Opinion

Alicia Garcia Herrero's picture

Najib leaves sound economic legacy for Mahathir

HONG KONG – In a comment on Mahathir’s victory in Malaysia’s election, Alicia Garcia Herrero, Chief Economist Asia-Pacific for the French banking group, Natixis, says the win has been read with suspicion by many analysts. “My take on it is positive,” she says.

“First of all, the Opposition’s victory confirms the importance that Malaysians attach to the future of their country and their own welfare, despite the heavy weight of history, which would have called for political continuity.

“Second, the election results should not be seen as a one-off event soon to be diluted by the populist announcements made by Mahathir during his campaign, especially as concerns the scrapping of the low –but still annoying - GST tax introduced by Prime Minister Najib.

“To me, this reading of Malaysia’s electoral results is somewhat short-sighted. When citizens ask for a change, they mean it, and Mahathir, especially given his age, will not want to pass to history without, at least, trying to deliver it (after several failed attempts in the past).

Michael Cole's picture

Taiwan offices in China a dangerous idea

TAIPEI — Both the New Taipei City Government and the Taipei City Government have announced plans to open liaison offices in China to assist Taiwanese citizens and promote business ties.
In the current context, such plans hold many pitfalls, and could play into Beijing’s efforts to bypass and discredit central Government institutions in Taiwan.
Announcements by New Taipei City Mayor, Eric Chu, of the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, an independent, prompted a response from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) emphasising that decisions on initiatives pertaining to cross-Strait relations are the remit of the Central Government.
 

Alex Wolf's picture

Defy Xi, defy China Constitution

China’s 19th Party Congress has concluded with Xi Jinping cementing his role as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. There is no need to restate how powerful Xi is; he is only the third leader to have his name included in the Constitution and the first living leader to be included since Mao Zedong.

While this was broadly anticipated, it is no less significant.

 

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