PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and South Africa will continue to raise the Gaza issue on the world stage, as the latter says what is happening in Palestine is akin to the fight against apartheid.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa said this during a joint media conference at the Seri Perdana Complex on Saturday (Oct 25).
Ramaphosa is on a four day official visit to Malaysia from Friday (Oct 24) to Monday (Oct 27) at the invitation of the Asean Chair.
This is Ramaphosa’s first official visit to Malaysia since assuming office in February 2018.
During the media conference, Ramaphosa thanked Malaysia for supporting South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in 2023.
“We are deeply grateful for the support given to South Africa and our support for Palestine was borne out of our own experience during the struggle against apartheid,” he said.
“It was this which motivated South Africa to raise our complaint to the ICJ,” added Ramaphosa.
“As much as it was risky and faced much opposition, we thank Malaysia for acknowledging this move,” he said.
Ramaphosa added that South Africa will continue to seek justice for the people of Palestine, just as the world sought justice when they called on the United Nations to declare apartheid a crime against humanity.
“We saw fit that we should act the way the world acted against apartheid,” said Ramaphosa.
On December 29, 2023, South Africa initiated proceedings against Israel at the ICJ alleging violations of the Genocide Convention.
During a question and answer session, Anwar said countries must work together to speak up on atrocities.
“We share our sentiments and aspirations to protect human dignity. There is a deficit of political leaders in protecting honour and dignity amid a lack of compassion,” said Anwar.
On trade, Anwar said South Africa offers opportunities for Asean countries as a new marketplace.
“Malaysia is essentially a trading nation and we believe in globalisation. To effect this change, we have to open new markets. The fundamental concern and priority is economic collaboration,” he said.
“In this globalised setting, we also recognise the need to extend exchanges to culture, arts and research. Malaysia cannot be totally dependent on a few countries as markets expand and the economy grows,” added Anwar.
He said that Malaysia is also looking at intra-Asean trade and we have to secure friends who share common ideals and visions.
“The test is not these meetings but whether we can execute what we have decided,” said Anwar.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen collaboration between Asean, G20, G7 and BRICS.
Ramaphosa said the two countries are keen to collaborate on climate change, national debts and lowering the cost of capital.
“We are focused on improving lives and on platforms of G20 and G7 we want to create a better world with better trade and economic policies,” he said.
“With 62 million people our involvement globally has been impactful and our voice is heard,” he added.
“During this period of geopolitical tensions and challenges, trade is used as a weapon and we need to expand our marketplace,” he said.
“Having been closely related to one another, we would like to re collaborate and South Africa will strive to strengthen further collaboration on many existing areas of common interest,” said Ramaphosa.
On October 27, the South African President will be conferred an Honorary Doctorate of International Relations by Universiti Malaya.
This recognises his leadership in national development and commitment to democracy and human rights.
He will deliver remarks at the 20th East Asia Summit and attend the Gala Dinner hosted by Malaysia.
In 2024, South Africa ranked as Malaysia’s largest trading partner in Africa.
Bilateral trade stood at RM7.82bil (USD1.71 bil), with Malaysia’s exports valued at RM3.84bil (USD0.84 bil).
Imports from South Africa amounted to RM3.98bil (USD0.87 bil).
Malaysia’s main exports included palm oil and palm oil based agriculture products, petroleum products and electrical and electronic products.
Imports from South Africa comprised manufactures of metal, other agriculture such as fresh and dried fruits, and processed food.
Malaysia and South Africa established diplomatic relations in November 1993.
