Calling it “off the mark”, Pakatan Harapan (PH) said the proposal sounded very strange and misplaced, as it gives the impression that Malaysia is taking instructions from China.
The coalition’s security committee comprising Mohamad Sabu of Amanah, Johari Abdul of PKR and Liew Chin Tong of DAP said Malaysia should not be seen choosing sides on the matter.
In a statement, the committee said the official position of Malaysia that Aukus may trigger an arms race in the region, is in line with the coalition’s view.
“In this context, Hishammuddin’s proposal to rush to China to discuss Aukus with its leadership is significantly off the mark,” it said.
They further said Malaysia is guided by its Defence White Paper which received bipartisan approval in Parliament on Dec 2, 2019 when PH was in power.
The committee said one of the five fundamental principles outlined includes “activist neutrality”, which meant Malaysia will not keep still when there is any attempt to infringe on its sovereignty and its non-aligned posture.
Others include adhering to the principles of non-alignment and actively promoting cooperation, inclusivity and shared prosperity, alongside shared security and shared identity.
“Malaysia will speak up against the West if a potential arms race is detected. Likewise, Malaysia also actively influences China to respect the sovereignty of regional states, as well as Asean’s role in the region,” the committee said.
Due to this, it said Malaysia should not be seen as choosing sides and giving the impression that it is taking instructions from any country.
Responding to a parliamentary question recently, Hishammuddin said he planned to undertake a “short working trip” to China to “get the views of their leadership on what their views and actions are on Aukus”.
The minister was responding to a question by Mohamad, the former defence minister, on whether Malaysia would play a role in Aukus given its long-standing strategic ties with Canberra and London under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).
Hishammuddin told Mohamad that he had advised his Australian counterpart, Peter Dutton, to hold talks about Aukus with Brunei – the current Asean chair – and countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, which have close ties with Beijing.
This was to ensure that these countries’ concerns on whether the pact could negatively affect the region, especially in defence, were allayed, he said.
Australia had announced plans to procure several nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus defence arrangement.