In the last of a three-part series on the 2020 US Presidential Election, Dr Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby from the Philippines and Mr Shahriman Lockman from Malaysia shared their initial impressions of the outcome of the US Presidential Election, its likely impact on US foreign policy towards Asia and Southeast Asia, and the responses of their respective countries to expected changes and continuities in US foreign policy.
REGIONAL STRATEGIC AND POLITICAL STUDIES PROGRAMME WEBINAR
Monday, 23 November 2020 – The ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, with support from Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, organised a webinar on “The 2020 US Election Results and Asia: Views from the Philippines and Malaysia” on Monday, delivered by Dr Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby and Mr Shahriman Lockman. Dr Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby is Associate Professor in the International Studies Department of De La Salle University in Metro Manila, while Mr Shahriman Lockman is a Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Security Studies Division of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Kuala Lumpur. This was the last of a three-part webinar series exploring regional responses to the 2020 US Presidential Election.
Dr Misalucha-Willoughby noted that the overarching US-Philippine relationship remains robust, with the ties binding the two countries deep and long-lasting. The US-Philippine alliance on the other hand, which is but one aspect of the broader US-Philippine relationship, recently has been under strain amid sustained and assertive moves from China in the South China Sea and the ‘America First’ rhetoric espoused by the Trump administration.
Dr Misalucha-Willoughby outlined three priorities for the US-Philippine alliance, for the incoming Biden administration. Firstly, while the 1951 US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty remains the core of the bilateral relationship, there is also a need to strengthen parallel institutional linkages between the two countries. Secondly, supporting civil society and organic grassroots organisations will help cultivate deep and long-lasting people-to-people linkages between the two countries. This also enables the US to promote values such as human rights and democracy without directly confronting or criticising the Philippine government. Lastly, the two countries need strong, sustained, and aligned efforts on healthcare. While a Covid-19 vaccine is on the horizon, questions on access and distribution remain. Addressing human security issues such as healthcare can help bolster public support for the US-Philippine alliance.
Mr Shahriman, on the other hand, pointed out that Malaysia does not attract much attention in Washington. Being neither a major ally nor irritant to the US, the White House seldom has specific policies directed at the country. Instead, Malaysia is usually indirectly affected by broader US policies regarding international trade or China. When Malaysia does attract attention in the US, however, it has lately been for the wrong reasons – scandals relating to 1MDB, and concerns with Top Glove, as well as palm oil firm FGV, for instance, have attracted much unwanted attention from the US.
These issues will be potential flashpoints for US-Malaysia ties under Biden, especially if the incoming administration vigorously pursues human rights, labour and environment issues, and seeks to link them with trade and investment policies. Mr Shahriman also noted that there seems to be a growing sense in Washington that the gains from engaging Malaysia have somewhat diminished and the impression that Malaysia has grown closer with China, although this is likely a misunderstanding stemming from the current Malaysian government’s preoccupation with ensuring ‘political stability’ and managing the Covid-19 pandemic. This misunderstanding will likely linger during the Biden administration at least until Malaysian domestic concerns are resolved.
The webinar concluded with a virtual Q&A session that covered issues ranging from negotiations over the US-Philippine Visiting Forces Agreement and Mutual Defense Treaty, the halting of the Melaka Gateway project, to the 2022 Philippine Presidential Election and its implications for the US-Philippine relationship.
