CHAPTER

13

MALAYSIA’S
POLICIES ON
REGIONAL
AND WORLD
AFFAIRS
COMMONWEALTH ORGANISATION
 An organisation of former, independent
British colonies
 The organisation symbolises an association
of effective interwoven networking that
holds together the former colonial
territories & British protectorates (Australia,
New Zealand, Canada, India & Sri Lanka
 Malaysia is the Commonwealth
Secretariat for drawing up technical
corporation programmes – technology
management, agricultural training,
environment and remote sensing
 Commonwealth members
 Total 54 members
 Antigua and Barbuda, Australia Bahamas,
Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei,
Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, India,
Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique,
Namibia, Nauru, Pakistan, Rwanda, Gambia,
Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya,
Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria,
Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, UK,
Vanuatu, Zambia
Programme
 Cooperation in trade, research & economy
and social aid
 Commonwealth Speaker-speaker Conference-
1987
 Conference of Heads -1989 Kuala Lumpur
 Colombo Plan
 Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship
Plan
 Commonwealth fund
 Issues of Antarctica as Common World
Heritage
Organisation of Islamic Countries
(OIC)
 OIC was set up in May 1971
 Was known as Islamic Commonwealth of
Islamic Secretariat
 Total number of members : 43 countries
 Malaysia involvement since Tunku Abdul
Rahman
 OIC
Objective
 Forge closer unity & corporation among
member countries economically, socially,
culturally and science
 Firm up cooperative efforts to protect
honour, independence and national
rights
 Solve problems of dispute involving Islamic
nations
 Eliminate any oppression & colonialism to
bring about universal peace
Programme
 Islamic Unity Fund - set up after the Islamic Summit
Conference – 1974
 Studies of the History and Islamic Civilisation and the
Arabic Language
 International Islamic University of Malays
 International Islamic University of Nigeria
 International seminar or symposiums
 UNESCO

 UNESCO = United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organisation
 Objective
 Develop knowledge particularly
science
 Have close cooperation to eliminate
illiteracy
 Improve the level of cooperation in
education and culture to create world
unity & welfare
UNESCO programme
International seminars and
conferences
Publication of courier using various
language
Financial aid amounting to US49.8
million form the United State to
UNESCO between 1981- 1983
 Malaysia's Role In The United
Nations
 Malaysia start to join UN = 17th September
1957
 In 1965 and 1989, Malaysia was elected to
be a member of the Security Council
 On the issue of human rights, Malaysia
believes in being vocal and has expressed
its concern over several matters
 Examples:
 Malaysia's fight for the civil rights of the
Palestinians
 organized the International
Conference for Palestine, monitored
by the UN
 In the area of drug abuse
 Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was
elected chairperson of the
International Drug Conference in
Australia in June 1987.
Joined forces with the UN in
advocating peace in many
countries.
It began in 1960, when Malaysia
sent troops to Congo and much
later to Iraq, Angola, Mozambique
and Somalia.
South-South Cooperation
 Objective:
 To have effective cooperation among the
countries of the south to face the present
economic system
 To structure the economy involving all the
countries of the world
 To determine the mandate and objective
of the South Cooperation
 Programe
 Dialogue to form New International Economic Order
 Commission Fund
 Meeting of Expert Groups
 Bilateral Payments Arrangement to encourage
trade among South-south Countries
 Malaysian technical cooperation in the Carribean,
Cambodia, Laos, Myammar, Vietnam, Argentina,
Chile
 Group of 15 (G15)
 Malaysia as pioneer in programmes for investment
data exchange and South-South Trade and
Technology
 ASEAN
 The Association of the South East Asian Nations
 Proposed by Tunku Abdul Rahman
 Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia & Philippines
 8 August 1967, signed a declaration of the
establishment of ASEAN in Bangkok
Members
 Total = 10 countries
 1984 – Brunei joined.
 1997 – Vietnam, Loas & Myammar

Objectives;
 Speed up economic growth, social &
cultural progress
 Nurture and protect regional peace &
stability founded on justice and the laws
based on the Charter of the UN
 Programmes
 ASEAN has declared this region free from
interference by any external powers as a matter of
security.
 The concept of ZOPFAN (Zone of Peace, Free and
Neutrality) was introduced.
 ASEAN region should be free from the battle
ground of nuclear energy and accepted the
concept of South-East Asian Nuclear-Weapon Free-
Zone (SEANWFZ)
 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
 ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Conference (EAEC)
 Conducted Conference of Heads Of
ASEAN Countries for example conference
in 1976 in Bali, 1977 in Kuala Lumpur
 Established permanent committees to
discuss the pursuit of economy and social
development eg Trade and Tourism
Committee, Culture and information
committee
 Cooperate on the fields of social and
culture included aspects of culture and
arts, sports and telecommunications, such
as SEA games, ASEAN Films Festival,
ASEAN Arts and Cultural Festival,
broadcasting exchange between RTM
with TVRI and RTB.
 Cooperate on the fields of social and culture
included aspects of culture and arts, sports and
telecommunications, such as SEA games, ASEAN
Films Festival, ASEAN Arts and Cultural Festival,
broadcasting exchange between RTM with TVRI
and RTB.
 Cooperation in education was aimed at sharing
expertise with students form other countries.
 Established the South-East Asian Ministers of
Education Organisation (SEAMOA).
 Its implement through specialist institutions was
distributed to several ASEAN countries
Strategies
 Regional cooperation
 Shared boundaries
 Maintains relations with the Peoples’
Republic of China
 Diplomatic relations with Vietnam
 Cooperation in industry, agricultural,
forestry, transportation, mining, energy,
tourism, banking & finance
 Problems of refugees, drugs