US President Barack Obama participates in a town hall meeting with Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) attendees at Taylor's University near Kuala Lumpur today. – Reuters pic, November 20, 2015.
United States President Barack Obama will raise concerns with Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the transparency and independence of investigating agencies and the media probing into a political scandal plaguing the country.
Obama said this at the town hall session today to a young Malaysian participant who had asked the president's assistance in raising the issue with Najib.
He said even without the request, he would raise concerns about democratic abuse.
“I will do it. I was going to do it anyway. But since you asked, I will definitely do it.”
He was asked the question during the town hall session with the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative today.
The young man told Obama that Malaysia was embroiled in a political scandal and its frail justice system could not right it.
He asked Obama to raise the issue with Najib, to encourage transparency and independence of agencies like the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Public Accounts Committee, central bank Bank Negara Malaysia and the media.
Obama said the US had to tread carefully as there were times they were told not to meddle in other countries’ internal affairs.
He also said that there were times when the US did the wrong thing.
“But I do believe that there are basic values that we all share, and one of this is that countries work best when everybody has a voice that can be respected.
“And that the press is able to report on what is happening in current affairs.
“And people can organise politically and peacefully to try to bring about change and that there is transparency and accountability,” he told the young crowd from 10 Southeast Asian countries today.
Obama said that whenever he met with leaders, he would always encourage them to move in the direction of transparency and accountability to empower people.
He said that he could not avoid doing business with certain countries just because he did not agree with their human rights record for instance.
“I have to meet with president Xi of China even though I don't agree the approach of his government to human rights.
“There are occasions everywhere in the world where I would meet and the US has a relationship and cooperates with a country even though their human rights record may not be good.
“But I want to assure you that in all of those meetings, we always raise these issues,” he said. – November 20, 2015.
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