Sucking-up to China
Before I say so much as a word in criticism of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s current efforts to smarm his way into the good books of the mainland Chinese regime, I must admit that I’m also far from admiring of Australia’s relationship with the so-called ‘People’s’ Republic.
Because as avid a customer as the PRC is for Australian iron ore, coal, public infrastructure and urban and rural real estate, its politics are anathema to the system of popular democracy that we people down this way so piously claim to prize.
Unlike our admittedly imperfect democratic system of government of the people, by the people, for the people, China’s is government of the people by and for the party.
A party that somehow contrives to be capitalist in that it has embraced the proposition that “to be rich is glorious”, but still resolutely totalitarian communist in its dedication to impoverishing its people of political choice, human rights and freedoms of belief and expression.
In short, I perceive my homeland of Australia as all too prone in its trade and allied relationships with the PRC, to put economic profit before ethical principles.
The only possible saving grace I can see in this is that the more prosperous the Chinese people become, the sooner the majority of them will possibly realise that they don’t have to settle for the lawlessness, suppression, corruption and cronyism of their single-party autocracy forever, but instead can finally seize control of their own and their descendants’ destinies.
Meanwhile, however, China in its currently unregenerate state is perfectly poised to attract and purchase such small-time supplicants and supporters as Najib’s Malaysia.
Desperate for a fresh infusion of funds to buy the continued loyalty of his Umno/BN accomplices and cronies of his Umno/BN regime in the media, police, judiciary and sundry civil services, but also the votes of sufficient constituents in electorates massively skewed for the purpose of screwing the opposition, Najib clearly sees China as his saviour.
Not only thanks to the billions he and the gang can reap in ‘commissions’ on China-funded projects to make up for the loot from the 1MDB scam that has now been stashed-away, seized, frozen or spent, but also to the protection a cozy friendship with big-brother China might afford from possible prosecution in the US and elsewhere.
Then there is the possibility, or at least I imagine that Najib hopes, that, in a bid to keep him on board as an ally in pursuit of its strategic interests in South-East Asia in general and the South China Sea in particular, the US will throw money at him, too.
Not that his lame attempts to buddy-up to outgoing US President Barack Obama on the golf course seemed to pay-off too handsomely.
It’s entirely possible, of course, that he’ll be more successful in charming or at least conning the next US president, whoever that may be.
But in any event he and his rotten regime are clearly a far better fit with China.
The deity of both regimes is money.
Before I say so much as a word in criticism of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s current efforts to smarm his way into the good books of the mainland Chinese regime, I must admit that I’m also far from admiring of Australia’s relationship with the so-called ‘People’s’ Republic.
Because as avid a customer as the PRC is for Australian iron ore, coal, public infrastructure and urban and rural real estate, its politics are anathema to the system of popular democracy that we people down this way so piously claim to prize.
Unlike our admittedly imperfect democratic system of government of the people, by the people, for the people, China’s is government of the people by and for the party.
A party that somehow contrives to be capitalist in that it has embraced the proposition that “to be rich is glorious”, but still resolutely totalitarian communist in its dedication to impoverishing its people of political choice, human rights and freedoms of belief and expression.
In short, I perceive my homeland of Australia as all too prone in its trade and allied relationships with the PRC, to put economic profit before ethical principles.
The only possible saving grace I can see in this is that the more prosperous the Chinese people become, the sooner the majority of them will possibly realise that they don’t have to settle for the lawlessness, suppression, corruption and cronyism of their single-party autocracy forever, but instead can finally seize control of their own and their descendants’ destinies.
Meanwhile, however, China in its currently unregenerate state is perfectly poised to attract and purchase such small-time supplicants and supporters as Najib’s Malaysia.
Desperate for a fresh infusion of funds to buy the continued loyalty of his Umno/BN accomplices and cronies of his Umno/BN regime in the media, police, judiciary and sundry civil services, but also the votes of sufficient constituents in electorates massively skewed for the purpose of screwing the opposition, Najib clearly sees China as his saviour.
Not only thanks to the billions he and the gang can reap in ‘commissions’ on China-funded projects to make up for the loot from the 1MDB scam that has now been stashed-away, seized, frozen or spent, but also to the protection a cozy friendship with big-brother China might afford from possible prosecution in the US and elsewhere.
Then there is the possibility, or at least I imagine that Najib hopes, that, in a bid to keep him on board as an ally in pursuit of its strategic interests in South-East Asia in general and the South China Sea in particular, the US will throw money at him, too.
Not that his lame attempts to buddy-up to outgoing US President Barack Obama on the golf course seemed to pay-off too handsomely.
It’s entirely possible, of course, that he’ll be more successful in charming or at least conning the next US president, whoever that may be.
But in any event he and his rotten regime are clearly a far better fit with China.
Reminiscent of the ‘red guards’
The gang of thugs or ‘red-shirts’ he is paying to disrupt the continuing Bersih campaign for clean and fair elections is horribly reminiscent of the so-called ‘red guards’ who bullied, tortured and killed alleged enemies of the communist state during China’s notorious Cultural Revolution.
And the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, like the May 1969 Malaysian race riots, is an ideal model for what Najib and his goons might threaten or even actually commit if Bersih or other protesters were to get out of hand at KL’s Dataran Merdeka.
Then there’s the fact that both Malaysia’s Umno/BN regime and the fake Communist Party of China are both exactly alike in that they will tell their gullible citizens anything but the truth.
A further natural link between China and Malaysia appears to involve Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, whose ‘mystery’ disappearance on March 8, 2014 many still suspect conveniently removed some people, or items of cargo, or both, that China was keen to be rid of.
Certainly the PRC’s protests at the loss of the aircraft with so many of its citizens aboard seemed somewhat muted, and even more oddly were quickly followed by the official loan of some pandas to Malaysia.
All conspiracy theories aside, however, Umno/BN’s Malaysia and communist/capitalist China look like birds of a feather to me.
Except, of course, for the fact that Umno/BN claims to be Islamic and devoted to protection of Muslims, whereas its Chinese equivalent is officially atheist and thus violently opposed to all faiths.
But no problem, as far as I can see. The deity of both equally god-forsaken regimes, whatever they may piously or impiously claim, is money, and thus they’re absolutely made for each other.
DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he coaches and mentors writers and authors and practises as a writing therapist. Published books of his columns for Malaysiakini include ‘Mad about Malaysia', ‘Even Madder about Malaysia', ‘Missing Malaysia', ‘1Malaysia.con’ and ‘Malaysia Mania’.
