Will support for Palestine and Hamas reconcile the different Malaysian clans? Since the events of October 7, politicians from all sides of the political spectrum have been launching an increasing number of initiatives and declarations, without fear of escalation, to vilify the West. On Friday, October 13, a demonstration brought together 15,000 people around the Masjid Negara (the national mosque) in Kuala Lumpur, in the presence of various former leaders, after a Friday prayer dedicated to the Palestinians.
The day before, the leaders of parties at opposite ends of the Malaysian political spectrum, the Democratic Action Party (DAP), linked to the Chinese minority, and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a fundamentalist formation, even posed together in Parliament for a photo, next to the ambassador to Malaysia of the Palestinian Authority, to whom they had each offered donations.
Over 65% Muslim – Islam is the state religion, but other religions are allowed – this Southeast Asian nation of 33 million residents does not recognize Israel and has always defended the "two-state solution." Above all, Malaysia boasts historic links with the dominant political forces in Palestine, in particular with Hamas since its victory in the 2006 elections and its takeover of the Gaza Strip. While public opinion has also mobilized in support of the Palestinians in neighboring Muslim Indonesia, where demonstrations also took place on Friday, the Jakarta government's position is more measured.
On X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had spoken the previous day with the head of Hamas's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, to express Malaysia's "unconditional support for the people of Palestine" and condemn the "Zionist regime" responsible for the "massacre of 3,000 people."
In Parliament on Monday, Ibrahim castigated the "hypocrisy of the West and European countries:" "They have relentlessly criticized Russia for its war against Ukraine, but they allow atrocities to continue [in Gaza]. (...) I said that our policy has long been to have relations with Hamas and that this would continue." The government has announced humanitarian aid on an unprecedented scale to Palestine, to be increased to 100 million ringgit (€20 million).
These positions come as no surprise from a prime minister who, while being the standard-bearer for a progressive, multicultural Malaysia and a supporter of moderate Islam, is also the former leader of the Young Islamists, reputedly close to the Muslim Brotherhood. In order to form a government after the November 2022 elections, Anwar not only had to ally himself with the former ruling conservative party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), but he also had to face an Islamo-conservative opposition now dominated by PAS.
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