1.
Malaysia’s Longest-Serving Prime Minister Returns
to Power Promising a Tide of Change
Time May 10, 2018
The 7th Malaysian Prime Minister and opposition candidate
Mahathir Mohamad during a press conference on May 10, 2018 in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Fifteen
years after he retired, Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister is back in his old job, vowing to reform the
country he says was unraveled by the former ruling party he led for two
decades.
At
his first press conference as prime minister again on Thursday, Mahathir named
revamping the economy and sorting out the country’s finances as his top
priorities. He also pledged to fight corruption, as well as review politically
motivated charges against dissidents and members of the opposition.
“We
are particularly keen to ensure that the constitution is upheld and that the
laws of this country are what will guide us through our administration,” he
told reporters shortly before midnight local time.
Mahathir
was sworn in late on Thursday night as the country’s seventh prime minister.
Known as the father of Malaysia’s modernization, as well as an autocrat who
kept a tight hold over power, the 92-year-old previously governed the country
from 1981-2003, overseeing a period of rapid industrialization and
infrastructure building.
After
voters delivered an unprecedented rebuke of the
incumbent Barisan National coalition at the polls, Mahathir, who defected to
unite a fractured opposition, is now presiding over the country’s first
transition of power since independence in 1957.
Delays
to the swearing-in ceremony, which must be officiated by the king, prompted
concern throughout the day that the unseated premier Najib Razak was making a
last-ditch attempt to hold on to the government.
During
his concession speech on Thursday, a scandal-dogged Najib vowed to respect the
will of the people, but cast doubts over Mahathir’s ability to be appointed
prime minister. Since no one party had achieved a simple majority — Pakatan
Harapan is a four bloc coalition — he claimed it was up to the king, Sultan
Muhammad V, to make a decision over who would be best for the people.
Mahathir
had called for the king to respect the rule of law and sign-off on the
transition by 5 p.m. Despite appearing at the palace in ceremonial dress at the
appointed time, Mahathir, trailed by a retinue of anxious supporters, had to
wait several hours before the rubber-stamping event.
“This
took slightly more time than expected, about six hours more. But all time must
come to an end and here we are: I was formally sworn in as prime minister,”
Mahathir said at his Thursday night press conference.
He
invited reporters to ask questions in an orderly fashion. “Don’t forget, I am
the dictator,” he joked.
On
his immediate to-do list, Mahathir named “the economy and the finances of this
country” as his priority, suggesting that the accounts are at present in a
“horrid state.”
“To
saw we owe 1 trillion ringgit (about $253 billion) is not an exaggeration,” he
said, adding that he hopes to recover much of the $4.5 billion allegedly stolen from a state
investment fund known as 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
“We
believe we can get most of the 1MDB money back because we know that the money
is in America, in Singapore, in Switzerland and probably in Jho Low,” he said,
referring to a Malaysian financier linked to the graft-tainted fund.
Najib
denied any wrongdoing, but investigators say $1 billion from
the fund ended up in his personal bank accounts. He could face criminal
proceedings under the new administration, which says it will set up in an
inquest into the missing money.
Mahathir
also pledged to stop “adjusting petrol prices every few seconds,” and to work
on rebuilding investor confidence through ending corruption and resurrecting
rule of law.
“We
also intend to abolish laws which are oppressive and unfair,” he said,
specifically naming the Fake News law recently
passed by parliament and widely seen as a vehicle to quash reports
critical of the government.
During
his previously 22 years in power, Mahathir inspired the opposition political
movement he now spearheads after he was accused of weakening the judiciary,
jailing critics and shuttering newspapers.
Observers
have not missed the irony baked into Mahathir’s political encore.
“Mahathir,
who dismantled many of the institutions of democracy in Malaysia, turns out to
be the savior of democracy,” Bridget Welsh, associate professor of Political
Science at John Cabot University, tells TIME.
Mahathir
has defended his record, claiming the system predates him and that he has
apologized for mistakes made a generation ago.
“We
have work to do for the future of our country we should not be harping on our
past,” the country’s new nonagenarian leader said on Thursday night.
2.
Opinion: With
Emmanuel Macron, the EU still has a chance
DW May 10, 2018
In
his acceptance speech for the Charlemagne Prize, French President Emmanuel
Macron urged the European Union to make reforms. We cannot lose any more time
in implementing them, says DW's Bernd Riegert.
He's
only been in office for a year, but he is a worthy recipient of the International
Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. In his impressive and passionate speech, French
President Emmanuel Macron has shown that he has clear goals for Europe, that he
has the will and ability to enact change. At just 40 years old, this politician
can certainly inspire and motivate his audience, as was apparent from the
response in the town hall in the western German city of Aachen and at the
public screening in the squares outside. Macron wins people's approval; they
are fired up by his ideas.
When
he says that the EU cannot afford to be weak given the challenges it faces on
the domestic and foreign policy fronts, it is immediately obvious. The EU has
to act in order to renew itself, and it has to act now. This is Macron's core
theory. And the EU must not be afraid. In saying this, Macron was also directly
appealing to those EU citizens who are wavering and losing heart. Solidarity
among people within the bloc must be restored, he said, whether on economic
issues or on migration. Nationalism must be warded off, and a multilateral
world order must be established. Macron sees himself as the alternative
to the president of the United States. He is the European
anti-Donald Trump.
Against nationalism
In
his speech in Aachen and in his exclusive interview with DW, Macron was not stating
these aims for the first time; but he repeated them very forcefully and with
great conviction. You believe that he is genuinely committed to the politics of
Europe. His appeal to the EU not to allow itself to be divided is sincere and
credible. The latest warnings have taken the form of Brexit and a new
nationalism in Poland and Hungary, and now in Italy, too. Macron, who won an
election with a clear declaration of loyalty to Europe, could be the EU's last
chance.
What
was particularly notable about this Charlemagne Prize award ceremony was that
German Chancellor Angela Merkel agrees with the recipient on almost every
point. She promised that Germany and France would renew the EU together.
Macron's
proposals are concrete; Merkel's are still vague. She promised this would
change at the EU summit to be held at the end of June. Germany and France also
agree that the EU ought to play a greater foreign policy role — especially in
the Middle East. The Iran deal must be upheld as best it can. Merkel repeated
her statement that Europe could no longer rely on the US as a guarantor for
defense and security.
Germany must join in
In
his speech, Macron the European once again made it crystal clear that there
will be a price to pay for the continuing development of the EU. Germany must
relinquish its opposition to a transfer union. France must give up its
resistance and be prepared to accept EU treaty changes, i.e. be prepared to
take a democratic risk.
This
is a courageous approach, but Macron has realized that if nothing is risked,
nothing is gained. The French president succeeded in getting the
pro-European-minded guests at the Charlemagne Prize ceremony on his side. Now
he also has to convince the skeptics in Poland, Hungary, Italy and elsewhere.
That will be considerably harder than delivering a brilliant speech.
Hungarian
Prime Minister Viktor Orban chose Thursday of all days, the day of the
Charlemagne Prize ceremony, to confirm the end of "liberal
democracy." This sends shivers down the spine. The great hope of the EU
has to try and save the project. What if he doesn't succeed? By the end of the
ceremony it was clear to everyone in Aachen: We need more Macrons in Europe.
3. Trump Withdraws U.S. From ‘One-Sided’ Iran Nuclear Deal
The New York Times May 8, 2018
WASHINGTON
— President Trump declared on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the Iran
nuclear deal, unraveling the signature foreign policy achievement of his
predecessor, Barack Obama, isolating the United States from its Western allies
and sowing uncertainty before a risky nuclear negotiation with North Korea.
The
decision, while long anticipated and widely telegraphed, leaves the 2015 agreement reached by six
countries after two years of grueling negotiations in tatters. The United
States will now reimpose the stringent sanctions it imposed on Iran before the
deal and is mulling new penalties.
Iran
said it will remain in the deal, which tightly restricts its nuclear ambitions
for a decade or more. So did France, Germany and Britain, raising the prospect
of a trans-Atlantic clash as European companies face potential American
sanctions for their involvement with Iran. China and Russia, also signatories
to the deal, are likely to join Iran in accusing the United States of violating
the accord.
Mr.
Trump’s move could embolden hard-line forces in Iran, raising the threat of
Iranian retaliation against Israel or the United States, fueling an arms race
in the Middle East and fanning sectarian conflicts from Syria to Yemen.
The
president, however, framed his decision as the fulfillment of a bedrock
campaign promise and the act of a dealmaker dissolving a fatally flawed
agreement. He predicted his tough line with Iran would strengthen his hand as
he prepared to meet North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, to begin negotiating the
surrender of his nuclear arsenal.
“This
was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made,” a
grim-faced Mr. Trump said in a 11-minute address from the Diplomatic Reception
Room of the White House. “It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it
never will.”
Mr.
Trump’s announcement drew a chorus of opposition from European leaders, several
of whom lobbied him feverishly not to pull out of the agreement and searched
for fixes to it that would satisfy him.
It
also drew a rare public rebuke by Mr. Obama, who said Mr. Trump’s withdrawal
would leave the world less safe, confronting it with “a losing choice between a
nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East.”
The
response from Iran itself, however, was muted. President Hassan Rouhani
declared that the Iranians intended to abide by the terms of the deal, and he
criticized Mr. Trump for his history of not honoring international treaties.
Mr. Trump won strong backing from Saudi Arabia and Israel, whose leader, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hailed him for a “historic move” and “courageous
leadership.”
Three
times previously, the president’s aides had persuaded him not to dismantle the
Iran deal. But Mr. Trump made clear that his patience had worn thin, and with a
new, more hawkish cohort of advisers — led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
and the national security adviser, John R. Bolton — the president faced less
internal resistance than earlier in his administration.
While
Mr. Trump had long scorned the Iran deal, threatening repeatedly to rip it up
during the 2016 presidential race, his impulse to act now was reinforced by
what he views as the success of his policy toward North Korea. He has told
aides and foreign leaders that his policy of maximum pressure had forced Mr.
Kim to the bargaining table, and that a similar policy of overwhelming pressure
would enable the United States to extract a better deal from Iran.
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