Reaffirming Malaysia’s independent foreign policy stance, the Prime Minister said the country’s diplomatic approach is guided by its own sovereign principles.
“Our foreign policy is clear. We must maintain our friendships with neighbouring countries, but our position is firm,” he said when met after Friday prayers.
The Prime Minister’s comments come as Malaysia is listed among several Asian nations whose vessels have been granted passage through the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces, following the outbreak of conflict in late February.
On Singapore’s stance that it would not negotiate for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Anwar responded: “That is Singapore’s view. That is their affair. Our business is that we maintain good relations while taking a firm stand.
“(But) we cannot discuss Iran’s response without also speaking about the cruel and barbaric attacks by Israel against Iran, supported by the United States,” he said.
Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had previously asserted that transit through such international waterways is a right under international law rather than a privilege to be granted by bordering states.
While Singapore has emphasised the legal right of transit passage codified in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Malaysia has balanced its maritime interests with a vocal critique of the broader geopolitical violence in the Middle East.
Turning to internal party matters, Anwar, who is also PKR president, called for calm following mounting pressure from party leaders to take disciplinary action against former deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
“It is alright. We ask everyone to remain calm for now. The focus should be on the country’s economic problems as this is far more serious than personal issues,” he said.
Asked for his advice to the party regarding the friction, Anwar urged members to look beyond internal disputes in favour of addressing national priorities.
