Skip to main content

Mahathir tells Trump to be consistent


NEW YORK -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said there is a need for United States President Donald Trump to be consistent, including over policy matters on Asia.
"Be consistent. If you want to fight us say you want to fight us. If you don't want to fight us and you want (us) to be friends, say so and (let's) be friends," the Malaysian prime minister, who is here for the United Nations General Assembly, said.
He was fielding a question on what would be his advice to Trump to do differently regarding policy in Asia at a meeting with members of the US Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday.
Queried on his assessment of Trump, the 93-year-old Dr Mahathir said he did not know how to make any opinion about the president.
"Because he changes his views even in a matter of hours," he said, citing Trump's  fluctuating stand over whether or not to hold a meeting with the leader of another country as an example.
"So it's very difficult to make out what he wants to do. Dealing with people who are not consistent is a very big problem," the prime minister said. 
Dr Mahathir said he got the impression that the US president "doesn't not know much about Asia and therefore he makes decisions that are not based on realities of the facts on the ground".
"And he seems to be thinking about America and thinking only how to make America great again. He's not thinking about foreign relations," Dr Mahathir said, Bernama report.
The prime minister pointed out that the US response to any particular crisis "is to send warships" which he thought was not a very good idea.
"It creates tension, it's a kind of provocation. That's why Malaysia has expressed its foreign policy in terms of not having warships stationed in that area," he said, referring to key waterways of the South China Sea and the Strait of Melaka.
Queried what the balance of power would look like in Asia and the world in the future, he said: "Fifteen to 20 years from now would mean that Mr Trump is not going to be around. I think that other Americans are quite reasonable people. People realise that peace is better than war.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mahkamah meriah dengan tahanan reman lindungi rumah urut

PUTRAJAYA -- Mahkamah Majistret di sini “meriah” susulan prosiding reman beramai-ramai melibatkan 14 individu termasuk tujuh penjawat awam berkaitan dakwaan memberi dan menerima wang sogokan bagi melindungi premis urut di Kuala Lumpur. Tujuh penjawat awam terbabit ialah tiga anggota polis termasuk seorang ketua balai, seorang pegawai bomba dan tiga petugas Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur. Mereka berserta tiga lagi orang awam yang disyaki berperanan sebagai ‘runner’ atau utusan dibawa ke mahkamah itu pada kira-kira 10 pagi menaiki bas Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM), menyusuli empat lagi individu dipercayai pemilik premis yang tiba di mahkamah itu kira-kira sejam sebelumnya, menaiki van SPRM.    Prosiding reman terhadap kesemua mereka tamat pada kira-kira pukul 1.30 tengah hari denga...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ancaman obor-obor di Pulau Pinang serius

foto: flick.com GEORGE TOWN -- Kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang memandang serius kes sengatan obor-obor berbahaya yang mampu menjejaskan aktiviti pelancongan dan sukan air serta laut di negeri ini. Exco Negeri bagi Seni, Budaya dan Warisan Yeoh Soon Hin berkata  kerajaan negeri telah memberikan dana berjumlah RM10,000 pada tahun 2017 kepada Pusat Kajian Samudera  dan Pantai (CEMACS), Universiti Sains Malaysia untuk mebuat pemantauan taburan dan kepadatan obor-obor berbahaya di perairan Pulau Pinang khususnya di Teluk Bahang, Batu Ferringhi, Tanjung Bungah , Tanjung Tokong dan Pantai Bersih/Robina. "Kajian pemantauan taburan dan kepadatan obor-obor sedang dijalankan bagi tempoh dua tahun yang akan berakhir pada hujung tahun ini. Fenomena obor-obor ini tidak terhad kepada perairan Pulau Pinang tetapi keseluruhan pantai barat termasuk Pulau Langkawi dan Pulau Pangkor. “Peningkatan kes sengatan obor-obor berkemungkinan besar disebabk...
Post a Comment
Read more

Datuk Seri didakwa menipu RM19 juta

SHAH ALAM -- Seorang ahli perniagaan bergelar 'Datuk Seri' dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Sesyen di sini hari ini atas tiga pertuduhan menipu seorang pengarah urusan membabitkan RM19 juta berhubung siasatan projek terowong dasar laut Pulau Pinang, dua tahun lepas. M. G. Gnanaraja, 38, bagaimanapun mengaku tidak bersalah selepas kesemua pertuduhan terhadapnya dibacakan di hadapan Hakim Rozilah Salleh. Dia didakwa memperdayakan pengarah urusan Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd  untuk mempercayai bahawa dia boleh membantu mangsa menutup siasatan yang dimulakan oleh Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) terhadap mangsa di bawah Akta Pencegahan Wang Haram, Pencegahan Pembiayaan Keganasan dan Hasil Daripada Aktiviti Haram 2001. Sehubungan itu, tertuduh didakwa dengan curangnya mendorong pengarah urusan tersebut menyerahkan kepadanya wang tunai RM4 juta dan RM15 juta melalui transaksi akaun Maybank milik Syarikat Visione Construction Sdn Bhd ke akau...
Post a Comment
Read more