdullah Badawi
A gentler, kinder Malaysia?
Change seems inevitable as diplomatic Abdullah takes over; an immediate one cessation of talk about "skinning the cat". TODAY newspaper. By Seah Chiang Nee
Nov 3, 2003

SOME 10 years ago, a Singaporean executive asked me: "Between Anwar Ibrahim and Mahathir Mohamad, who is better for us?" Anwar was then expected to take over as Prime Minister.

It was a tough question then and I gave a mixed reply.

Dr Mahathir's good point, I replied, was his multi-racial, moderate, pro-business vision for Malaysia and his courage to fight for it.

As a Singaporean, I found his fearless crackdown on religious and racial extremism and royal excesses admirable - even if they had meant losing votes each time.

That put him miles ahead of Anwar, whose attitude towards race, language and religion was less clear-cut, the emphasis depending on whether election was coming or not.

But that part of Dr Mahathir that was bad for Singapore was his negative feeling towards the republic, something Anwar did not seem to have.

On balance, however, I felt that Dr Mahathir - and the moderate Malaysia he stood for - was a better choice.

When I first started reporting on Malaysia 30 years ago, I had thought that Umno leaders were all the same - men who shared the same ideological objectives. While this was true to an extent, I found that some had very different strategic ideas that had impacts on Singapore.

Take Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who challenged Dr Mahathir in 1987 and narrowly lost.

In the subsequent years, as the two titans clashed, I had first told myself: "What's the big deal? They are absolutely of the same Umno capitalist mould, so what difference does it make for Singapore whoever wins?"

But I quickly found out that they were different.

Dr Mahathir wanted an industrial leap for Malaysia while Tengku Razaleigh, the Kelantan prince, wanted to give priority to agriculture and natural resources.

This has taught me that while all Umno leaders are supposed to be ideologically the same, they're not - and the differences could have an impact on neighbours like Singapore.

Now the spotlight is on Mr Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the new Prime Minister. So, what mould will he be in? How will he change Malaysia and its ties with Singapore?

I am of the view that after 22 years of strong Mahathir rule, changes - domestic and foreign - are unlikely to happen in Malaysia quickly.

Even a running start is unlikely until Mr Abdullah has gained a mandate through general elections that may take place around March next year.

The first six months or so will be a consolidation period. If Mr Abdullah wins a strong mandate, his hand will be strengthened and he will move faster and more firmly. I think he will get this mandate.

One immediate change will be in Malaysia's diplomatic language to the outside world. Foreign policy has been an area so single-handedly dominated by Dr Mahathir for so long that change is inevitable.

The man was the architect of its foreign policy, including pursuing and managing conflicts with Singapore.

Unpredictable, frequently anti-West, Dr Mahathir also alternates between logic and irrational moods, sometimes moving from sweet reason to seemingly irrational diplomacy.

Often, Dr Mahathir fails to separate foreign from domestic politics. Arguably, some Malaysian observers say this cannot be avoided given Malaysia's ethnic and religious diversities.

"At times, you need to say certain things regarding the Americans to win Malay votes; at others, you have to move closer to China to win Chinese hearts," one long-time journalist said.

In other words, he said that Dr Mahathir's diplomatic rants are often an extension of domestic politics. But I think it's more than that. It also reflects his powerful character. Dr Mahathir easily takes offence by outsiders who he feels have slighted him or offended his beloved country.

Some countries seem to peeve him more than others and, to Dr Mahathir, should be taught a lesson to show that Malaysia can't be taken for granted. It's the same way Dr Mahathir has treated his foes and rivals in Malaysia - he moves vigorously to knock them off.

The new Prime Minister is a different character. He's mild, diplomatic and hates confrontation. Mr Abdullah is likely to use a less combative voice to the West or Singapore - even if he agrees with Dr Mahathir about them.

In fact, most of Malaysia's foreign policies - including on America, the Muslim world, Asean and globalisation - are likely to remain the same, only the undiplomatic language will change. This is not a bad thing.

These are the immediate changes that I foresee:

o Singapore - it may take some time to develop warmer ties. But there'll be no more talk of "skinning" Singapore. Neither will there be any more reference to the option of war when discussing bilateral conflicts.

o A strong bout of quiet diplomacy to court Western investors, with emphasis to attain their skills and technology for a higher-value-added Malaysia. The economy needs it. Mr Abdullah realises he can't depend just on cheap pricing to defeat competitors like Singapore.

o He will come under pressure from local investors to revive the Malaysian stock market with confidence-building measures to bring back the institutional investors who have fled in droves since capital controls were introduced in 1998.

Domestically, there is a host of problems confronting Mr Abdullah - corruption, crime, the threat of PAS - but education ranks highest.

I've been told that the new man plans to set up a high-level panel to rid education of its current flaws of poor English, Maths and Science and the hated ethnic policies of admission.

It may be led by former Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam, Mr Abdullah's close friend, one unconfirmed source said.

Mr Abdullah has, in fact, been inserting his own teams of qualified young technocrats into senior civil service posts during the past few months. He doesn't waste time.

(This article was published in TODAY newspaper on Nov 3, 2003 under the headline "Gentler and kinder Malaysia?"