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It seems that it is time for Malaysia to join the democratic camp in the region. Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia have all had their democracy movements. Dr. M delayed Malaysia’s date with democracy by his arrest and jailing of Anwar, but the bill is coming due.  

Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob is a trained lawyer and Malaysian political commentator. He writes for numerous international newspapers and online journals as well as hosts Face to Face, an interview segment of Malaysian/regional issues and personalities hosted on Malaysia Today. He also serves as Foreign Correspondent for foreign news organisations.

A. Lin Neumann, is a veteran correspondent and editor in Asia. He is the former executive editor of The Standard newspaper in Hong Kong and the editor of the JoongAng Daily in Seoul. He is currently working on a start-up newspaper project in Jakarta. This award-winning journalist was also for several years the Asia representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists. He has been a reporter and editor in the region for more than 25 years and is also a co-founder of Asia Sentinel www.asiasentinel.com .

He shares his views with Face to Face.

1.    Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: What’s the impression among Indonesia’s journalistic community of Malaysia’s PM, Abdullah Badawi?

Lin Neumann: He is not a source of great discussion here, to be honest, but I think there is a general feeling regionally that he is floundering.  While in power, Dr. Mahathir was a bold personality with big ideas and loads of charisma. And whether you liked him or hated him, he could not be ignored. The same is true for Anwar Ibrahim, the other major political figure of contemporary Malaysia. He is a man of ideas and impressive political skill.

Next to these figures, Badawi seems dull and uninspiring. But it also may be useful to have some dullness at the top during a time of transition. It would be unfortunate if another UMNO strong man were to overtake Badawi and make a transition to real democracy more difficult.

2.    Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: What’s your feeling about the recent political tsunami after the Malaysian elections?

Lin Neumann : It seems that it is time for Malaysia to join the democratic camp in the region. Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia have all had their democracy movements. Dr. M delayed Malaysia’s date with democracy by his arrest and jailing of Anwar, but the bill is coming due. I hope the country emerges stronger for it and that the political change in the wind broadens debate and accountability.

3.    Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: What’s your objective observation of Malaysian politics? Are there any parallels to Indonesia in your view?

Lin Neumann: Only that the yearning for more pluralism and debate is similar in both countries.

4.    Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: To what extent is the Indonesian media free? Do the media there really operate free from state regulations?

Lin Neumann: In the post-Suharto era, the freedom of the media has been a major accomplishment. While there are pressures from civic groups and extremists and libel actions are a threat, the media operates freely and independently. Newspaper licensing laws have been done away with and, unlike Malaysia and Singapore; you do not have a situation in which the major organs of the mainstream media are controlled by the ruling parties.

In this sense, Indonesia is much freer than its neighbors.  There is free and largely unfettered debate on radio, TV and in the print media. This is a channel for forcing accountability on politicians and others; it has helped to make Indonesia vibrant and exciting.

5.    Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: In South East Asia (SEA), which country allows for greatest media freedom. The worst?

Lin Neumann: The Philippines still has the freest press in Southeast Asia and the longest tradition of press freedom. It also continues to be a very dangerous place for journalists, with unsolved killings of reporters, especially in rural areas, all too common. Beyond that, Indonesia and Thailand have admirably free conditions for the media. Cambodia suffers from political interference and pressure on most Khmer-language media but the country still tolerates some free media, although radio and TV are tightly controlled.

Apart from the Internet, Malaysia’s record is dismal, largely due to self censorship and the fact that the ethnic political parties control the press. The licensing laws make it almost impossible for the media in Malaysia to be considered free.  Singapore is similarly controlled by a government-linked company.
Obviously, the worst place for press freedom in Southeast Asia is Burma.

6.    Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: How will SEA nations as a cluster fare amid the U.S/global economic slowdown?

Lin Neumann: Commodity-based economies like Indonesia will do OK, experts say. But I think the entire region is in for a bumpy ride due to the US slowdown. Long term, these economies should do well but as US demand shrinks, it will become difficult on the export side of the equation. There is also the growing problem of food costs and shortages. If food supply becomes an issue, it could touch off major unrest in several countries. This is an issue that Asean should address with creative solutions to avoid smuggling and price spikes, especially with regard to rice. 

7.    Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: With the rise of China and India in a multipolar world, what strategic importance if any or role will SEA nations play? Wither ASEAN? 

Lin Neumann: The Asean nations have played a key role as brokers of important talks and linkages with the rest of the region through the Asean +3 mechanism and others. That role should continue. Asean has been a good forum for dialogue and discussion. While it lacks the punch to enforce agreements, the fact that Asean has helped China, Korea and Japan to talk to one another has been invaluable.
It remains disappointing that Asean has so little clout on an issue like human rights in Burma and that controversial issues still lead to stalemate and inaction. But as a regional alliance, Asean has been a great tool.

The diversity of this region and the example it sets of pluralism and harmony for many religions and cultures is encouraging. I think Asia really has four centers of gravity — China, India, Japan … and SE Asia. These four areas will increasingly meet as partners in trade and development and they will all need to reckon with their mutual interests.

Face to Face interviews are conducted by way of e-mail unless otherwise stated.
 

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