The victory of the Taliban army over the United States’s 20 years occupation has taken the world by storm. Graphic images and videos of Afghans clinging onto the wheel of a US plane before falling to their deaths is one of the many incidences that has piqued the interest of the world in the new regime. Malaysian politicians from both sides of the aisles have not been shy to take the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions on the new regime albeit how premature it all still is. Keep in mind, the Taliban have yet to govern for more than 2 weeks as such there’s not much that can be discerned about their administration.
Muhammad Khalil – PAS
Batu Buruk assemblyman Muhammad Khalil who is also PAS’s Chairman of International Affairs and External Relations Committee were amongst the earliest to issue a public statement on the ongoing development in Afghanistan. In a tweet that has now been taken down, he congratulated the Taliban for their victory and independence after being colonized for 20 years. The sentiment is most likely shared by the other leaders of the party as the party’s mouthpiece Harakah has also shared the remarks made by him on their social media platforms. This is unsurprising considering that PAS has always had the stance of being wary of all US involvement in the middle east.
Syed Saddiq – MUDA
Syed Saddiq was then quick to shoot a TikTok video lambasting Muhammad Khalil for his congratulatory statement for the Taliban’s victory. In the video, Syed Saddiq highlighted a few of the alleged atrocities that were made by the Taliban during their previous rule. One of the main issues that have since been raised against the video by Syed Saddiq is his mentioning of Malala Yousafzai’s shooting by the Taliban. Many have pointed out that the criticism is misplaced since the Taliban organization that shot Malala was the Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is a completely different entity from the Taliban organization that has taken over Afghanistan.
Zuraida Kamaruddin – BERSATU
Zuraida Kamaruddin the minister of plantation industries and commodities has expressed a slightly more pessimistic view on the Taliban compared to her coalition partner PAS. In a statement recently she was quoted saying that the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan would undeniably lead to hostility towards progress and women’s rights there, she then suggested that other Muslim countries also send missions to educate the Islamist organization on women’s empowerment. She has also offered to visit the country personally to guide them on women’s rights and empowerment.
Mat Sabu – AMANAH
Mat Sabu from Amanah has also expressed a different view compared to his coalition partner from MUDA when he released a statement titled “The world is waiting for Taliban to turn Afghanistan open for all”. In his statement, Mat Sabu laid out the chronology touching on the origin of the Taliban until the end of the US occupation. He then ended it by saying that the Taliban’s recent statement is encouraging but requires urgent action from the Taliban to rebuild the nation. This hints that Mat Sabu is optimistic about the future of Afghanistan under the Taliban administration but is hesitant whether they can meet their promise to safeguard the rights of all Afghans.
Nga Kor Ming – DAP
No known public statement has yet been issued by the DAP on the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The radio silence might be an indicator that the party leaders have learned their lessons of issuing statements touching on the topic of the Taliban which some may deem sensitive. Back in 2019, several DAP leaders including the Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming, Chong Chieng Jen, and Howard Lee have alleged that Malaysia will turn into a Taliban state if UMNO & PAS takes over the government. This created an uproar amongst the Malay Muslim populations. The statement has even met with condemnation amongst Malay DAP leaders such as Sheikh Omar Ali who have expressed that Pakatan Harapan leaders should refrain from issuing such extreme statements.
To conclude, the politicians in Malaysia are still quite divided on the issue of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Leaders such as Syed Saddiq views the Taliban from the lens of its past when they ruled the country from 1996 – 2001 and are concerned whether they have changed as they have claimed. Similar concerns are shared by Zuraida Kamaruddin but based on her public statement she believes that the Taliban can be swayed to be more tolerant of women’s rights. On the other hand, Mat Sabu appears to be more optimistic that the Taliban have changed for the better, while also demanding that the Taliban prove that they’re sincere in their promise for change. Leaders from PAS including Muhammad Khalil appear to be the most optimistic that the Taliban have changed. Abdul Hadi Awang, the party president has even gone to claim that the mass pardons by the Taliban to all Afghans who have worked with the US are proof that the change is real.
Based on this analysis we can see that the parties within the different political coalitions are not always in agreement on important matters. This paints a possibility that the different coalitions are formed more due to political expediency rather than a shared ideology or similar viewpoints of Malaysia and the world.
So, have the Taliban changed as they have claimed? This will reveal itself in the next coming months as they attempt to govern the country after 20 years of foreign occupation.