Malaysia should learn from China not to sideline opposition states

SHAH ALAM - Malaysia needs to learn from China which does not sideline (anak tirikan) its opposition states because when some states are pushed back, any future government of the Federation will struggle to develop those areas effectively.

International political observer Nasaie Ismail said the government and the opposition cannot sabotage each other.

"Whoever forms the government at the Federal level, let's not marginalise opposition states because if those states are neglected, when the government changes and whoever takes over, they will face problems.

"The same goes for those who are in opposition. It doesn't matter which Prime Minister's era it is—whether during Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, or Datuk Seri Najib Razak—no matter what government development policies are in place, there will always be a group that wants to see our ringgit fall, prices rise and our economy decline.

"Why? Because it gives them excuse to topple the government. What they fail to see is that when the national economy declines, any incoming government will automatically face challenges in rebuilding it," he said during the Wacana Sinar Edisi 442 programme entitled "China pengganti Amerika Syarikat (AS)?" which was aired live on Sinar Harian's Facebook page, yesterday.

Nasaie said in China, even though the ruling government has different political beliefs and stances with the regions under it such as Xinjiang and Taiwan, the two sides have never sabotaged each other from the point of view of their respective economic development.

The internal issues and conflicts of the Chinese government with Taiwan, Xinjiang or Uyghur did not affect their economic situation and it was proven through recorded data. he added.

"If we look at Taiwan's economic data which is seen as pro-US, 22 per cent of Taiwan's exports go to China compared to only 15 per cent of Taiwan's exports to the US.

"Even though there's oppression against certain ethnic groups in Xinjiang, the region is experiencing rapid development. In fact, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth surpasses that of the entire country of China in 2023," he said.

Nasaie added that China recorded a GDP increase of 5.2 per cent but Xinjiang recorded an increase of 6.8 per cent.

He said Xinjiang was also a region that led exports from China to Central Asia such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

"There was a study if I'm not mistaken it was conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School in 2003. The results of the survey found that 86 per cent of the Chinese population supported their government at that time and in 2016 it was found that the amount of support increased to 93 per cent.

"Backing the government in this context doesn't necessarily mean endorsing all political policies, as there are opposition movements against the government and the communist party. Instead, it refers to supporting the government's development agenda and policies," he explained.