The Struggle for Recognition in Foreign Policy: Malaysia Under Mahathir 1981-2003
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LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE The Struggle for Recognition in Foreign Policy: Malaysia under Mahathir 1981-2003 Ahmad Faisal Muhamad A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations 2 0 0 8 UMI Number: U615265 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615265 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 p L~1 1 QrtHhUbrar)t of PoWica «wk1 Economic Soencf- I IHtSHS"? AUTHOR DECLARATION I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Ahmad Faisal Muhamad The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without prior consent of the author. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I understand that in the event of my thesis not being approved by the examiners, this declaration will become void. To my family, fo r everything. ABSTRACT This thesis aims to understand the motivation underpinning Malaysia’s foreign policy during the period when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was its prime minister (1981-2003). In particular, it questions the adequacy of understanding Malaysia’s foreign policy as being driven only by concerns for security and a search for acquisition of wealth. This thesis proposes that the desire to seek recognition was also significant, even if it might not be, in some instances, the driver of Malaysia’s foreign policy. In exploring the quest for recognition, this thesis adopts a qualitative method of inquiry. It discusses the ‘belief system’ of Mahathir and uses both public and private pronouncements of his beliefs as evidence of the importance of his personal quest for recognition as compared to other motives of enhancing security and wealth acquisition. For this purpose, this thesis draws on Axel Honneth’s insights on the struggle for recognition in order to offer a systematic understanding of the different modes of recognition. The case studies of this thesis focus on three separate foreign policy addressees - the developing countries of the ‘South’, the Islamic ummah and the countries of East Asia. These three respective areas pertaining to Malaysia’s foreign policy issues were given significant emphasis by Mahathir and received special attention by foreign policy decision - makers. In addition, they make appropriate case studies because understandings of their importance are generally attributed only to the country’s search for security or its economic interest. In answering the question to what extent the desire for recognition enhances our understanding of Malaysia’s foreign policy under Mahathir, this thesis concludes that in some areas of policy, the search for recognition was a dominant, and almost an over-arching motivation. In other areas, the struggle for recognition remained significant, even though it might not have been the primary motivation. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Completing this thesis would not have been possible without the encouragement, support and assistance from so many agencies and private individuals. I would like to acknowledge the scholarship awarded to me by the Public Services Department of Malaysia. I also benefited from a travel grant and financial assistance from the London School of Economics during the course of my Ph.D. I would like to express my deep gratitude towards the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia (Wisma Putra). My heartfelt thanks especially to Dato’ Seri Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar, Foreign Minister, for his support. I am also greatly indebted to my former bosses Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Mohamad and Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi Hj. Abdul Razak, former Secretaries General of the Foreign Ministry, who have both inspired, encouraged and assisted me to pursue this academic challenge. Further, I feel extremely lucky that Tan Sri Rastam Mohd. Isa, the current Secretary General, is also very understanding and believes in the value of training. Other Wisma Putra officials have been very co-operative in providing their insights and relevant materials, which have been tremendously helpful. To respect their appeals for anonymity, not all interviews can be cited in this thesis. Among those citable interviewees, I would like to record my appreciation to Tan Sri Hasmy Agam and Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid for their time and frank discussions. I have also been assisted in many ways by the Human Resources (Training) Division of Wisma Putra and would like to thank especially Datin Rashidah Ramli, Nur Ashikin Mohd. Taib, Adina Kamarudin and Mohd. Farid Mohd. Arif. Thanks also to my colleagues at the Office of the Secretary General - Zamruni, Rozian, Ikram, Nurlila, Azizah and Jaafar. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to my other good friends at the Ministry for their encouragement, support, and assistance - Raja Nushirwan, Sharrina, Siti Hajjar, Agus and Shazelina. The Malaysian High Commission in London has also been particularly helpful to me throughout my stay in London. I am especially grateful to the High Commissioner, Datuk Abd. Aziz Mohammed and Madam Datin Munah Abd. Razak. I would also like to especially thank Dato’ Nafisah Mohamed, Ambassador Zainal Abidin Ahmad and Madam Shireen, Col. Md. Tajri Alwi and Madam Rosnani, Rustam Yahya, Rostam Affendi Salleh, Nadzirah Osman, Melvin Castelino, Nur Azman Abdul Rahim, Abdul Nasir Ibrahim, Nuraini Abd. Aziz and Zaharizan Zahari. I wish to express my appreciation to Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad for our candid and insightful conversation. I also thank his officials, Datuk Dr. Badariah Arshad for also giving me an interview, and Adzlin Azhar, for arranging my interview with Tun. Thanks also to Datuk Zainuddin Maidin, for his insights, and his private secretary, Azian Hamid for arranging our meeting. I also thank my good friend, Zakiah Jaafar of the Malaysian Economic Planning Unit, who assisted me with the economic statistical data. At LSE, I would like to thank Jackie Woodley and Sue Stocker of Butlers Wharf Administration. I made many good friends while living at Butlers and I would like to thank them all for their wonderful friendships, especially Chiara, Heidi, Lars, Maria Jose, Ralf, Satsuki, Shook and Sotiria. Other friends at LSE have also made my years in London truly memorable. Thanks especially to Adriano, Francisco, Humayun, Joe, Mike, Trygve, Urban, and the ‘support group’ of Q103 IR Research Students’ room, in particular, Annika, Jafri, Kenny and Stacy. Some good friends volunteered to read this thesis at different points of its conception, and provided me with valuable comments and suggestions. I thank Matthew Austin, Ken Courtenay, Lars Kavli and Charles Tyler, for their assistance. I am so grateful to Lars, not only for reading the entire final draft, but also for suggesting the novels that I should read and the music I should listen to, in order to balance my academic life in London. Another good friend, Benedikt Gamharter acts as my personal IT advisor and is always available to tackle any problem I encounter. Furthermore, I am grateful to his family who hosted me in their lovely home over Christmas 2007 and gave me the magnificent Viennese Christmas experience I truly enjoyed. I wish to record my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Jurgen Haacke, not only for his excellent theoretical insights, but also for his faith in me, patience and encouragement. I would also like to thank Amran and Charles, and the rest of the Champor - Champor family, for not only feeding me with fabulous food at their award winning restaurant, but also for the generosity they lavished on me as an honorary member of their loving family. Last but not least, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my parents and siblings who have supported me so strongly and so unselfishly throughout. I dedicate this thesis to them. TABLE OF CONTENTS Author declaration................................................. i Abstract..................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgement....................................... iv Table of contents ...................................................................................................... vi Acronyms and Terminologies................................................................................................ x Chapter 1 Introduction....................................... 1 1.1. Literature Review .......................................................................................... 3 1.2. Addressing the Puzzle - The Significance of Recognition...................... 20 1.3. Selection of Case Studies ............................................................................. 22 1 ,4. The Method of Study ...................................................................................