Asean failed on US tariffs, Gaza genocide, says prominent thinker as Anwar prepares red carpet for Trump

Prominent thinker and activist Chandra Muzaffar has given a poor assessment of Malaysia's chairmanship of Asean saying the regional bloc had failed not only in crafting an effective response to the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, but also in taking a united stand against Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Chandra, who has written extensively on US hegemony over the decades, said even the Malaysian government failed to take a principled stand when it caved in to pressure from Washington by pledging hundreds of billions of dollars in investment and tax exemptions, only to be still slapped with a 19% tariff.

"We don't have the clout of China or the strength of other economies like Indonesia in order to confront the US," the veteran activist said in a recent interview with MalaysiaNow.

"But for a small economy and a small country, we could have done better knowing that the US needs the things we produce and that the tariff issue in principle is a slap in the face of global trade."

Government leaders have been busy ramping up preparations for the upcoming Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, which also signals the end of Malaysia's chairmanship of the 10-member organisation.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile, has ignored protests from pro-Palestine activists as well as warnings from his own ruling partners by extending an invitation to Trump to attend the summit.

Last week, senior Amanah leader and former deputy minister Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad urged Anwar to cancel Trump's visit in the face of the latter's blatant support for Israel's current campaign to displace Palestinians in Gaza.

He said Trump's presence would not only trigger angry protests but also drive a wedge that would disrupt harmony between Asean member states.

"The US government is known for disrupting peace in Muslim countries, such as in the Middle East, by sowing discord on the basis of 'divide and rule'. We don't want this disease to spread to Asean so that we also fight each other," said Raja Bahrain.

It comes as Singapore joined the Trump administration's call not to recognise a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly, making it the sole Asean member and one of only three in Asia to do so, alongside key US allies Japan and South Korea.

Civil society groups and activists have promised to hold protest rallies to oppose Anwar's move to roll out the red carpet to Trump.

There are growing signs of unease among the staunchly pro-Palestine Malaysian Muslims over what they see as Putrajaya softening its stance on Israel's war on Gaza, despite statements in the early days of the conflict condemning Washington and other Western powers for supporting the Zionist regime.

At the centre is Anwar's decision to sell a 30% stake in Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB) - the state-owned company that manages airports nationwide - to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a company owned by US investment giant BlackRock, which is accused of complicity in Israeli war crimes.

'You didn't do it'

Chandra, who heads the International Movement for a Just World, said that as a bloc with a combined population of 670 million people, Asean had the opportunity to take a principled stand on issues such as the tariff and the genocide in Gaza.

"It would have the guts to sort of draw the line and say this is how it is. But you didn't do it."

He acknowledged the division within Asean, where some "are very close to the US and therefore didn't want to do anything".

"But at the same time, I think even without taking a collective stance, Asean countries could have looked at various other aspects of trade relations and could have done a couple of things. The whole thing is tragic. Something like Gaza can happen before our very eyes."

On the trade tariffs, he said Asean countries would have taken a stronger stance if Malaysia, being the chairman of the bloc, had taken the position that it is defending global trade, apart from sending a message that it would not be easily intimidated.

"Sooner or later, he (Trump) will have to reverse. He'll have to make amendments to his position. And all of us who have agreed would be made to look like fools," said Chandra.

He said issues pertaining to tariffs and trade were "a manifestation of something much deeper". 

"That's what we should have conveyed to the US and what we should convey to our friends and partners, that this attempt to bully others in international relations is basically part of the whole creature called hegemonic politics.

"We could have at least taken a more principled position. You don't have to be nasty. We don't have to use the language that Trump uses. But nonetheless, we could have made this point very clearly. "