But read here. Does it really seem so absurd after all? Or is it something that we just shudder to think about?
Here is an excerpt:
In a commentary by the Jakarta Post on July 11, it said Malaysian leaders were laboring under an old paradigm that said a nation could have either development or democracy, but not both. “The lengths the government went to in trying to prevent and then break up the Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday shows that the nation’s leaders were still not prepared to let go — even when an increasing number of Malaysians of all races have been pressing for more freedom and justice.
“We have news for them: You can be rich and free at the same time,” the editorial wrote.
Adnan was quoted as having said that the Malaysian government feared that visits to the country by Indonesians might fall if the former did not provide full explanations to the latter, citing Indonesia’s importance to Malaysia’a economy.
Indonesia is after all, one of Southeast Asia’s sexiest economies currently, and is dubbed as the “New China” in this region, thanks to its booming middle-class and young population. Indonesian workers also play a prominent role in Malaysia’s economy, especially in labor-intensive sectors. Equally important are Malaysian businesses in Indonesia, which range from the financial services to the plantation and mining sectors.
No doubt, economics is a trump card for Indonesia to wield its influence on Malaysia. By 2015, Indonesia’s economy is expected to account for half of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations’ (ASEAN) gross domestic product (GDP). That makes Indonesia the member country to lead the region.
