Malaysia must urgently align with the West, to strengthen itself
written by Air Times Correspondent5 May 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, 5th May – Malaysia should have the courage to change its orientation with China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea, and not to choose the path of negotiations.
Making the strong call, one of University Malaya’s top don Collins Chong Yew Keat urged Malaysia to be firm on its enshrined rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to continue the country’s oil, gas and other marine life exploration.
By consenting to negotiations with Beijing, it will make us look even weaker with our already sorry state of deterrence capacity and our economic vulnerability, with potential economic blackmail that will further tie our hands.
“The constant harping and justification on the importance of RM170 billion worth of investment assurance is not an excuse to further let our national pride, survival and sovereignty to be trampled, gambled and traded with said Chong, who is an analyst on foreign affairs, strategy, security, higher education and strategic management.
His comments come in the wake of increased patrols by Chinese coast guard vessels for the past month near Petronas Carigali’s Kasawari gas development about 200km north off Bintulu, Sarawak which was pushing constant pressure, intimidation, and fear into Malaysia.
Chong said that the Kasawari field held an estimated three trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and Petronas was expected to start production this year.
In May 2020, Chinese and Malaysian vessels were involved in a standoff over West Capella – a Panamanian-flagged drillship hired by Petronas – to explore oil and gas off Bintulu.
The standoff eased after United States and Australian warships reportedly stepped-up patrols in the area
Chong warned that the same tactic had been used by China, to a bigger extent in the Philippines, from the military laser incident earlier this year, to downright chasing off Filipino fishermen out of their rightful territories to fish.
“The Malaysian economy is hugely reliant on its oil and gas assets, and the South China Sea is a critical piece to our economic survival.
Even though it is well within our territorial rights under UNCLOS to explore and assert our rights to cultivate resources in those areas, we have been living under years of constant fear of a looming, prying eyes and coercive actions of Beijing in these waters.
“China has been upping the coercive game using grey zone tactics and intimidation through sheer show of force and hard power postures.
“The Chinese Coast Guard has been at the forefront, and naval vessels have for years been exerting their presence and openly challenging our territorial rights in our exploration and fishing activities,” said Chong.
He added that the West Capella incident served as an urgent wake up call, but still sadly reflected Malaysia’s fearful and ‘kowtowing’ stance out of the so-called bigger economic returns from China’s pandering moves of quiet dialogue and backdoor diplomacy.
Countless incursions into our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the grey zone intimidation tactics have been met with subdued responses, which only reflects our sorry and hapless response option.
“Beijing is happy to exploit and to further increase its bargaining chip. “Beijing is cognisant of its ingrained grip on the country and the region in economic and trade terms and will simply wield bigger sticks to gain its regional objective.
https://www.airtimes.my/2023/05/05/malaysia...engthen-itself/
