WITH the historic meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Najib Razak now over, the far-reaching impact and implications would surely take a lot longer to be fully done and over with.

Never mind the plethora of bad news flowing in the Western media on Trump’s disruptive style and his penchant for going against global best practice on international relations and decorum.

Never mind that Najib has to pay to a former Trump aide US$250,000 (RM1.1 million) for her service, as he had been notorious in lavishly paying for a “state visit” during Barack Obama’s tenure and again paid handsomely to get to golfing with the latter in Hawaii.

Never mind that Najib didn’t get accorded a “state visit’ this time and even more baffling, not even the customary photo-op with Trump before the fireplace under the portrait of George Washington. 

While Najib knew what he wanted from Trump, so did Trump. Absolutely foolish or preposterous to expect them to even mention the “elephant in the room”. Instead, they were in for a tango, only they knew best how to do it.

Najib was willing to do anything and everything it takes to get to Trump’s pleasure. He was willing to jump even before being instructed or told by his host!

Unfolding what he termed a “sound value proposition” before his newly found “imperial master”, Najib presented a detailed list of purchases and investments. 

This, ostensibly, was to placate Trump’s grouses for his recent acceptance of big-ticket inward investments from China and his own pro-China global posturing.

While perhaps oblivious as to where the funding could be raised, Najib has committed to buying 25 Boeing 737s and eight 787 Dreamliners for the national carrier, Malaysia Airlines. The airline’s recovery plan saw the recent injection of RM4 billion to help revitalise the national carrier, after thousands were retrenched.

To further curry favour, Najib revealed that Malaysia’s largest pension funds planned to invest between US$3 billion and US$4 billion to rebuild American infrastructure. Besides that, Khazanah, another sovereign wealth fund, planned to increase its existing US$400 million investment in technology companies in the Silicon Valley.

With the frequent interjection of “Great!” from Trump at every mention of an investment figure by Najib, the meeting, to the latter, was surely very successful.  

With the caption on the front page of a daily tabloid the day after, “Good job, Malaysia!”, Najib is hopeful or perhaps under the delusion that he is home.

Faced with the mounting pressure of a possible defeat in the “Mother of all elections”, this “global grand-standing” from the visit was what Najib frantically wanted.

It matters greatly for Najib, a presidential prime minister, to turn around his position, marked by a deepening trust-deficit and dwindling electoral support… increasingly with even the less discerning rural folk, his main base of political support and power.

It matters least to Najib what it takes to achieve his end-game, even at the expense of pawning Malaysia’s future. Might it be too much to suggest that the Americans know too much of this to accord him the respect due to the leader of a foreign government?

Najib’s attestation of “strengthening the US economy” said it all. It perpetuates and exemplifies the international relations hegemonic maxim “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must”.

Thank you, Mr Prime Minister!  – September 15, 2017.

* Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad is Amanah strategic director.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.