SCENESETTER FOR VISIT TO MALAYSIA BY AMBASSADOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 000958 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/GWI PLEASE PASS TO AMBASSADOR VERVEER E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2019 TAGS: KWMN PREL PGOV GTIP MY SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR VISIT TO MALAYSIA BY AMBASSADOR FOR GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISSUES MELANNE VERVEER Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES R. KEITH FOR REASONS 1.4 (B AND D). Summary and Introduction -------------- ¶1. (C) Madam Ambassador, Embassy Kuala Lumpur warmly welcomes your visit to Malaysia. U.S.-Malaysia relations are changing across a wide range of bilateral and multilateral settings. In his first seven months in office, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has demonstrated a more pragmatic and action-oriented approach than his predecessor. Najib has explicitly endorsed strengthened ties with the United States. The challenge is for Malaysia to translate his words into deeds in priority areas for us ranging from non-proliferation and contributions to the effort in Afghanistan, to combating trafficking in persons. Najib realizes Malaysia needs economic reforms to stay competitive so he is pushing for increased economic liberalization. Prospects for political reform are much less certain because the ruling National Front coalition depends on controlling the levers of power and patronage, while Islamic influence in society is increasing. The ruling party and its political opposition are dominated by ethnic Malays who view the world increasingly through the prism of Middle East politics. ¶2. (C) In the wake of the President's Cairo speech, your visit provides an excellent opportunity to engage the Malaysian government and society on the increasingly salient topic of women's issues and rights in this moderate Muslim country. Your interview with Al-Jazeera will get out our message on women's issues to both the domestic audience and a regional one. Malaysian leaders recognize the importance of improving the status of women in Malaysia, including addressing glass ceilings and domestic violence. They have stated publicly that Islam grants women full equality with men, but in practice there are clear concerns. Women's Affairs Minister Shahrizat will be keen to exchange views with you on these issues, as will the women entrepreneurs and NGOs with whom you meet while in Kuala Lumpur. On the issue of trafficking in persons (TIP) and Malaysia's designation as a Tier III country, we have emphasized our desire to partner with Malaysia in combating TIP, while seeking from them concrete actions in the areas of labor-trafficking prosecutions, implementation of a public awareness campaign and improved victim identification and protection. END SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION. The Broader Relationship in Context -------------- ¶3. (C) Robust trade and investment ties remain the solid foundation of our relationship with Malaysia, our 18th largest trading partner (bilateral trade totaled USD 44 billion in 2008). The GOM has been an important partner on counterterrorism when it serves Malaysia's own security interests, and we enjoy expanding law enforcement cooperation as well as evolving military-to-military ties. Our people-to-people ties build on decades of Malaysian students studying in America (5,400 Malaysian students studied in the U.S. during in 2007-2008). The emergence of new administrations in both our countries has provided expanded opportunities to pursue vigorous public outreach to often-skeptical, but now more receptive, Muslim Malay audiences. The Status of Women -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Women's Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has called for placing more women in decision-making positions. Minister Shahrizat was responsible for successfully pushing for a constitutional amendment barring gender discrimination in August 2001. She has identified four major adversities facing women in Malaysia today: the repercussions of the recession; work-life balance; the gender gap; and violence against women. Shahrizat's Deputy, Chew Mei Fun, told the media on November 26 that women still faced discrimination in Malaysia and cited increasing domestic violence (3,769 reported incidents in 2008) and rape cases. The Women's Ministry is currently putting together an Action Plan "to fast track women into decision-making positions in both the public and private sectors." The GOM has agreed that women should hold 30 percent of senior positions in the public sector and wants the private sector to emulate this policy. ¶5. (SBU) Women in Malaysia have made significant progress toward gender equality, not facing the kind of wholesale economic and social discrimination against women found in some predominantly Muslim countries. The GOM has ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of KUALA LUMP 00000958 002 OF 003 Discrimination Against Women and Malaysia's five-year development plans have included sections on the advancement of women. There are 23 women Members of Parliament, about 10 percent of the total (222),and 17 out of 68 Senators are women, while only two of 32 Cabinet Members are women. Women, especially in the poorest states of Kelantan and Terengganu, face disproportionately high rates of poverty and lack access to health care. Women were said to be disproportionately affected by the recent economic downturn. NGOs claim that women face de facto job and salary discrimination in Malaysia. NGOs such as Sisters in Islam have also called attention to the case of a Muslim woman, Kartika, who has been sentenced to be caned under Syariah law for consuming alcohol, pointing out that such Islamic laws are enforced selectively. NGOs are also concerned about unfair treatment of women under syariah law, which covers divorce, inheritance, child custody and other family-related issues. Societal onus is also placed on women to avoid dressing in ways that can provoke sexual harassment and abuse. Trafficking in Persons and Human Rights -------------- ¶6. (SBU) On June 16, the U.S. designated Malaysia as a Tier III TIP country, for lack of significant efforts to combat human trafficking. Areas identified in our annual TIP report where problems were especially acute, included: labor trafficking, prosecutions of traffickers, and victim identification and protection. In the months following its designation and our comprehensive engagement, the Malaysian Government has taken a number of measures. The GOM has arrested immigration officials in connection with the trafficking of Burmese refugees at the Thai border (the subject of an US Senate Foreign Relations Committee report); shared with us a five-year National TIP Action Plan; issued prosecutorial directives on the handling of TIP cases under the guidance of the Attorney General's Chambers; and hosted a number of trainings designed to educate law enforcement officers on how to investigate and charge cases under the new Anti-TIP Act. The GOM is also negotiating a new MOU with Indonesia that would drop any provisions for employers to hold migrant workers' passports. TIP Ambassador CdeBaca visited Kuala Lumpur August 25-27 and met with several senior government officials, including Foreign Minister Anifah Aman. ¶7. (SBU) On November 10, we presented the GOM, including the Women's Minister, Foreign Minister, Home Affairs Minister and Human Resources Minister, an outline of U.S. recommendations on specific TIP issues the Malaysian government should focus its efforts on in advance of our 2010 TIP review, which begins early next year. We have also proactively engaged with the GOM in providing a range of technical assistance and training to help build their capacity to combat trafficking. Over the last several months, the Mission has participated in two training sessions for Malaysian law enforcement officials and prosecutors, hosted a two-day seminar for journalists reporting on TIP issues, and will coordinate two weeks of U.S. Department of Justice training for 80 law enforcement professionals in December. Foreign Policy and Foreign Relations -------------- ¶8. (C) Malaysia's foreign policy is not well aligned with that of the United States. Instead, it is Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)-centric which leads Malaysia to vote opposite the U.S. position on almost all important UN issues, and is unlikely to change dramatically. Although the GOM has recently expressed willingness to cooperate with international efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Malaysia undercut its credibility in this area on November 25 when it was one of only three IAEA Board of Governors members (along with Cuba and Venezuela) to vote against a German-sponsored IAEA resolution calling for increased cooperation from Iran. U.S. support for Malaysia joining the Somalia anti-piracy Contact Group was a useful start to moving Malaysia toward more engagement in multilateral security structures. We are encouraging Malaysia to play a more active role in helping build capacity in Afghanistan. Malaysia is a leading member of ASEAN, and could play a more positive role in Southeast Asian conflict resolution and ASEAN's approach to Burma to bring about democratic change in that country. The one foreign policy issue that resonates most profoundly with the Malaysian public is the Israel-Palestine conflict, where predominantly Muslim Malaysians (55 percent of the population) identify with the Palestinians and attack U.S. support of Israel. KUALA LUMP 00000958 003 OF 003 Domestic Politics -------------- ¶9. (C) The broader domestic context is more settled than a year ago, but worrisome factors are still embedded in the system. Najib came to power as Prime Minister in April 2009 in the midst of domestic political discord that raises long-term questions regarding the continued dominance of his ruling UMNO party, in power since independence in 1957. He replaced former PM Abdullah Badawi, who was eased out after the ruling National Front (BN) coalition lost its near-perpetual two-thirds majority control of Parliament--and five of 13 states--in the March 2008 general elections. Najib successfully presided over the recent UMNO national convention, which bolstered his leadership, but is finding it challenging to identify and implement popular political reform measures while maintaining UMNO's tight control over state levers of power and patronage. With a weakened ruling coalition, a consolidating opposition, and a more sophisticated electorate with access to more information, Malaysians are struggling to adjust to a new and more competitive political environment. ¶10. (SBU) Malaysia's judiciary is not independent and the ruling party has far too much power to circumscribe freedoms of assembly, expression, and the press. In particular, the ruling party has embarked upon an effort to modernize the Internal Security Act, which permits extended detention without judicial review. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim remains at risk of imprisonment over what most observers would agree are politicized charges of sodomy, a violation of criminal law in Malaysia. In recent months, the ruling party has backed off its aggressive pursuit of the opposition leader, but circumstances could change. The Economy and Trade Relations with the U.S. -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Malaysia,s economy is expected to contract around five percent in 2009 and recover slowly in 2010. The global recession led to dramatic declines in exports and investment this year in Malaysia, resulting in a recession since the first quarter of 2009. Malaysian policy makers responded with monetary easing and two fiscal stimulus packages worth a total of USD 19 billion, but the Central Bank does not expect a rebound until the fourth quarter of 2009 because Malaysia remains dependent on the resumption of growth in its key export markets, including the U.S., the EU, and Japan. Hence, the political stakes are high for Najib, who must ensure that the economy continues to provide growth and prosperity to a large middle class. Najib has used the recession to push forward economic reforms needed to keep Malaysia competitive. Najib's recognition that reforms are needed also presents opportunities for our trade and investment agenda specifically with regard to market access issues related to government procurement and competition policy, among others. While it is not yet ready to join, Malaysia is interested in discussions related to the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional trade agreement. If it decided to join, it could make use of much of the work done during the U.S.-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement negotiations. KEITH