ID :
35888
Tue, 12/16/2008 - 15:11
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/35888
The shortlink copeid
MALAYSIA HAPPY WITH ELECTION OF NEW THAI PRIME MINISTER
JAKARTA, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is happy with the election of the new Thai prime minister by its parliament Monday, but would watch the developments within the next two weeks with much interest, Foreign Minister Dr Rais Yatim said here Monday.
"But as in all cases, perhaps the next two weeks ought to be seen with much
interest. That is to say it would be better for us to wait for the formation of
the next (Thai) cabinet," he said.
Commenting on the news which passed around at the Special Asean Foreign
Ministers Meeting here, he said Malaysia, accordingly hoped that the
formation of workload and responsibilites would be on-going from day one after
this.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva was elected Thailand's 27th prime
minister by the country's lawmakers Monday, bringing slim hopes that months of
street rallies and chaos will come to an end.
"We are happy as the turnout of events produced what we expected, that is,
the election of the new prime minister with a very clear majority. Looking at
his background, I believe the new prime minister would have the acumen and
fortitude to lead on.
"And this is what Malaysia feels...when there is in place a concrete
government with the zeal to work out a formula for improvement, we can in fact
rely on this better," he told Malaysian journalists at the end of the meeting,
which also saw the launching of the Asean Charter at the Asean Secretariat here.
He said he was keen to see who his counterpart would be as soon as possible
as they had a lot of homework to do and not to mention the bilateral matters and
other commitments through the joint committee meetings.
Asked about Asean's human rights body, Rais said Malaysia welcomed it but
cautioned that member states would have to do a lot of homework so that
human rights in Asia would have an Asian face.
"To many people, that could become a riddle, but it's a very simple thing.
We need to imbue within our human rights, just and fair disposition, co-mingled
with Asian culture," he said, explaining that there must be some angles and
areas of Asian culture built into it.
Citing the "musyawarah" (consultations) and "adat" (customs) found in great
parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and even in Cambodia and Vietnam, he said little
doses of the wisdom of the elders, for example, should be built into the
mechanism of finding truth and fairness.
"So, we will wait for the experts to draw up their parameters and the
ministers will continue to guide them, so that it becomes a lasting and an Asian
reflective mechanism. In other words, it's going to be more enriched, not
depleted or derogated in any way," he added.
On Myanmar, Rais said Malaysia's stand was that "life is not one that fits
for all and the US has become what it is only after 230 years".
"So for Myanmar, we will take it in our own course. We will convince them.
But we should not coerce them to do things just overnight. We will keep
reminding them in the Asian way, which is very important, so that they will
share the educational process. That will come in good time."
Rais said personally, he felt very sad for (pro-democracy activist) Aung
San
Suu Kyi and hoped that she would remain stoic and not give up hope as
internationally, Malaysia would try its best and in Asean too, through its human
rights body later on, to make Myanmar see the other spectrum.
-- BERNAMA
"But as in all cases, perhaps the next two weeks ought to be seen with much
interest. That is to say it would be better for us to wait for the formation of
the next (Thai) cabinet," he said.
Commenting on the news which passed around at the Special Asean Foreign
Ministers Meeting here, he said Malaysia, accordingly hoped that the
formation of workload and responsibilites would be on-going from day one after
this.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva was elected Thailand's 27th prime
minister by the country's lawmakers Monday, bringing slim hopes that months of
street rallies and chaos will come to an end.
"We are happy as the turnout of events produced what we expected, that is,
the election of the new prime minister with a very clear majority. Looking at
his background, I believe the new prime minister would have the acumen and
fortitude to lead on.
"And this is what Malaysia feels...when there is in place a concrete
government with the zeal to work out a formula for improvement, we can in fact
rely on this better," he told Malaysian journalists at the end of the meeting,
which also saw the launching of the Asean Charter at the Asean Secretariat here.
He said he was keen to see who his counterpart would be as soon as possible
as they had a lot of homework to do and not to mention the bilateral matters and
other commitments through the joint committee meetings.
Asked about Asean's human rights body, Rais said Malaysia welcomed it but
cautioned that member states would have to do a lot of homework so that
human rights in Asia would have an Asian face.
"To many people, that could become a riddle, but it's a very simple thing.
We need to imbue within our human rights, just and fair disposition, co-mingled
with Asian culture," he said, explaining that there must be some angles and
areas of Asian culture built into it.
Citing the "musyawarah" (consultations) and "adat" (customs) found in great
parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and even in Cambodia and Vietnam, he said little
doses of the wisdom of the elders, for example, should be built into the
mechanism of finding truth and fairness.
"So, we will wait for the experts to draw up their parameters and the
ministers will continue to guide them, so that it becomes a lasting and an Asian
reflective mechanism. In other words, it's going to be more enriched, not
depleted or derogated in any way," he added.
On Myanmar, Rais said Malaysia's stand was that "life is not one that fits
for all and the US has become what it is only after 230 years".
"So for Myanmar, we will take it in our own course. We will convince them.
But we should not coerce them to do things just overnight. We will keep
reminding them in the Asian way, which is very important, so that they will
share the educational process. That will come in good time."
Rais said personally, he felt very sad for (pro-democracy activist) Aung
San
Suu Kyi and hoped that she would remain stoic and not give up hope as
internationally, Malaysia would try its best and in Asean too, through its human
rights body later on, to make Myanmar see the other spectrum.
-- BERNAMA
