'Racial identity, anti-West sentiments reasons for Malaysian pro-Russia stance'

 

A recent Pew Research Centre survey has found that almost half of Malaysians viewed Russia favourably and expressed confidence in its President Vladimir Putin, which foreign policy experts attribute to anti-Western sentiments and racial identity as the biggest reasons.

This is compared to other polled countries which did not express similar views.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Asean Youth Advocates Network Malaysia External Affairs director Danny Teh Zi Yee said there are anti-Western and anti-neocolonialism struggles and sentiments among Malaysians.

“Russia is perceived as a potential superpower that can counterbalance the West, and Putin is viewed as a ‘strongman’ who dares to stand up to the West,” he said.

Teh also felt that Russia’s ties with Islamic nations and its close partnership with China drew certain groups to support the superpower.

“Russia is viewed as a major country that seeks to develop closer ties with the Islamic world, and Putin is seen as being more tolerant towards Muslims in comparison to the United States.

“Most Malaysian Chinese, the seniors, in particular, view Putin positively due to the close partnership and relationship between China and Russia,” he explained.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

This was echoed by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) senior fellow Oh Ei Sun who felt that while Western consumer culture permeates “most strata of Malaysian society”, there remains a strong anti-Western undercurrent in Malaysia.

He said many are “cheering” Russia on as they viewed its confrontation with the West as standing up to an “invincible” force.

Racial sentiments

Oh pointed out that racial sentiments are also a key driver in support of Russia.

“Some with leftist, socialist or even communist leanings see Russia as the successor to the once-mighty Soviet Union, and are thus happy to see a ‘resurrection’ of sort of the admittedly defunct Soviet Union,” he said, adding that this was keenly seen among some Chinese Malaysians.

“A strong anti-Israel, and by extension anti-Semitic mood, has also long been inculcated in Malaysia, and Ukraine’s president being Jewish may paradoxically engender a euphoric reaction to Russia’s incursion into Ukraine,” said the SIIA senior fellow, attributing such sentiments to some members of the Malay community.

Oh also noted the superpower’s “special relationship” with Malaysia. This is despite the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines MH17 eight years ago by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed.

“Malaysia purchased a lot of Russian weapons, and even the token astronauts were arranged courtesy of Russia. So, some may view Russia as a sort of ally,” he said.

‘A surprise’

Former diplomat Dennis Ignatius found the results of the Pew survey “rather surprising”.

Dennis Ignatius

This is as Russia has never figured significantly in the Malaysian consciousness, he said.

“Rarely do you find articles about Russia in our media. I think it has more to do with anti-American sentiment, rather than strong pro-Russia sentiment,” Dennis said.

American policies towards China as well as its invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, he said, have, respectively, caused hostility towards the United States among the Chinese and Malay communities in Malaysia.

“We are at a point now when anyone who faces up to the US for whatever reason is seen as the good guy by Malaysians.

"In so far as Ukraine is concerned, I think it is unfortunate because Russia is clearly the aggressor and ought to be condemned,” Dennis added.

Earlier this month, Pew Research Centre reported that 47 percent of Malaysians still look upon Russia favourably.

This runs in contrast to the global trend of a sharp decline in favourability for Russia - which has dropped to a new low following its incursion into Ukraine starting in February.

According to the report which polled 18 countries, Malaysia topped the charts in its favourable perception of Russia.

The nation also ranked the highest in its confidence in Russian premier Vladimir Putin to “do the right thing in world affairs” — with six out of 10 Malaysians favouring him.

Teh, however, argued that while it is undeniable that the MH17 disaster has had a negative impact on local perceptions towards Russia, other factors remain at play.

"However, it's important to acknowledge that such views have also been reshaped by social media discourse, Western Islamophobia, and some local leaders of anti-Western world views in the country.

"Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad openly defended Russia, saying that Russia had been 'scapegoated' for the downing of the plane and questioned the objectivity of the investigations into the 2014 disaster," he said, referring to the former premier's comments in 2019.

Pew Research Center survey

-Mkini