Malaysia's Diplomacy: How Did It Start And Progress?

Sarawak achieved it's independence on 22 July 1963 whereas Tanah Melayu and Sabah achieved it's independence on the 31st August 1957 and 1963 respectively. However, Malaysia is only formed on 16 September 1963. Photo Credit: Expat.Go

---

The independence day of any particular country is a very significant moment for its citizens as it celebrates the anniversary of detachment from colonizing rule and the ability to self-govern by it's very own people. Especially for Malaysia which achieved its independence not through war but diplomatic ties, it is highly significant for us to take note how our very own motherland exercises her very own diplomacy towards others in achieving independence. Therefore, this article will showcase how diplomacy allows our founding fathers to negotiate with several stakeholders to grant Malaysia, her very own independence.

MALAYSIA AND HER DIPLOMACY

Diplomacy, especially if it concerns another country, requires the particular party to engage to be considered a sovereign - or in other words, independent from any forms of rule. In the case of Malaysia, the element of diplomacy is an essential part in her foreign policy to showcase her sovereignty.

Recalling history, Tanah Melayu (now Peninsular Malaysia) has not witnessed any form of diplomatic ties with other countries prior to its independence back in 1957 as there are no rights granted for her as a sovereign international entity. However, since independence is achieved at Tanah Melayu, she is then witnessed to evolve into a powerhouse state by demonstrating conclusive and strong domestic and foreign policies in terms of economic, political and security in both levels.

Malaysia is not shy over her directions of implementing diplomatic ventures. Under YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj administration (1957-1970), Malaysia is seen to map out its own approaches in dealing with domestic and foreign matters. This can be seen in Malaysia being a member of the Commonwealth since her independence which granted Tanah Melayu, her very own defense by Britain as stipulated in the Anglo-Malayan Defense Agreement (AMDA).

Albeit Tanah Melayu being independent, the British played an important role in helping to ramp up security defense for the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960 and the Indonesian Confrontation from 1962 to 1966. This paved the way for the existence of Malaysia to take place in 1963 with the members being Tanah Melayu, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo (now Sabah). Therefore Tunku Abdul Rahman has established a stable and capable Malaysia which is home to a melting-pot of culture and strong position economically and political-wise within the region.

Aside from upholding the pro-Commonwealth and anti-communist foreign policy, Tunku has pushed its administration for opposition of apartheid in South Africa and becoming the founding members of the infamous Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967 and Organization of the Islamic Conference in 1969.

DIRECTIONS OF MALAYSIA'S FOREIGN POLICIES OVER THE YEARS

Whereas Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the second Prime Minister's approach has been more inclined towards neutrality and peaceful relationships during his tenure from 1970 to 1976. This is presented through the concept of non-alignment and neutrality which is maintaining peaceful relations with other nations regardless of the nations' affiliation towards a certain ideology or political system. This led to Malaysia implementing the neutralization policy through the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) Declaration pushed by ASEAN and Malaysia being a part of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) all in 1974.

The third Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Hussein Onn (1976-1981) further extend the neutrality policy by pushing for Malaysia as a focal point of stability in the Indo-China region be it in terms of security, economy or even politics via two notable multilateral agreements which are ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Declaration of ASEAN Concord in 1976.

However, Malaysia's foreign policy approaches have been changing it's direction when Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is in office in 1981-2003 with its anti-Western rhetoric and advocating for the Look East policy. For instance, establishing the mirror of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) which is East Asian Economic Group and ratifying the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreement and pushing for ASEAN+3 which is a regional forum that includes ASEAN members, Japan, South Korea and China.

With such underpinnings, Malaysia has advanced in taking a more proactive role in international affairs which significantly provided international recognition. Even with Tun Mahathir setting a high priority towards the stability of Southeast Asia, his administration still recognizes their predecessors' inclination and still maintains a strong and constructive engagement with other Islamic states and members of G-15 and G-77. Besides that, Malaysia received great recognition on the administration's aid towards Western countries such as leading a crackdown against Islamic fundamentalists after the 9/11 attacks albeit pushing for anti-Western sentiments.

On the contrary, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2003-2009) has opted for a much softer approach of diplomacy by improving relations with Western countries especially Australia. His administration embraced both hemispheres, the Global North and Global South aligned with Malaysia’s position as a NAM member. As Malaysia was granted a seat and candidature for United Nations Human Rights Council back in 2006 to 2009, Tun Abdullah has presented a beautiful facet that Malaysia has which is respecting cultural diversity, promoting dialogues among nation members and condemning any form of religious intolerance and celebrating multilateralism.

As years passed by, Malaysia has pushed into economic and security based forms of diplomacy. This was made under Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak administration from 2009 to 2018. In the span of nine years, his administration prioritized a moderate and anti-extremism policy with Malaysia being a member in the United Nations Security Council from 2015 to 2016 leading resolutions over the Gaza humanitarian mission and the infamous MH17 agenda which showcases multilateral support throughout the council. Aside from peacekeeping missions, Dato’ Seri Najib’s administration had pivoted its direction to be China’s main key partners within the ASEAN region. From soft diplomatic ventures of panda diplomacy and cultural exchanges to infrastructure building and supporting China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Malaysia has become a hub for revolution because of its appealing foreign policy.

As the domestic political climate is showing overturns, the seventh Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir (2018-2020) has been rather nonadjacent towards its predecessor’s relations towards China. Whereas the sudden shift to the eight Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in 2020 is stagnant with economic relations being steady and vaccine diplomacy being the utmost priority. Despite such sidelining, Malaysia still maintains strong partnership with China through bilateral cooperation such as trades via the signatory of the recent ASEAN+6-pushed’s agreement i.e. the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) while maintaining focus on other regional nations in combating COVID-19.

MOVING FORWARD OVER 58 YEARS OF MALAYSIA’S FORMATION: WHAT SHOULD WE LOOK AT?

Malaysia is growing older but things around us are evolving - this means our diplomatic approaches and focus should be evolving too! Therefore, these are my three suggestion of how Malaysia can benefit the most by innovating its foreign policy as follows:

1. Allow youths to be proactively involved in the diplomatic sphere and make them one of the main actors of change especially when it involves Malaysia's soft power - gastronomy, cultural and public diplomacy, health, education and many more.
   

2. Opting for diplomatic avenues which exert smart power to further solidify Malaysia’s position in the eyes of the world by leading the ASEAN bloc and being the focal point to reduce tension between the hegemonic powers.
   

3. Make discussions pertaining to the diplomatic sphere accessible to the whole community by making it inclusive, people-friendly and understandable align with the concept of “merakyatkan diplomasi” for all the topics be it heavy like security and economy or light such as citizen diplomacy and more.

Our founding fathers have paved the way for us to build a resilient and effective diplomacy approach which led us to achieve independence and further showcases Malaysia’s strength in the international scene. Now, it is time for us to take the torch and continue running it by maintaining the best interest of Malaysians, regardless of one’s race, gender, political ideology, religion and many more, especially to build solid policies to address domestic and foreign matters. Diplomacy is a skill which should be normalized and utilized at all cost as it definitely highlights how important such skill can impact one's own future.

---

Elisa Shafiqah is the Director of Public Relations at Malaysian Youth Diplomacy and currently pursuing her first year in Bachelor of Arts (International and Strategic Studies) in the University of Malaya. The views expressed here are entirely the author’s own opinions and it does not purport to reflect the views of any institution. Should you have any inquiries, do email her at elisashafiqahshahrilnizam@gmail.com.