Raised eyebrows as Anwar turns to convicted Thai strongman Thaksin for advice on Asean

Social media have been abuzz with reactions to Anwar Ibrahim's appointment of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to advise him on Asean affairs when Malaysia assumes chairmanship of the regional pact next year, with many expressing shock at the choice of the convicted billionaire whose rule was tainted by corruption and a violent supression of Muslims in the south.

While many see humour in the fact that both politicians were once convicted and imprisoned - Thaksin for corruption and Anwar for sodomy - diplomats said the appointment showed that Malaysia was starting its chairmanship of Asean on the wrong foot.

At least one former ambassador questioned whether the prime minister trusted the Thai leader more than the team of foreign policy experts at Wisma Putra.

"What is he up to? Does that mean he is not up to the task? Does it mean that the foreign ministry  and our own foreign policy establishment are not capable of advising him, that he needs the help of someone from another country?" said the veteran diplomat, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Meanwhile, former Malaysian ambassador Dennis Ignatius described the appointment as "weird" and "completely unnecessary".

"Normally, Asean countries use their tenure as chairman to showcase their leadership and make their own unique contribution to strengthening Asean," Ignatius, a veteran diplomat with more than three decades of experience who served as Malaysia's ambassador to Chile, Argentina and Canada, as well as in various diplomatic posts in London, Beijing and Washington, told MalaysiaNow.

Ignatius questioned whether Anwar could not find suitable advisers and suggested Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz as a suitable candidate.

"Besides, Thaksin - a very controversial figure - is a strange choice. Najib would be better qualified," he said, referring to jailed former prime minister Najib Razak.

"This is bound to raise eyebrows in Asean capitals," he added.

'Message of regression'

Echoing this, an expert described Anwar's choice of Thaksin as a "curious departure" from Malaysia's legacy of leading global organisations.

Geopolitical analyst Samirul Ariff Othman said Thaksin's appointment indicated a lack of confidence in the country’s ability to lead Asean, at a time when Malaysian talent was no longer sought after by global institutions.

"Today, appointing a foreigner with a controversial legacy risks sending a message of regression. If Malaysia wants to reclaim its standing as a confident, capable leader in Asean, it needs to reinvest in its local experts and diplomats," Samirul, an adjunct professor at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, told MalaysiaNow.

Samirul cited Malaysia's past engagements with the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Islamic Development Bank, as well as the contributions of Razali Ismail, one of Malaysia's best-known diplomats who once chaired the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, saying this showed that the country had "long been a reservoir of diplomatic talent".

"Why, many Malaysians ask, turn to a foreign figure when the country has historically produced exceptional diplomats and strategists who shaped not only Asean but also global institutions?"

Thaksin's appointment was announced by Anwar at a joint press conference with the Thai leader's daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Putrajaya yesterday.

"Thank you for agreeing to this because we need the benefit of the experience of such a statesman," Anwar said.

Thaksin, who was overthrown in a military coup in 2006 before going into exile in Dubai, was convicted of corruption and abuse of power in 2008, the same year Anwar was charged with sodomising an aide, for which he was convicted and imprisoned before being granted royal pardon in 2018.

Last year, he returned to Thailand and was sentenced to eight years in prison, only to be commuted to one year through a royal decree. 

Even then, Thaksin did not spend a single day in prison after complaining of health problems. In May this year, the Bangkok Post reported that he violated his parole by holidaying in Phuket, where he briefly met Anwar.

Samirul said that while Thaksin brought a wealth of government experience and international connections, the billionaire politician's contentious past, particularly the 2004 massacre of Muslim protesters in Narathiwat, could not be ignored.

"The Tak Bai massacre, a tragic episode under his watch as Thai prime minister, still resonates painfully among Malaysia’s Malay-Muslim majority," he said. "For many, it’s a scar that cannot be easily overlooked, no matter how rehabilitated Thaksin appears in Thailand’s political landscape."

On Oct 25, 2004, Thai military and police violently cracked down on thousands of protesters outside the Tak Bai police station in Narathiwat, southern Thailand, shooting dead seven protesters.

The army later crammed some 1,300 people into 26 military trucks, with 78 of them suffocating during transport to a detention centre 150 km away. Human Rights Watch reported that many other detainees were denied medical care, resulting in amputations and other serious injuries.