- 期刊
Malaysia-India Bilateral Relations: History, Issues, Challenges and Prospects
摘要
India ranks among the top 10 trading partners of Malaysia for the last 10 years, and it has the largest Indian diaspora outside of India. However, in terms of politics there seems to be a lack of robustness in the bilateral relations despite the long and rich political history. During the early phase of relations since Malayan independence in 1957, Malaysia-India relations were viewed as 'strong and close'. There were many reciprocal visits by leaders underscored by a spirit of collaboration and cooperation. However, there is not much awareness among the people on the extent and depth of bilateral cooperation. The main objective of this paper is to recollect some of the historical events that enabled Malaysia-India cooperation especially under the premiership of Tunku Abdul Rahman. Second, the paper suggests that the relationship established during the Tunku-Nehru era of the 1950s and 1960s was marked by a high degree of political consensus during the Cold War phase on how developing countries should work together for mutual empowerment in the international system. Nevertheless, challenges lie ahead for India in transitioning from the Look East Policy to the Act East Policy. Finally, the paper argues that while the bilateral relationship has generally been cordial, there have been some hiccups that pose as challenges in the third decade of the 21^(st) century.