'Look East' policy to be more than just trade, bilateral ties

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has signalled that Malaysia will once again "Look East" towards Japan, a departure from the previous BN's government close alignment with China.

Mahathir first announced the Look East policy in 1981 during his first stint as prime minister.

Now, more than 20 years later, newly minted Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah disclosed that a clearer picture of how the policy would be implemented this time around could emerge after Mahathir's second visit to Japan sometime at the end of next month.

"I think there will be more concrete elements to the Look East policy and it will not be just about trade or bilateral ties," Saifuddin told Malaysiakini during his first official media interview at his office in Wisma Putra on Wednesday.

While admitting that the two aspects are integral elements of any foreign policy initiative, Saifuddin also said he believes Mahathir had always had a broader view of how Malaysia could benefit from emulating the Japanese culture.

"I think Tun Dr Mahathir, when he embarked upon this Look East policy when he was prime minister before, the main idea was not about trade or bilateral ties.

"It is really about learning from the cultural experiences of the Japanese society […] about their discipline, about their hardworking nature and about their ethics," said Saifuddin.

At the same time, Saifuddin revealed that he was not in the position to reveal further details as Mahathir himself had scheduled another visit to Japan soon, his second since assuming office after the May 9 general election.

"So perhaps either during that visit or right after it when he (Mahathir) comes back, there will be an announcement on the matter," the Indera Mahkota MP said.

"I can assure you there will be some specific activities carried out which will then be able to help translate what exactly we mean by learning from the cultural heritage and tradition of the Japanese people," said Saifuddin who also credited Mahathir for his role in shaping a new direction for Malaysia's foreign policy framework.

"Any foreign diplomacy literature will tell you that the de facto foreign minister is the head of government and in that context, we are very lucky because we have Tun Dr Mahathir as our prime minister.

"He is strongly opinionated, he is very actively involved in foreign policy work, in international matters. He has done it in the past and I believe he will do the same this time around," said Saifuddin.

China's theatre

Following Mahathir's initial announcement on the revival of his Look East policy, critics and observers noted that the move could be seen as an attempt to downplay China's influence in Malaysia and across the region.

Asked for his comments, Saifuddin said discussions between Malaysia and Japan would also take into account China's sphere of influence.

This was on top of Malaysia's role in Asean and China's relationship vis-a-vis its member countries, he added.

"Everywhere Malaysia goes, in any of our bilateral relations, especially in this part of the region, we always have Asean in our mind.

"So when we talk in terms of ties between Putrajaya and Tokyo, we are also talking about the role of Japan, or the presence of Japan rather, in this region," said Saifuddin.

The minister also pointed out that there are shared security concerns between Japan and Asean member countries with regards to China's theatre of influence.

Earlier last month, Mahathir had during his trip to Japan met with its Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and attended several conferences where he introduced his idea to revive the Look East policy.

During a joint press conference with Abe on June 12, Mahathir also disclosed he had asked for "yen credit" from Japan and that Japan would study this request.

Abe at the time also said renewed Japan-Malaysia relations will involve the development of human resources and technological transfers.

Last Thursday, Mahathir received a courtesy call from Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Wisma Putra in a statement later said both countries looked forward to strengthening ties and fostering greater cooperation in many areas. - Mkini