FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Election of Mahathir in Malaysia Has Global Implications
May 10, 2018 (EIRNS)—Like the Brexit vote for Britain to leave the EU, the election of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, and the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, the return to leadership by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in Malaysia represents the unfolding paradigm change, and could potentially have a major influence on resolving crises in the Middle East and elsewhere in the developing world.
One businessman who has worked closely with Mahathir and his leading economic advisor, Daim Zainudden, on projects around the world, told EIR today that he has seen that Mahathir still enjoys huge respect around the world, including especially in the Islamic nations, for his defense of development and sovereignty.
EIR, it should be remembered, circulated Mahathir’s speeches and writings widely around the world during the period Mahathir took the point against George Soros and the IMF after the “Asia crisis” of 1997. At the time, the Wall Street Journal ran a front-page freakout: “Malaysia’s Mahathir Finds Strange Source for Soros Campaign: Asian Country’s Media Tap U.S. Conspiracy Theorist Lyndon LaRouche, Jr.” Argentina’s President Nestor Kirchner and other world leaders were influenced by Mahathir’s courage, and his demonstration that a nation could survive a British financial onslaught by standing up against it.
This impact can be effective again today, contributing to the transformation globally to the New Paradigm. Mahathir expressed in his press conference today his strong support, historically and still today, for the Belt and Road process (see transcript, above).
In an interview with EIR on Feb. 16, 2014, Dr. Mahathir commented on his meeting with Xi Jinping soon after President Xi announced the Maritime Silk Road in Indonesia. He and Xi created a new institution called the “Ching Ho Association” named after Adm. Ching Ho (Zheng He), who led the huge armada of the Chinese Treasure Ships in the 15th century. Mahathir said:
“[Ching Ho] is a remarkable leader, a remarkable man. He came with very powerful forces, not to conquer, but to establish diplomatic relations with countries. China never attempted to conquer countries. They wanted to establish diplomatic relations and trade with these countries. This contrasts with the first Portuguese—with Vasco da Gama, Afonso de Albuquerque, and Diogo Lopes de Sequeira—who came here in order to conquer. The Portuguese arrived in Malacca in 1509. Two years later, they conquered Malacca. The Chinese had been in Malacca for many, many years before that, and never conquered Malacca, although they had so many Chinese in this country who could have formed a fifth-column for them. But they never tried to conquer. So there is this difference between Ching Ho and the Portuguese and the other Europeans. Ching Ho established friendships. So this Association that we are going to form is in order to celebrate friendship between nations. There will be an award for the people who work most to bring about friendship between countries.”
(See EIR, March 7, 2014, “Mahathir: The British Empire and Its U.S. Minions Foment Global War”)
