India Malaysia relation

 The Malaysian Prime Minister’s speech in India, with its references to Vivekananda, the Mahatma, Tagore and Nehru, is a pointer to how the world still holds them in high esteem

State visit of Malaysia PM to India

state visit to India last month (August 19-21, 2024), Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivered a lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs on August 20. 

Its subject was “Towards a Rising Global South: Leveraging on Malaysia-India Ties”. 

High praise

India is prepared to shape the Global South

 India’s excellent G20 Chairmanship last year and the inaugural Voice of Global South Summits made it amply clear that India is prepared to shape the Global South agenda with its partners, hand in hand”.

Nehru’s reputation abroad 

This would have been music to the ears of the Narendra Modi government but not so his references to India’s leadership that emerged from the freedom movement and the leader who gave shape to the Republic in its formative years — Jawaharlal Nehru. 

Mr. Anwar’s words about Nehru show that despite all the efforts of the Sangh Parivar, Nehru’s reputation abroad has not been tarnished. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Sangh Indeed, nehru  is held responsible for almost all of the current national ills. But what Mr. Anwar says on Nehru is indicative of how large numbers globally continue to view him.

Mr. Anwar recalled Nehru’s association with Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and thereafter spoke evocatively about Nehru. 

He said

 “To bring freedom and opportunity to the common man, to the peasants and workers of India; to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman”.

 The legacy of the founding fathers is not merely a testament to their time, but a timeless beacon / signal for guidance , urging us to dream, to strive, and to forge ahead with undaunted courage and unshakeable resolve”.

Still relevant

Swami Vivekananda  

Significantly, Mr. Anwar began his address by quoting Swami Vivekananda on the ‘march’ of ideas from this land accompanied by words which had “blessings” behind them and “peace” before them. 

 Gandhiji had said

“‘Hate the sin and not the sinner’ is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practi[s]ed, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.”

Tagore 

"मुझे खतरों से बचने के लिए प्रार्थना नहीं करनी चाहिए, बल्कि उनका सामना करने में निडर होने की प्रार्थना करनी चाहिए"।

“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them”.

 ignored by the colonialists  

Right-wing ideologues may assert that this is because they belonged to indigenous cultural traditions which were ignored by the colonialists and that that tendency continues. 

The fact is that the timeless message of spiritual unity of Vivekananda, the universalism of Tagore and Gandhiji’s emphasis on non-violence also derived from indigenous Indian traditions but eschewed muscular exclusivism.

 And, Nehru’s ideal of an inclusive, modern society animated by the scientific spirit was a beacon light for many newly decolonised countries as it should be to India today.

The broad view

India’s present policies to ensure that the power of digital technologies are harnessed for popular welfare are gaining the positive attention of the Global South.

 These are practical measures which have great importance in the lives of the impoverished everywhere and are important for governance. 

They evoke foreign admiration but in the realm of political and social philosophies, the ideologues of the Parivar do not inspire as do Gandhiji and Nehru and others who Mr. Anwar mentioned. And, this can hardly be attributed to the conspiracies of left liberals.

Source the hindu