Global politics is not about the West vs the Rest

I REFER to StarBiz “Think Asian” columnist Andrew Sheng’s article “The Rest is answering back” (The Star, March 13; online at https://bit.ly/3FmDz2A).

First of all, his statement “The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) G20 members were clearly not listening, because there was no agreement on a joint communique that demanded a condemnation of the Russian invasion” does not indicate that the Rest (developing East and South) are condoning Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Although Malaysia has not sanctioned Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, we supported and voted in favour of the UN General Assembly’s resolution titled “Aggression against Ukraine”.

This is in line with the upholding of the UN Charter that guarantees the territorial and sovereign integrity of all UN states, including Ukraine.

Wisma Putra reiterated that the support and vote were in line with our country’s moral standing.

Malaysia’s decision not to partake in the sanctioning against Russia was made purely on economic considerations.

“The former slaves, colonies or near-colonies will no longer be silent when the former slave masters are insisting on the old order where they rule and you obey,” Sheng writes.

Here, he is perpetuating the West vs East/South divide, condemning the past evil of Western colonialism without taking into consideration all forms of colonialism.

No one is denying the damage and evil of past colonialism, including that perpetuated by the Axis Powers during the Second World War. And remember that Euro-pean countries were colonised too.

Condemnation of the West’s past colonialism should also include condemnation of all forms of colonialism past and present, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to rebuild the Russian empire. There should be no double standards.

Malaysians are well aware of China’s attempted claim to almost the whole of the South China Sea (SCS), which was ruled as illegal by The Hague in 2016. This includes some of the islands of which Malaysia is a claimant.

Malaysia’s support for the UN General Assembly’s resolution “Aggression Against Ukraine” will mean that when it comes to being on the receiving end of China’s claims to almost the entire SCS, we have stood our moral ground and are not hypocritical, and we will get the support of the global community.

Global politics is not about the West versus the East and South. It is based on individual countries’ short- and long-term interests, ideally with the upholding of international law without fear of retaliation.

CH’NG CHIN YEOW

Penang