‘MALAYSIA NOT INTO MILITARY ALLIANCES’
It wants to be free from any involvement of other countries, says PM
PRIME Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Malaysia does not believe in military alliances. “We want to be independent, have our own policy,” he said after delivering a talk on “The Future of Democracy in Asia” at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, here yesterday.
When asked on Malaysia’s defence plan, Dr Mahathir said entering into a military alliance with a group of countries would cause Malaysia to get involved in their politics.
He said although Malaysia was a member of the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA), it did not mean that Malaysia had to follow its policies.
“We can have our own (defence) policies,” he said.
The FPDA, signed in 1971, brings together Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom in a defence pact.
Dr Mahathir said he would not like to have foreign countries having a military base in Malaysia.
“We want to be free from any involvement of other countries.”
On dealing with outstanding issues with neighbouring countries like Singapore, Dr Mahathir said although negotiations might not be successful, Malaysia did not intend to go to war with them.
He said Singapore was more powerful than Malaysia though it might be small, and that drew laughter from the packed hall.
“I don’t see war as a way to settle (issues). We will continue to negotiate although there may be no results,” he said.
Dr Mahathir also suggested that claimants referred cases to the International Court of Justice, or World Court.
Malaysia, he said, had referred two cases to the World Court.
In an apparent reference to the Ligitan and Sipadan territorial dispute with Indonesia, he said the World Court had very “wisely” declared that the islands belonged to Malaysia.
On the other hand, in the Pulau Batu Putih dispute, he said the court had “unwisely” decided it belonged to Singapore
“Sometimes we gain some, sometimes we lose some,” he said to more laughter from the audience, adding that “when you go to the World Court, you will be at the mercy of the judges”.
Dr Mahathir said Malaysia would hold trade talks with the United Kingdom post-Brexit. He said Malaysia wanted to maintain relations whether the UK was in the European Union or not.
“When the UK leaves the EU, we will talk with the UK alone. To us, what is important is trade with these countries,” he said.
Dr Mahathir said democracy was not one-size-fits-all because each country had its own culture, and some cultures were so strong, that it was difficult for them to change.
“The mindset necessary in a democracy is that people must be able to accept the role of the winner. Some will fail because there are quarrels all the time with people who are sniping at the government,” he said.