PM says Malaysia unfazed by Indian boycott call

Chan Kok Leong Mohd Farhan Darwis Chan Kok Leong, Mohd Farhan Darwis Updated 6 years ago · Published on 8 Oct 2019 11:39AM · 4 Comments

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad concedes that there are people unhappy with his 'mild criticism' of India. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, October 8, 2019.

THE Indian “Boycott Malaysia” campaign in response to Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s remarks on Kashmir has no impact on the country, said the prime minister.

He said Malaysia is unfazed by the push, launched by Indian social media users following his speech at the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York recently, where he called for a resolution to the Kashmir conflict.

“I don’t think so,” said Dr Mahathir when asked if Malaysia is worried about the campaign.

He said his speech on Kashmir was a follow-up to what was discussed with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Russia last month.

“It is our policy not to resort to violence, but to resolve issues through negotiations, arbitration or a court of law.

“I raised this with Modi when we met in Vladivostok. My speech (at the UN assembly) was a follow-up… we don’t want to see any violence, and (we believe that) disputes between countries should be resolved through negotiations.

“That was all. But, it’s true that there are people unhappy with the mild criticism of India,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Dr Mahathir said New Delhi has not contacted Putrajaya about the matter.

“I haven’t gotten any feedback. I told Modi that he can contact me directly if India has any uneasy feelings. So far, there has been no feedback from them.”

The issue was sparked by Turkey and China’s move to bring up Kashmir at the UN.

In his address, Dr Mahathir said: “Now, despite the UN resolution on Jammu and Kashmir, the country has been invaded and occupied. There may be a reason for this action, but it is still wrong. The problem must be resolved by peaceful means. India should work with Pakistan to resolve this problem. Ignoring the UN will lead to other forms of disregard for the UN and rule of law.”

His statement, particularly on how “the country has been invaded and occupied”, was not well received by Indian social media users, leading to the boycott call.

The hashtag #BoycottMalaysia has been trending on Twitter since October 1, with users asking people not to travel to Malaysia.

Dr Mahathir said there has also been no “backlash” from China, following his comments on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

“I answered because (the question) came from a lawyer from Hong Kong. I didn’t want to share my opinion on what is happening there, as it is an internal matter.

“But because I was asked about what the administrator should do, my reply was, if she is in a dilemma, the best thing for her to do is resign.” – October 8, 2019.

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Comments

  • Before 1947, there was only one country, INDIA. With citizens of all religions. Majority are Hindus followed by Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and other minority groups. But all belong to one race, Indians. After Independence, the Indian Muslims wanted a separate country called Pakistan. So the heads of Government in each state were given the option by the British. The head of State in Kashmir decided to be part of India.,Pakistan was created out of India. So is Bangladesh. But Pakistan wanted to annex Kashmir. They invaded Kashmir and took one third of the country.
    Its difficult to divide countries based on religion. We cant divide UK into 2 countries based on Catholics and Protestants!!!

    Posted 6 years ago by Aplanaidu Pathanaidu · Reply

  • of course youbare unfazed cause you and your family wont be affeceted with millions in bank. we working rakyat would bear the brunt. you and your big mouth. focus on our problem lah instead of trying to be world hero

    Posted 6 years ago by . . · Reply

  • Onions our daily use come from india Of course u and ur family n relatives wont be affected if onion price hike. U hv milions n millions to buy expensive onions one kg rm 50 also u can afford to buy We hv to educate our kids we cant afford expensive onions.

    Posted 6 years ago by Mindy Singh · Reply

  • India is just watching where you vote in the FATF before confirming any action. Diplomacy is always done quietly

    Posted 6 years ago by Shm Mo · Reply