Malaysian PM: Inequality fueling extremism
MANILA: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak warned on Friday that Southeast Asian countries needed to ensure their economic growth was inclusive, or risk marginalized people turning to violent extremism or even overturning political systems.
“We know that those who see no hope in their own societies are more prone to the siren calls of terrorists who can exploit their vulnerability and fill them with their lies,” Najib told an entrepreneurship event during the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila.
Extremism is expected to be on the agenda, with fears for Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines about piracy, the rising threat of Daesh and the ease in which militants can acquire weapons and move between countries.
But the first order of the summit addressed a more pressing threat, as ASEAN called for calm from all involved in tensions on the Korean peninsula.
In a rare, stand-alone statement, ASEAN urged North Korea and all parties concerned “to exercise self-restraint in order to deescalate the tension and refrain from actions that may aggravate the situation.”
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said all countries were worried.
“The Korean peninsula is not that far from Southeast Asia. So whatever happens in the Korean peninsula, for sure it will affect us,” she said.
ASEAN has 10 members: Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The Malaysian leader also warned that economic disparity could be politically destabilizing.
“The neglected underclass of those who felt left behind by economic growth, prosperity and globalization can overturn elections and political systems,” he said.