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Details Published on Saturday, 26 April 2014 20:09

PIC: ReutersKUALA LUMPUR: US President Barack Obamas Asian pivot must go beyond trade and security issues to promote democracy, especially in countries like Malaysia, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

The opposition leader said in an opinion piece carried by The Washington Post that the ideals of freedom and democracy must be central to Obamas engagement with the east, as the superpower seeks to reinvigorate its influence.

President Obamas visit to Malaysia this weekend comes at a pivotal time. It would be an opportune moment to live up to the ideals Obama espoused in his campaign and the early days of his administration.

Then, there was hope that US engagement with Muslim countries would be based on mutual respect and mutual interest. Yet as the Arab Spring came and went, hope was eclipsed by disappointment.

It is baffling that the United States can talk about a democratic transition in Egypt today as hundreds of innocent people are sentenced to death while thousands languish in prison, Anwar said.

The former deputy prime minister said that like in the Middle East, Malaysia has been experiencing its own form of an Arab Spring over the past 15 years, with growing discontent over chronic corruption and abuse of power.

He claimed that widespread fraud and gerrymandering by the ruling Barisan Nasional in last years national polls cost his Pakatan Rakyat coalition victory despite firmly securing the popular vote.

For the first time in our history, the voices of reform and democracy represent the majority. In last years general election, the popular vote in favor of the opposition would have swept from power the authoritarian regime of Najib Razak and the party that has ruled Malaysia since its independence in 1957.

In its place would have been the Pakatan Rakyat (Peoples Alliance), poised to push the nation on the path to greater freedom and democracy. Alas, widespread fraud and devious gerrymandering perpetrated by the ruling party, a situation the White House noted, affected the outcome, he said.

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Obamas Asian Pivot Key To Upholding Democracy In Malaysia, Says Anwar