Changing Directions in Foreign Policy Trends: A Comparative Analysis of Malaysia´s Bilateral Relations with Britain and Singapore in 1981

Abstract

The year 1981 may be considered momentous for Malaysia in so far as foreign policy trends were concerned. For in that year dramatic changes in Malaysia's bilateral ties with two of its closest associates, one in Europe and the other in Southeast Asia, took place. Relations with Britain which had traditionally been cordial with its numerous close links, took a turn for the worse. Among other things, Malaysia reviewed its trading links with Britain with a view to ending the latter's traditional privileged position compared with other countries. Dr Mahathir, as Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister, took the unpre cedented step of snubbing the British Commonwealth by not attend ing the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Melbourne. Conversely, ties with Singapore which had been charac terized by mutual suspicion and mistrust as a result of the Alliance/People's Action Party (PAP) acrimony in the aftermath of Singapore's separation in 1965, improved considerably. Dr Mahathir and his Singapore counterpart, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, were able to resolve almost all the outstanding bilateral issues between the two countries during the Malaysian Prime Minister's first official visit to the island republic on 17 and 18 December 1981. At the conclusion of Dr Mahathir's visit, both Prime Ministers declared that the goodwill each had shown the other should be sustained to strengthen further the existing cordial ties between the two countries. This article seeks to examine the causes for the changing trends in Malaysia's foreign policy in so far as bilateral ties with Britain and Singapore are concerned. An analysis of these causes and their implications will hopefully provide some insight into how future bila teral ties with the two countries concerned will be conducted by Malaysia.