Najib’s ‘pussy cat’ diplomacy?

Najib Abdul Razak seems to have done a “wonderful” job on the diplomatic front. He has “disgraced” Malaysia and its people by apparently failing to deal with North Korea effectively.

This and other earlier episodes relating to financial and corruption scandals have called into question whether he has the legitimacy and leadership to steer the country in the future. Isn’t it time that he seriously thought about quitting the political scene?

While I am happy to note that the nine stranded Malaysians have come back to the country, but poor diplomacy has its costs.

This “squeamish” diplomacy allowing for the repatriation of 200 stranded North Koreans, embassy staff and the body of the murdered victim has proved beyond reasonable doubt that Malaysia has a long way to go in dealing with rogue nations.

More than this, Malaysia might have to swallow the “truth” was the murdered victim was not Kim Jong-nam.

Najib is not even prepared to disclose the full details about the so-called diplomacy to the public and under what circumstances that North Korea agreed to release the nine stranded Malaysians.

North Korea has clearly won on this matter. They have tarnished the image of the country. Najib has apparently lost his legitimacy over this dispute and Malaysians are not prepared to swallow any more the so-called notions of “balanced” and “reciprocal” diplomacy.

Najib has “chickened” out to the dictates of North Korea. I would call this one-sided diplomacy, the North Koreans being the clear winners.

While Malaysia can take on fourth world countries, it is terribly handicapped in dealing straight with countries like North Korea.

The question is how can you deal with North Korea, a rogue nation, when there has been so much wheeling and dealing in the past?

Initially, Najib probably thought that with the support of the international community he could take on North Korea. But this turned out not to be true.

While North Korea is regarded as a rogue nation, I don’t think that the international community wanted to step in on a matter that was considered as essentially bilateral, left best to be resolved by these two countries.

Najib even failed to take on Myanmar on the matter of the Rohingya simply because he apparently wanted to to gain public sympathy from the Muslims in the country.

But having realised his folly, he has returned to the path of diplomacy for the Rohingya issue is a lot more complicated than meets the eye.

Mahathir Mohamad might have started Malaysia’s honeymoon with some rogue nations like North Korea, but then Najib had to inherit the full and dire implications of the fall out of this relations.

Earlier Mahathir paved the way for Umno youth to develop links with the ruling party in North Korea. Following this, trade both direct and indirect, took place for many years until the recent fallout.

Securing the ‘pound of flesh’

Now, coming back to the murder that took place, all the talk of “quiet” diplomacy in terms of getting back the nine stranded Malaysians have vanished into thin air.

North Korea proved to be an extremely tough and uncompromising negotiator and they ended up by securing the proverbial “pound of flesh” from Malaysia.

Malaysia, apparently without proper leadership, has succumbed to these without realising their full implications to the sovereignty of the nation.

Now even the identity of the dead person has been called into the question. Really, who was murdered in Malaysia?

What happened all the bravado about Malaysia not giving in to the threats of North Korea and that Malaysian sovereignty will be safeguarded at all costs.

Are we to conclude that Malaysia under Najib’s administration has nothing but “pussy cat” diplomacy? Is he afraid of North Korea? Najib cannot even deal straight with Myanmar on the Rohingya matter.

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P RAMASAMY is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the state assemblyperson for Perai.- Mkini