VZCZCXRO6623
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #0835/01 2950511
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O 220511Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3279
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2639
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0107
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2678
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000835 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL PGOV MY CH
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 
LUNCH WITH MALAYSIAN POLITICIANS AND CIVIL SOCIETY 
REPRESENTATIVES 
 
¶1. (SBU) September 28, 2009; 12:30 p.m.; The Ambassador's 
residence; Kuala Lumpur. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Participants: 
 
U.S. 
---- 
The Deputy Secretary 
Ambassador Keith 
Ambassador Joseph DeTrani, Directorate of National 
Intelligence 
Joseph Donovan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State 
Scot Marciel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, EAP 
Derek Mitchell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
Defense 
Rear Admiral Joseph Leidig, Joint Chiefs of Staff 
Pamela Park, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary 
Brian McFeeters, Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy Kuala 
Lumpur (notetaker) 
 
MALAYSIA 
-------- 
Nur Jazlan, Member of Parliament (MP), United Malays National 
Organization (UMNO) 
Charles Santiago, MP, Democratic Action Party (DAP) 
Dzulkifly Ahmad, MP, Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) 
Michael Yeoh, CEO, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute 
Ibrahim Suffian, Merdeka Center (Principle Polling 
Organization in Malaysia) 
Ms. Ivy Josiah, Executive Director, Women's Aid Organization 
Ms. Tricia Yeoh, Economic advisor to the Chief Minister of 
Selangor State 
 
¶3. (SBU) SUMMARY:  A diverse group of Malaysian 
Parliamentarians and civil society representatives told 
Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg at a September 28 
luncheon that Malaysians looked favorably on the United 
States and were interested in President Obama's message of 
outreach to the Muslim world.  At the same time, many were 
waiting to see results of the new U.S. approach on the 
ground, particularly in the Middle East, where 
Israel-Palestine and Iran are sensitive issues.  Most saw 
China's growing influence as favorable since it meant more 
financial and commercial investment in Southeast Asia, though 
one Parliamentarian noted concerns about China's military 
development.  NGO representatives suggested that the USG 
provide the GOM with training on identifying trafficking 
victims and operating victim shelters.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶4. (SBU) At a September 28 luncheon hosted by the Ambassador, 
Deputy Secretary Steinberg told a group of Parliamentarians 
from both the ruling and opposition parties, civil society 
leaders and academics that the United States sought stronger 
relations with Malaysia in line with its decision to devote 
more attention to the political stability and economic 
development of Southeast Asia.  Malaysia, he said, 
exemplified Islamic beliefs coexisting with a pluralist 
democracy and its role in international organizations such as 
the Non-aligned Movement and the Organization of the Islamic 
Conference made it a valuable channel for overcoming 
North-South misperceptions.  He asked for suggestions on 
improving U.S.-Malaysia relations and about U.S. foreign 
policy in Asia and the Middle East. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Parliamentarian Jazlan, from the ruling United 
Malays National Organization (UMNO) party, replied that 
U.S.-Malaysian relations would improve if the U.S. were 
willing to talk about Malaysian interests generally, rather 
than just about counter-terrorism.  He added that most 
Malaysians saw the U.S.-Malaysian relationship primarily in 
economic terms, but that China's growing influence in Asia 
convinced him that mil-to-mil relations were also important. 
Parliamentarian from the opposition Democratic Action Party 
(DAP) Santiago said President Obama's election had led 
Malaysians to question why Malaysia did not give equal 
opportunities to all races.  Most other comments focused not 
on U.S.-Malaysian relations per se, but on the U.S. global 
role, particularly in the Middle East and Afghanistan. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Parliamentarian from the opposition People's Islamic 
Party (PAS) Dzulkifly, describing himself as an "Islamic 
democrat," said that Malaysians had welcomed President 
Obama's outreach to the Muslim world including his June 
speech in Cairo.  However, "after the early excitement," some 
were beginning to wonder whether concrete policy responses 
would follow.    Merdeka Center's Suffian said that polls 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000835  002 OF 002 
 
 
consistently show that the Malaysian public's main foreign 
policy interest is in Palestine.  The plight of the 
Palestinian people was an emotional issue for Malaysians, the 
only foreign policy issue that many Malaysians cared about, 
Jazlan added.  NGO activist Josiah said not to underestimate 
the hatred that many Malaysians feel toward Israel.  Suffian 
said news about Israel and Palestine comes largely from Arab 
media sources, whereas most Malaysians don't believe CNN and 
BBC reporting about the Middle East.  He added that 
Malaysians were quite interested in the USG's efforts to make 
progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace and respected President 
Obama for making a renewed effort. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Turning to the U.S. role in Afghanistan, Suffian 
said that educated Malaysians saw U.S. involvement there as 
important for regional security; this contrasted with views 
of Iraq operations as an unjustified occupation.  Jazlan 
added that some young Malaysians saw U.S. operations in 
Afghanistan as anti-Muslim; it was important to educate them 
and "pull them back into the mainstream."  Santiago added 
that Malaysians understood that Afghanistan and Pakistan 
would only become more unstable if the U.S. were to withdraw. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Jazlan said that he personally believed that Iran 
was likely buying time until it could complete development of 
nuclear weapons, so he understood the need for international 
nonproliferation efforts.  However, "because of Israel," any 
U.S. action against Iran "would not be popular in Malaysia." 
Dzulkifly disagreed with Jazlan's first point, saying that it 
was clear to him that Iran was pursuing the peaceful use of 
nuclear energy "and nothing beyond that."  He argued that 
U.S. moves against Iran would be seen as destabilizing a 
now-stable situation. 
 
¶9. (SBU) In reply to Deputy Steinberg's mention of 
anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) efforts as a USG priority 
that he spent considerable time on, Josiah said that the GOM 
needed training on identifying victims, sheltering those 
victims, and a focus on victim protection while trafficking 
cases were being prepared, rather than rapid repatriation of 
foreign victims.  Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute CEO 
Michael Yeoh, also a Commissioner on the Malaysian Human 
Rights Commission, agreed that TIP capacity building 
assistance was needed.  Santiago added that he welcomed the 
attention to Malaysia's trafficking problem, which he had 
raised in Parliament, but that additional attention to 
Malaysians trafficked out of Malaysia to Japan and Europe was 
also needed. 
 
¶10. (U) Deputy Secretary Steinberg cleared this message. 
KEITH