Western nations have an ally in Najib against IS threat, Spanish journalist says

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 ― Western nations seeking to stem the spread of Islamic militancy and radicalism should strengthen their alliances in Southeast Asia, particularly with Malaysia, a veteran Spanish journalist Antonio Navalón said.

The former adviser to US secretary of state John Kerry warned that the real threat of militant Islam would spring from Asia, and touted the moderate Muslim Malaysian prime minister as the West’s best bet to fight off the global terror group known as the Islamic State (IS), and its affiliates.

“Razak [sic] is a partner for the Western world, and shares a similarity in interests. His time as PM has proved to be beneficial for Malaysia's relationship with the Western world, with cooperation in the fight against extremism reaching new heights,” Navalón wrote in an opinion piece headlined “Malaysia: The Normandy of ISIS” for Spanish newspaper El Pais earlier this week.

Malaysia’s sixth prime minister mooted a global movement of moderates to counter the rise of religious extremism at the September 2010 United Nations General Assembly.

Under his leadership since then, Malaysia has stepped up its efforts to tackle Islamic militancy directly, which drew the attention of radicals towards it, resulting in the June 28 grenade attack on the Movida pub in Puchong, Selangor that injured eight patrons.

Bukit Aman’s counter-terrorism team has also disclosed intelligence reports of planned attacks against the country’s leaders, including Najib, his deputy and other key members of the federal Cabinet.

Navalón made a note of the attack, which he said was a direct response to the Najib administration’s offensive against the radicals and suggested that there were other more insidious attacks against the latter’s leadership.

“Allegations of corruption are a fine weapon of choice for those who oppose Razak [sic], as it diverts the discourse away from dealing with the core issue ― moderates versus extremists,” the journalist wrote in the August 14 article.

Navalón did not explicitly state so, but was likely referring to the United States Department of Justice’s civil lawsuit to recover over US$1 billion (RM3.98 billion) in assets from individuals said to be misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad that has put the Najib administration under the world microscope.

Navalón also suggested that such action from western nations was a repeat of past failed models that would have dire global consequences at a later date.

He singled out the United States intercession in the politics of Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Libya under Muammar Gaddafi as examples.

He urged the West to adopt a “more pragmatic view regarding its policies in the East”, reminding them to focus on the real enemy and focus on strengthening its ties with allies who shared common interests.

He pointed out that while Malaysia is predominantly Muslim, the country’s constitution is secular, which made it a key to dismantling the extremist ideology held by Islamic radicals.

“If the whole Western world gets it wrong again and gives Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand away to the radical Muslims, without any doubt the battle will be transferred to China and the proportions of this conflict will have changed dramatically in favour of the terrorists.

“If radical Islam gains a foothold in the region, the consequences can be dire, and will not be confined to that area of the world,” he warned.