Malaysia, Myanmar exchange hypocrisies at public protests

Diplomatic relations between two Asean member states grew choppy last month when Muslim-majority Malaysia summoned the Myanmar ambassador in response to reports of human rights abuses against Rohingya communities in Rakhine State.

Around the same time, 500 Malaysians and Rohingya marched to the Myanmar embassy in Kuala Lumpur carrying banners denouncing the “genocide” against the Rohingya, and a senior minister in Malaysia called on Asean to review Myanmar’s membership.

The relationship between the two nations remained tense this weekend, when Malaysia’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Saturday accusing the Myanmar government of ethnic cleansing.

That same day, Buddhist monk Sayadaw Pamaukkha led a group of about 30 nationalists in a protest at the Malaysian embassy in Yangon, where they chanted: “Get out of Myanmar, Bengalis!”, using a term that implies that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

They also chanted about their disapproval of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak helping the Rohingya, while simultaneously calling on him to accept the Rohingya population into Malaysia en masse.

“It is our duty to prevent our race, religion and nation from disappearing. We will demonstrate in front of City Hall if the [Malaysians in Kuala Lumpur] protest tomorrow. However, we will not set fire to their flag or throw shoes like the extremists did,” said Sayadaw Pamaukkha, referring to reports from last month’s protest in the Malaysian capital.

“We will treat them courteously, as we are Buddhists,” the monk said.

Pamaukkha’s prediction came true on Sunday, when Prime Minister Najib led 5,000 people at a rally organized by Malaysia’s ruling party, Umno. Najib chided Myanmar’s de facto leader, saying: “What’s the use of Aung San Suu Kyi having a Nobel prize?”

He also called on the UN to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya and pledged to defend Muslims and Islam. He called on Indonesian President Joko Widodo to stage a similar rally in Jakarta.

As promised, about 300 Buddhist nationalists rallied at Maha Bandoola Park, opposite Yangon City Hall, later that day to respond to the Prime Minister Najib’s accusations.

“We cannot accept pressure about fake ethnicities. We object to pressure about our internal affairs. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak led a demonstration in Kuala Lumpur and made demands about the Bengali issue. Without studying real history, they stand for fake propaganda. Supporting a fake ethnicity is encouraging violence,” said protest leader Naung Taw Lay.

Also that day, Pamaukkha led a solo protest outside the Malaysian embassy in Yangon.

President’s Office spokesperson Zaw Htay has accused the Malaysian prime minister of using his religious beliefs for political gain.

“We are really disappointed by his actions. It seems like he was using religion as a stepping stone to garner popular support for the upcoming elections,” said Zaw Htay was quoted as saying on Monday.

Some analysts have echoed Zaw Htay’s accusation, noting that Najib is now fighting allegations that he looted of billions of dollars in public cash through the state fund 1MDB.

James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, told the Bangkok Post that Mr Najib “is there [at the rally] to boost his standing as an Islamic leader”, with a general election looming.

The same publication quoted Malaysia expert Bridget Welsh as saying: “Najib is looking for anything to make him look good, and the Rohingya issue is simply a tool.”

She added that if Najib’s government really cared for the Rohingya, they would “reexamine their own treatment of the community within Malaysia”.

Malaysia has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention and, as such, regards the no-less-than-50,000 Rohingya within its borders as illegal immigrants rather than as refugees.

Other critics have also called attention to the emptiness of the Malaysian prime minister’s overtures, pointing out the fact that Asean membership precludes interference in the internal affairs of other member states and the fact that Prime Minister Najib has not proposed any policy changes that would benefit the Rohingya.

Daniel Russell, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, has called on Malaysia and Indonesia to resist the urge to stage protests, saying they could incite religious extremism in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Myanmar embassy staff in Malaysia and Indonesia have been instructed by Foreign Affairs Minister Kyaw Zeya to take special security measures and to avoid unnecessary travel within their Muslim-majority host countries.

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