A Strategic Move: Malaysia Joins BRICS!

All right, hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. As always, very, very excited to be with you. Let me have a sip of water here so I won't, I won't get interrupted later on. All right, very excited to be with you guys because I have this interesting topic. It has to do with Malaysia in BRICS. You know, I, I've way back— you guys go on a record and check— I did mention back then that I said if— and I'm just paraphrasing here— that I said it will make perfect sense if Malaysia gets into BRICS. And here we are. So now it's not officially in yet. However, once you submit the paper officially, uh, to the chairmanship, which is— it's hold— it's held rather by the Russia— by Russia They— and China already approves it, sort of in support of it, and I'll tell you why. It's a strategic move. It is a pure strategic move, and it makes perfect sense. So this is what I'm going to be talking about today. But first, let me say hi to, to all of you. Some of you— SA, indeed, brilliant move for Malaysia and the, the ASEAN territory. That's correct. That's correct. Uh, Sang Tian Wan, good to see you. YouTube Z Super, good, good to see you. Finally the Wi-Fi is fixed, good to hear. Willie Holman, as always. Yan Hakor, good, good to see you. Uh, AG the Silver Bullet, oh, couldn't, couldn't join us because he just started a new job today, so he just dropped in here to say hi. And well, good luck to you with your new job, and you can watch the video later on. Taiwan Steel, good to see you as always. Uh, uh, Hamad City, as always, good to see you. Timeline Dunkley, One Horn, good evening to you as well. Wong KC, John Smith, The Wacky Monkey, good to see you. Seth, me, good to see you. Phil Hong Wong, Truth Seeker, Athene Wu, Thunderbolt, uh, Alice Talokin, Boycott Army with Harmony, Speaking the Truth. Yo guys, you know, that's the wonderful community we have here. So James Green, good to see you as well. Thank you. Good to see you. All right guys, let's get into our topic. And I hope you don't mind if I do this kind of just calling up, give a shout out to names here for— it's the community, guys, you know, that's, that's the beauty of it. So it's, it's very important when you build a community, it's very, very important, uh, that you, you strengthen that kind of relationship. I look at it just on the global level, on the global level. You think about countries, I mean, if you really ask yourself— and I'm asking you a question— why do you think I'm doing all this for? Why do you think I am doing all this for? So it's just the idea of saving our planet from some disaster of sort. So if my contribution can come through this, why not be it? So you do something at least to make sure we won't get on the wrong foot here with, with some decisions. And, and, and if I can provide knowledge and clarify certain, uh, statements, concepts uh, whatever. And, or I can debunk the lies also. That's, to me, that's my mission in, in doing this, and this is why I'm doing it. And I am very happy to be doing this as well. So, so, all right guys, let me first, uh, just share some housekeeping stuff with you. I hope you enjoyed my conversation yesterday with Digby. It was very, very interesting. I look forward to having him again, and I'm, I'll show up on his platform as well. So remember to join me on August 3rd. Of course, I'm gonna do, I think, livestream for you on Friday, not sure yet. But the major event I'm gonna have is on August 3rd, which is the panel discussion with my two best scholars. Uh, one is Dr. Da Shan Fang. He's a friend of mine, he's my neighbor actually, live close by. So he and I, we, we get together for tea sometimes in the afternoon. And, uh, of course, Dr. Yang Liang, which you met her before, was wonderful having her here, and I look forward to having them. We're gonna be discussing the BRI in a big picture, that is. So, uh, second thing is I am gonna have a guest, I think on the 5th or the 6th, nothing is confirmed yet, uh, without disclosing names, is a former, uh, Pentagon analyst for over 20, almost 30 years you know, somebody you want to hear from. So I reached out to him and, and, and we're gonna— I'm setting it up and, and just be on the lookout for that. So, all right, let's get into our questions as we always— and by the way, I'm gonna do history today and a little bit of geography, but history mainly because it's very important to know this one. So here are the questions we need to ask: How significant is this development, meaning that Malaysia submitted officially its paper for, uh, uh, being a full member of BRICS. Second is, how may India view Malaysia's application? You cannot tell me in the world of geopolitics that all the other countries inside BRICS are okay, you know, they're not going to express it. Well, of course, if we think about other countries in BRICS, who are we going to be thinking about? India, because India stands like a sore thumb basically because of its approach to certain aspects. I'm not saying they cannot look after their own strategic interest. No, they have the right to do that, and rightly so. But for this, it makes a big difference. So one of the things I'm going to tackle is how do— how, uh, how may India view Malaysia's application? Because who's approving it so far? Because the conversation went to Russia, because Russia will hold the chairmanship, uh, uh, for, for BRICS. And China, which is a founding member, already gave the green light for it. We don't hear anything about whether India in support of that or not, because it won't matter, even though India is a founding member, but it won't matter. So third question is, can and will India benefit from a bigger BRICS now that Malaysia is in, given the economy? This is again one of the angles I'm going to be approaching a part of the, the, the geoeconomics that have to deal— that has to address this particular aspect. And the last question is, what is Malaysia's geopolitical calculations into this move? Because why am I saying this, this question here is because if you remember, about a year and a half ago, Malaysia refrained from moving forward with BRICS, uh, uh, membership, or consideration of being part of BRICS? And those are the key questions we're going to be, uh, uh, sort of talking in detail about and provide you my own ins— well, as we know so far, Prime Minister Ibrahim Anwar, or Anwar Ibrahim, I'm sorry, has confirmed that Malaysia has indeed submitted its application, uh, to Russia. Why Russia? Because Russia is the current chair of BRICS. Now, now here is the interesting aspects to the application. Malaysia left the door wide open on either or. What do I mean by this? When Malaysia submitted its application, it, it specifically, uh, sort of, uh, expressed its interest in either being a full member with all the, the, the bells and whistles that comes with the full membership or a strategic partnership. It's very strategic move on part of Malaysia, and this in my opinion is very, very significant. It's because it's going to highlight now, uh, more than one aspect you can even think of, from economy— from economics to geopolitics, given what's going on in that part of the world and what the West— what I mean, US, NATO, EU are planning on doing. So that's to me, uh, and, and this is why yesterday, guys, if you recall a conversation with Digby, we did tackle the geopolitical landscape, especially with countries the likes of Cambodia and Vietnam, Laos, Thailand to a degree. And, uh, but Philippines will always remain the odd, uh, and, and one of you guys, by the way, sent me a comment saying Maybe it's time for both India on BRICS and Philippines on ASEAN to just leave. You know, maybe easier said than that, than that. So, so, well, here is the thing, just for you to know why Malaysia moved forward with this. Of course, Malaysia had to look into its own economic interest. That's one. Second thing has to do with the geopolitical changes that's going on. But for especially the economic aspects, Malaysia wanted to preposition itself as a hub for sort of the, the supply chain because of location, because of sheer size of economy, especially when it comes down to its trade with both Russia and China. So India doesn't fit in into this picture at all, even though you can see that triangle, you remember what Digby talks about, the triangle between Russia, uh, India, and China. But the way I see it personally, uh, uh, it's, it's the idea that the only two key players going to be Russia and China. This is what India— this is— I'm sorry, this is what Malaysia is hedging its bet on. So, well, the key to Malaysia is it wants to diversify its economy or economic ties, and of course reduce the dependency on, on the West. That is one of the key. And this is why, uh, now the Malaysia is waiting to hear back from another country, which is South Africa, because, uh, the conversation starts back then. But as I said, year and a half ago or so, Malaysia decided to wait, and they're waiting now to hear from South Africa. I don't know why they didn't mention anything about India. I I'm assuming India is okay with it because when you look at the population in Malaysia, there, there are some ethnic, uh, groups that traces their roots back to India and so forth. So, but here is the interesting thing that I see, uh, that, uh, from a geopolitical aspects of it is that Russia is already backing Malaysia's bid to join BRICS, even though it was Russia that said— was Lavrov himself that said we're gonna have to put a halt on the membership for other countries, because they went up there, what, 37 countries wanted to join BRICS. You can't do that quickly. And again, you're gonna have to be careful as to who you bring in, you know. I was surprised when BRICS agreed, agreed on, on, on Egypt, for example, you know. That's, to me, was like, you know, but again, it's their decision, they can decide whatever they want. So, well, here is what, uh, uh, how is this happened is during— and I have a picture, I think Uh, I think I do. Yes, during Mr. Lavrov's visit to Malaysia, right there. This is when the, the, uh, uh, the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov assured, uh, Mr. Ibrahim Anwar that Russia's support is there if they should, should this move forward. And at the same time, Mr. Anwar Ibrahim, and I tracked one of his statements, he wasn't in, uh, it was on the social media, believe it or not. He stated, and I quote, this potential membership holds substantial promise for both nations and shows our commitments to creating strong international collaboration. Well, all right, his message is not about just the economy. His message about the multipolar order that is already descending, or descended already, on the world. The US, for us, and the collective West still living in, in some la-la land that they don't want to admit to the reality that the world has already shifted from a unipolar to a multipolar. And this is why I believe the statements of Mr. Ibrahim suggest hinting to that by highlighting the point that here is an, an ASEAN member that is now might pave the way for the whole bloc to go into BRICS. I mean, can you just imagine this, guys? The whole ASEAN. Now, I will hold or keep a question mark on Philippines. I, I do not trust Marcos. I, I kind of, uh, wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt when he was running for office, and I followed closely the statements and so forth. The moment he took office, his first trip was to China, but he wasn't sincere This is the problem, uh, to those who might not know, and I'm still learning about this one. In Asian culture, like in any other culture, trust matters. Trust matters. You don't break the trust, you know. And what Marcos did by that trip to China wasn't sincere. He just wanted to give lip service to the Chinese at the time, because by the time he returned right after his return, signed the agreement, military agreements with the Americans for access to 9 military bases. That to me tells me this is somebody you do not want to be part of the team. Just my, my, my opinion. So, uh, just to go back to Mr. Ibrahim's statement, when you see that term creating a strong international collaboration, that's reference indirectly to the multipolar. That's where that— this is— is. And you look at it also during the visit of the Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Remember, he went to Malaysia prior to his visit to Australia. So the same access, the, the same aspects that the Chinese Premier sort of, uh, uh, will give— he agreed that China has no problem of opening, uh, or having Malaysia, uh, access to the financing and the political platform that ain't influenced by Washington. Very, very key measured words. This doesn't happen in a vacuum, guys. Once again, because here's the thing, when you look at it right after this What did Mr. Ibrahim— Anwar Ibrahim did? He criticized Washington regarding its role when it comes down to the Arab-Israeli Palestinian— or the Arab-Israeli conflicts. So, and as a matter of fact, it was Mr. Ibrahim during his meeting with, uh, Mr. Lavrov that stated, and I quote, Malaysia and Russia both support the permanent ceasefire in the Middle East, immediate humanitarian aid and recognizing Palestine as a full member of the United Nations. End of quote. Very, very, very measured, powerful, and to the point, sending a strong message to Washington and all the other Western capitals, the likes of Brussels, Berlin, Paris, Rome, and, and you got the idea there. So, all right, let me get into geography briefly here and a little bit of history because you need to know Very, very important. As a matter of fact, I do have a map if I'm not mistaken. Yes, I do. Maybe that's the right one. No, this is the South China Sea, which I will share with you in a moment when we talk about, uh, uh, well, when I get into more, uh, about my analysis here. So let me share the screen with you, and I give credit to World Atlas because that's where the map is from.. And again, just to put it in perspective for you guys, just to have an idea, and I'm not going to get in into the detail of, uh, the geography. I already talked about this one before. My point is I wanted to show you so you can see the map, the role that Malaysia is going to be playing now, surely to be admitted as a full member to BRICS. You know, Malaysia is in a really, really good strategic location The same like Singapore, for that matter. Both of them access to the South China Sea, and it makes perfect sense that Malaysia had to think strategically about where things are headed moving forward. Because, Mike, my word on this, guys, you're looking within the next 5, 10 years, the world order the way we know it, it's no longer is going to be, you know, it's already sh— but it takes time for it to take the form or the shape where we gonna be saying 100%, okay, we are in a multipolar order. No country claim the sole— the Earth as the sole property, you know, like we did for since after World War II. But again, it was all by design. Not anymore. And it becomes the question, and this is one of the key that I've always wondered, maybe one day I might do a video for you guys, my own analysis about the geopolitics of the rivalry between, uh, the US and China within the context of a multipolar order. So that would be very fascinating too. But in any event, I wanted to show you this map here so you can see at least what it is, and I'm gonna get in into some history. Now, the history aspects, which I found very interesting, I will provide you the link of course later on. For now, let me just share a few things chronologically, but I'm gonna go through it faster because it's too long and I and I want to spend time on, on the analysis. That's the whole purpose of the live stream. So, so let's go through the timeline of Malaysia's history. A lot of us in the West, you know, I did not know certain things, guys, you know, and I don't know everything. I'm learning, you know, through this I'm learning a lot, and from the comments you guys provided. And this is why to me I, I will make sure to protect our community, because it's the level of intellectual and the exchange of ideas that is so crucial for us to learn from each other. So that's why when I do this, it's a learning curve for me as well, because I'll dig into the record and find out some other stuff that I didn't know before. So, well, here's the thing. Let's go back to the prehistory, and I'm gonna take you that far. Prehistory. Why? Because during this era, the prehistoric one, it was like the first signs of human life. Was founded in present, in present-day Malaysia, you know. And where was— what did they found? They found the skull, which found— was, was founded in Sarawak. And this was about, uh, they founded in 1950s, archaeologists back then. When they did the analogy, the DNA analysis and all that stuff, they found out that it traces back some about 40,000 years ago. And the whole history goes way back. So we'll go back about 10,000 years ago, and this is where, once again, and based on the record that I looked into, found that anthropologists believe that Aboriginal proto-Malays migrated from Southwest China. That's what I found fascinating. I did not know this. Yeah. And this, when anthropologists state those kind of statements, they do the analysis through DNA. There, there's methodology by which you can— it's like fossils, you can, you can do the analysis on the fossils to find out how back far they go. Well, anthropologists believe Aboriginals, Proto-Malays, migrated from Southwest China and eventually traveling into Indonesia Sumatra, and Borneo. So Proto-Malays have been found to be ethnically— this is the key, guys— related to people in Sumatra, Java, and parts of the Philippines. Fast forward to 300 BC, that was the arrival of the Duterro-Malays, which are descended partly from the Cham people. And Cham people are in the Mekong Delta. That's where they originated from, at least from what I found. And, and I'll provide you the link, you decide for yourself. So what happened when the Cham people arrived there? They pushed the Proto-Malays into the north and became direct ancestors of today's ethnic Malays. So fascinating how this movement— so We go 100 BC. What happened there? Commerce started. Commerce began at that time with China and India. Why? Because both of them establishing ports in Malaysia along essential trade routes and bringing foreign influence. From 0 to 400 AD, remember, we don't talk BC anymore. Before Common Era, we moved now to AD. Buddhism and Hinduism arrived from India and are adopted, and that's where the Sanskrit becomes the writing system, because we all know the, the how old the Sanskrit is. As a matter of fact, I read somewhere that even Arabic language traces its roots back to Sanskrit. So move to between 1600 and 1200 much of the Malay Peninsula ruled by Maharaja of the trade-based Srivaya Empire, which enhances the area's vital role in regional trade. So, so fast forward to 1300, between 1200-1300, what happened during that time? Islam emerged and is gradually introduced by Arabs and Indian traders. And that's usually how it all started. It's first adopted by the Mali elites. So early 1400s, the Port of Malacca, founded by the renegade prince Iskandar Shah, you know. And that one, Iskandar Shah, it's some historical record said— I cannot confirm this, by the way, guys, so don't take it from me, uh, as is, because I couldn't confirm it. But some record indicates that supposedly Iskandar Shah is a descendant of Alexander the Great. So Iskandar Shah converted to Islam at the time. So in 1405, what happened? 1405, visiting a Chinese admiral. Yeah, it was a Chinese admiral who visited to protect Malacca against invading Siamese, which was a support for the Malacca to expand influence over much of the peninsula. This is why Malacca holds the weight it holds today geopolitically, and of course economically, that is. Malacca and other Malaysian Sultanates dominated the China-India sea trade over the next 100 years as the Mongol armies closed land routes to the west. So they closed that route and they were left only with the water. So Malay became official language and Malacca becomes important Islamic center. Now I'm gonna move you to 1511. Which European country was the first to land in Malaysia? This is a question for you guys, just give me a guess. The European country And that's how it started. That's how it started, the colonialism from Europe into that part of the world. Which country, in your opinion, that was? Yeah, uh, Hamad City. No, that is true, but it was another country before that. Oh, oh, speaking the truth, you got it. It was Portuguese. The Portuguese were the first to get there in 1511. So what happened? Portuguese were the first colonial because there was the one who claimed Malaysia capturing Malacca, which means the trade routes. This is why, just to bring you back to contemporary history or today, this is why China wants to make sure it's building its navy to prevent the chokepoint of Malacca by the United States. The Portuguese did that back then. The first order of business was to capture Malacca. So the history, history tells us exactly the behavior of countries, and that's, that's to me the, the beauty of learning from history. 1649, the Dutch, the Dutch East India Company and local allies pushed Portuguese from Malacca. And what happened? Because by 1700 also known as Malaya. Its trading port gained more economic clout as British trade with China expanded. And we all know what the Brits did to the Chinese, right? You know, I can just share with you quickly the Opium War, or the opium trade, or the opium— whatever term you want to use, you get the idea. So, but there were two main things at that time of, of interest to the Brits. It was the mining of tin and the gold. So, and this is why also it brought with it the influx of Arabs and India, and of course the Chinese immigrants also, uh, wants to control the business back then. So, so, and between 1700 and 1800, the British established colonies. Of course, if you only know the history of what the Brits did in that part of the world So, and this is where the British East India Company came into play because it was leased in Penang. That's why the, the sort of the dark legacy of the colonial era didn't leave much something to offer positive. Yeah, they built the infrastructure and so on, so what? But they exploited, they exploited, they extracted all the resources And once everything is like sort of, uh, uh, drain everything, they just left, uh, things ravaged there and left. So the same thing we've seen in, in Africa. Look how many years and Africa never prospered. It was by design. You tell me Africans couldn't move their continent forward? No, same thing happened in, in, in, in this part of the world. So what happened in 1824? 1824, that's when the Anglo-Dutch Treaty. It was a treaty signed between the two, set boundaries between British Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies, which is present-day Indonesia. So then, uh, right after that one, 1857, was the Kuala Lumpur Treaty, which was founded as a trading post for immigrant miners and become capital of Federated Malay states, Malaya, Malay states in 1896. Fast forward to World War II, and I'm gonna just, uh, summarize this one here. Japan, of course, we all know what Japan did, bombed Singapore and, and Kota Bharu in, in, in Kelantan. So, and this is where, uh, in addition to a land assault, by the way, And this is where the British forces are routed and Singapore falls into— in February, uh, uh, Singapore falls in February 1942. That's pretty much so. So between 1942, 1945, the Japanese occupation, which exports are stripped, nationalism grew, and ethnic tensions between Malays, Chinese, and Indians are exacerbated. Japan's so-called Sook Chien, which is the translation, means purification through suffering. That's how it's translated on the historical record. Uh, campaign led to the death of 80,000 ethnic Chinese in Malay and Singapore. So Japan's, uh, historical record ain't, ain't pretty. So we all know, you know, we're not gonna sort of beat the dead horse here. We all know the atrocities that Japanese did. So of course, 1945, what happened? The major event of 1945, you know, there was only one major event, very, very major, that reshaped the world after that. Does anybody know? Oh, Robo, thank you so much for your super sticker. Dr. Does Bricks in 5 or 10 years offers potentially member states' resiliency to financial and economic from future global events? Just adding to the conversation. Keep it up, Doc. Thank you so much, Robo. It's an interesting question, you know, and I believe it does. My only concern, my only concern is that some countries inside will not play for the— for the— we not, we not sort of support the agenda of the entire economic blocks. And anytime you have a weak member or weak link, that will hinder your progress from moving forward. And I even found out now, and I just found that out, that even the conversation— a lot of us thinking, oh, BRICS now came up with this payment system. Yes, they did. But guess what? There is now tensions inside BRICS that some countries are not— or some country is not going along with that. I'll, I'll let you think about that, who that country is. So I can see your point, but overall, in the long term, yes, it will have an influence. It will reshape the global economic order, and at that time, the G7 and G20 will become useless not useless, but irrelevant in comparison to the sheer size of both BRICS and ASEAN. That's the way I see it. Once again, thank you so much for your super sticker. So, all right, what happened in 1945? The key— Athen— oh, you got it! Athen— Japan surrounded. Chase, you, you got that right. Nukes. Yeah, that's exactly what happened. We dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And British forces regain— here is the key— regain control of, of Malaya. So, uh, fast forward to— I'm going to move forward to independence. When, by the way, when did Indonesia gain its independence? Does anybody know the year? If you will be kind and share it with us on the chat box. And get the independence, or gain the independence, from whom? It's very important to know, you know. Let me see what you guys come up with. All right, uh, 1960. No, no, it was before that. That was before that. Oh, Robo! Robo, you got it! Robo, you got it! 1957. From whom? Uh, no, no. Taiwan still no. Francis Tango, no. Believe it or not, I was surprised too. It wasn't the Dutch. No, I was surprised, you know. You know, became independent from Britain. Yeah. Oh, Steve, you got it, you got it. Steve, Britain. Yeah, I was surprised, you know. They're understanding that because the Dutch presence in Malaysia was big. And you will think, but that tells me right there the coordination between the United States and Britain. This is why you see in Britain doing whatever we tell them to do, because from that era forward, we reversed the rules. We became the master and British— and Britain became the servant. Because remember how it was before, And I used to teach government, so I will tackle this issue of the British colonies and so forth and explain to my students that this is what Britain was doing because it was controlling parts of the country, and we were under the order of the king per se. This is why when the independence happened, we didn't want anything resembling to Britain, uh, system per se, except for their, their parliament or the House of Commons and House of Lords. But the key was, it's the reverse role, that we became the master and they became the servants. And that tells me right there that it was a deal cut between Britain and the US right after we dropped the bomb on Japan. And this is why you're still seeing the Brit— British will not move an inch without the approval of the US or the green light from the US, you know. And we'll tag them along anywhere we want. Like a servant. So because Britain now, it's sort of useless. It is useless. Uh, so, and that's where, uh, uh, uh, now back to 1963. It's— this is a key important information you need to know, is that the British colonies of, of Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore joined Federation of Malaya to form— this is when they form the Federation of Malaysia. That's when it started, right after. So, and of course, you want to remember the history of the riots and so forth until Dr. Mahathir Muhammad began tenure as prime minister in 1981. Of course, Mahathir sacked his deputy, the current prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, for allegedly sexual misconduct and corruption. 2 main events that took place. He was acquitted of the sexual conduct, but again, it was another case where he was tried for— I'm not going to get into all this. Suffice it to mention the corruption part because it's very, very important. Because in 2000, Anwar Ibrahim was found guilty of sodomizing a former male aide and jailed for 9 years. A, a year earlier, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison for corruption. And of course, after him came Abdullah Badawi. You know, I remember reading about this guy, the Prime Minister Azmahathir resigned after 22 years in power, making him Malaysia's longest serving Prime Minister. I mean, he was revered by his people, so that's, that's how it is. So Abdullah, who won the elections, what did he end up doing? At the same time, Anwar Ibrahim was freed from the prison after the court overturned the sodomy verdict, but the corruption verdict sort of continues to stand. So fast forward to Najib Abdul Razak, which I need to show you a picture. Najib Abdul Razak, which was as corrupted as it gets, very corrupted. So, uh, let me, let me move this one here. Okay, here we go. Uh, Najib Abdul Razak, uh, uh, it was, it was very, very corrupted. So, and what happened with Najib Abdul Razak, you know, it was Malaysia's former prime minister, you know, and he was sent to prison, uh, for, uh, for 12 years sentence after the top court rejected his plea. So at that time he was about 70 years old, uh, and, and this has to do with the corruption charges a scandal involving state-owned wealth fund. It's called 1Malaysia Development Berhad. So you, you all know, for me personally, you all know where I stand on corruption. I won't send him to prison for 12 years. I'll take care of business straightforward. There is no ifs and buts. This is why even with Malaysia, despite what it is, there is massive corruption that exists inside. Let's not lose sight on that. That, that's the reality of it. So, and, uh, and, and that's where it ends. So you all know, after this one here, 2015, Malaysia votes for landmark, uh, and that's where the history keeps going till, uh, Anwar Ibrahim came back to power. So, all right, let's get into our analysis here because I want to talk, uh, about this stuff here, uh, for you. So Well, like I said earlier, so you think about, uh, and, and I read some articles. One of them, I read one by Jay Hamid, or, or Hamid, uh, uh, it was a good article. I mean, it's spot on, and I'll provide you the link and all that stuff. Uh, what's interesting about it is the idea that, uh, uh, beside BRICS expanding the membership for other countries like United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, uh, the whole other purpose of all this is through this means you pave the way for the creation of a multipolar world. And this is why the US will pressure certain countries from behind the scenes. You remember what Carl Zaha said when we were talking about this aspect, that there will be pressure from the US behind the scenes, but it will be pressure even two countries are already in BRICS the likes of India. Now, will India resist that or not? I'll let you decide. I'm not going to judge. Uh, what I can say based on my own analysis, India will play it both sides. What's in it for me? I understand in international relations it's all about national— national strategic interest. I understand that. But at the same time, this lack of credibility You know, that puts the entire economic bloc in jeopardy, which means basically what? That means BRICS will not have the force to put a dent on the global economic order. Why? Because it's weakened from within. That's the same argument I make about ASEAN. You know, when you keep a country like Philippines— yes, I know he was a founding member, whatever— no, no, no, you have to yank them out. Think of it, guys, like a team, uh, in, in sport or military or whatever. You got a weak member of the team that's gonna slow you down, that's gonna hold you down. You always have to cater to that individual. You always have to be concerned whether this individual will perform or not, you know. Then you are left with one option, and one option only, is to replace the individual. Simple as that. Because you can't be thinking emotionally here. You know, I recall my time in the military, and I used to have the teams and all that stuff. I was like, you know, I'll give one option to the team member: get it together or I'm gonna have to do it for you. And they all know what he meant. They all know what I meant by that. You know, of course, within the boundaries of the law. But I'm gonna tolerate someone that's gonna withhold the team from moving forward. Because that was my responsibility to ensure the success of a team. So you think about the big picture, you don't think about the emotions of one element. The same arguments I can make right here. And this is where my thinking about where this is going to move forward. Well, all parts of the— from the economic and geopolitical aspects, Malaysia is doing the right thing. Is doing the right thing the right thing at this time to go ahead with the application. Why? Because things are about to change, Mike. My word on it. Wait until our elections, presidential election. We don't know who's going to win the elections. Doesn't matter who's going to be the president. Already the conversation about Taiwan is already brewing in Washington, you know, because we already took care of Europe. Europe now is fragmented by design. We wanted to do that. Look at Finland now. Finland could be wiped out in no time should ever any advanced weapon systems placed on its territory. They, they, they created that for themselves. The same arguments I'm going to be making about Southeast Asia, or whole Asia for that matter. So the thinking is Malaysia wants to get ahead with this, wants to get on, on that train because that also cements its reputation as one that is pushing against the expansion of the West into Asia. Simple as that. And when you think about, for example, why when the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited the— I have the— what is the picture? Right here. When he visited Malaysia, You know, and the whole dynamics of the conversation that took place between him and Mr. Ibrahim, you know, you, you think about it from in, in terms of economics. Why? Because Malaysia is considered one of, is considered like the, if I recall somewhere, read somewhere, 7th, 6th, 7th, or 8th, somewhere around those numbers. It's not the number 1, but one of those numbers, uh, either 7 or 8. Largest trading partners among the European countries. Okay. And Russia is Malaysia's 8th largest trading partner. So, and why is this? Because the bilateral trade between Malaysia and Russia increased by about 15.6% last year to about $3.1 billion. And think about it this way, guys. This is where the calculation— that's why I put that question: what are Malaysia's strategic calculations into all this? So the idea that for Malaysia, because they wanted to open up the path towards cooperation on different areas that will relieve them from dependency on the West, and the areas they want to go with, like investments like trade, like science, like technology, like agriculture, like defense, tourism, education, you name it. So this is what's important about understanding when a country gets into an economic bloc is to develop the welfare of the people. In other words, to raise the economic standards for the country. You know, it doesn't matter Anwar Ibrahim, how you categorize him, corrupted or not, beside the point. Yeah, he's gonna have to deal with that, and, and it's the Malaysian people that have to decide for that. We have no place into that. But at the same time, you give credit where credit is due by him thinking in terms of is the welfare of the people, the economy, because that shift is coming. And if I don't embark on this now, it will be too late. Compare this to Philippines. I mean, ask any Filipino right now, and I have someone in mind I'm going to reach out to and bring her on, on the show here to share the truth with us about where conditions are economically speaking in Philippines. So you give him credit for that. So now the idea of— you think about the other advantages from the financial aspect is that for Malaysia, joining BRICS will give it access to the BRICS New Development Bank because you can ask for loans for that. So what I found very interesting, it was a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, you know, and it was by, uh, the Chinese, uh, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. Hope I pronounce it correctly. Said, and I quote, we welcome— listen carefully, guys— we welcome more like-minded partners joining BRICS and working together to make the international order more just unequitable, end of quote. Very measured, with a strong message that convey, uh, sort of, uh, uh, uh, the right word about the multipolarity. No other way of explaining it or analyzing it from other perspective except this one, in my opinion. You know, we welcome more like-minded partners joining BRICS and working together to make the international order more just and equitable. So the other quote is, the developments and expansion of BRICS mechanism reflects the trend of the time, serves the interest of relevant countries, and provides strong driving force for multipolarity in the world and greater democracy in international relations, end of quote. Very spot on. And I'm going to provide you guys the link where you can read all this yourself. It's very, very, very important. Now, if we look at this idea about Malaysia's and Russia's bilateral ties and so forth, you have also to consider Malaysia and China. Because you can ignore that no matter— now, nowadays, no matter how you look at it, you will not be able to ignore the role of the Chinese economy on the global stage. There is no other way, because if you do that, then you are misinformed because the sheer size of the economy. So, so on China Because think about it this way, along with Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines, all of them, you know, have those sort of the, the, the tensions regarding South China Sea, right? Which is— we all heard about this. But here is the thing, where you're gonna have to understand how geopolitics is, is by trying to figure out— countries, that is, will try to figure out ways of either fomenting more tensions, like what we are doing now, by sort of enlisting— we want to enlist Vietnam as an ally in its strategic rivalry with China. This is what we want to do. So however, and I argued this from way back, and then I still stand by my position, in my pos— on my position here, that We stand no chance. This effort is not going to succeed because Hanoi sees where, where, where is the right path, is economically speaking. So Vietnam is not scared of, of China. Now, there are those who are saying, oh, they are— no, no, they are being pragmatic. It's because they don't want to risk losing access to their larger neighbor markets. Simple as that. This is the, the mistake Australia made. But Australia, as I always tell you guys, decisions in Canberra are not made in Canberra, they are made in Washington. Decisions about Philippines are not made in Manila, they are made in Washington. Decisions in Seoul and Tokyo are made in Washington. So Malaysia wanted to be a step ahead of this. But here is the interesting aspect about this. Why are we talking about it? When you think about these tensions that we are fermenting in the South China Sea, so, so when you think about the, the, the, the much publicized clash or tensions between Philippines and China, which by the way we were behind the scenes pushing the Filipinos, uh, to that, to take that kind of posture, you know. Oh, now it's an— and Big B was right yesterday, guys, he was right. Oh, now China's saying, hey, we don't care, status quo, that's all it is. So, so, so, like, as I said, unlike the much publicized, this kind of tensions and so forth between the Philippines and China, Malaysia, it prefers and it's looking at it differently. Malaysia wanted to manage any tensions with China through diplomatic means, which is the ideal way of dealing with it. You can— it's like me and you. I have an issue with you. Do I go and tell the rest of the world, hey, I have an issue with John Doe? No, I'm gonna reach out to you. We'll sit down like two adults and talk about our differences and come up to a solution. This is exactly what Malaysia is doing. And Malaysia wanted also— because mainly this, because Malaysia wants to protect its economic ventures with China. Why? Because China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner since 2009, so with a total trade equivalent to about— get this, guys— $98.9 billion. Just let that sink in. $98.8— $98.9 billion. Just around the $200 billion. So why would you want to go antagonize your largest trading partner? I am not saying you're gonna bow to your largest partner. No.— or trading partner, rather. No, but you're gonna sit down and address the, the, the, uh, the, the conflict or tensions, whatever, in a diplomatic way on an equal footing. This is the mistake we made. I don't know if you guys remember back then with the new administration when they came to power, the Biden and Tony Blinken, they went to Alaska, met with the Chinese. The arrogance. I remember I was following that, uh, uh, uh, closely because I did a video on it, you know. And right from the get-go, the moment I heard Tony Blinken opened his mouth, I just shook my head. I said, this guy is no diplomat. This is not how you address, first of all, your guests. And second, this is not diplomatic manners by which you handle differences. So, and the third element was, why the arrogance? Why are you coming with this, uh, this, uh, this superiority ego that you are better than the Chinese or whomever sitting across from you? And right there I knew, oh, those talks are over before they even started. And I stopped listening because I knew right there, when you compare this to how in Malaysia is approaching this, there is a reason to all this. And the reason being because I read the statements by Malaysia's foreign minister, Muhammad Hassan, who said, and I quote— because remember, once again, this is why history is important. Go back to the '70s in the last century and check out the relationship between China and Malaysia, and you see where they are, or they were back then. And this is why he said, and I quote, the good ties we have enjoyed since— meaning since the mid-'70s— will allow us to manage and resolve any issue amicably, meaning in a friendly manner. End of quote. So this is why I found it very, very interesting that you need to understand this aspect, because it's very, very important. Now there is one particular aspect, and I told you I will address it because I do see, uh, I, I do see concerns. I'm, at least for me, you know, I'm just raising some concerns. And one, one of that concerns is about India. How does India truly seize, uh, Malaysia's application? Do they really want it? That's one of the key that I have to really be thinking about, because remember, uh, the decision to expand, uh, uh, BRICS, uh, is going to have to put some sort of, uh, uh, more power if I may use the term, not in the hand of the all members of BRICS because they are not all at the same level. Are you going to compare China's economy to India's economy? Are you going to compare Saudi Arabia's energy level to that of, uh, India or to that of, uh, let's say, uh, uh, Egypt? So no, but you all know what I mean. When you think about BRICS, we only think— we're only talking about the key player key players here. And the only two that I see, at least when it comes down to the full size of the economy, you're looking at Russia and, and, uh, and China. And this is what India had to think. So the expansion of power, the expansion of BRICS, only going to put power in the hands of the Russians, the Chinese, maybe the Saudis, but even Saudis, I don't see that. But there is a reason for that. It's because India is not willing to allow itself to move up the ladder, per se. This is why I said last time, what is preventing India from sitting down with the Chinese and have a dialogue regarding the, the border issues, the Ladakh and so forth, which we are pressuring, by the way. So, and that is where, uh As a matter of fact, I did find— let me, let me get it here, guys. Uh, recently, the, uh, the Indians now are kind of very concerned. Why they're concerned? Because China has discovered now more resources in Tibet. So which, by the way, when I looked at the stats, the numbers so far, I mean, nothing is confirmed 100%. This is usually in any— if you remember when I use— when I do some dedicated videos for some companies regarding natural resources, they always send me the survey because I always have to know. I can't speculate. I said no, I will not do this till you send me the survey and I'll see with my own eyes because the surveys will have to be, uh, uh, uh, sort of, uh, uh, appropriated, confirmed, and legalized. You, you, you can't be just saying whatever. So, and this is the same thing that China now— their geological survey confirmed that there are about 30 mil— 30 to 40 million tons of copper, 40 million tons of lead, and zinc and a billion tons of iron. So why am I sharing this? Makes you now just wonder about what the US is going to be doing behind the scenes. You all remember the recent trip of, uh, the former Speaker of the House going to India and went to Tibet. Why the heck is she going to India for? So that's what I'm saying, guys. See the big picture. The big picture. And this is what I'm saying, for Malaysia is thinking in terms of who are the real deals in BRICS. Ain't India, ain't Egypt, it's not in Arab Emirates, it's not Eritrea. No, it's China and Russia. So, and if Malaysia has the backing of those two, South Africa to a degree, but even South Africa, you're not going to compare South Africa to, uh, China and Russia when it comes down to both military and economics. Straightforward. So, and this is what I'm saying, for India, it behooves it to really, really reconsider sitting down, because India can play a role if only it play— if it plays its strategic cards the right way. So far, I don't see any signs for that, and this is what I am concerned about, where this is going to be headed for India moving forward. Because the more the BRICS expand, the less India is going to be visible. So, uh, it's because the world is moving into a multipolar dimensions here, and we're looking at— yeah, India can strike a deal with some bilateral levels, whatever. And this is why India might be hindering the progress of the payment system from BRICS. But again, you need to understand the arguments that was made a few years ago, few years ago. I believe, I believe it was some conversation, uh, back in Washington, DC. That was way back, uh, and I read an article and I post the link for you guys, uh, it was an article I read it by, uh, Mr. Muhammad Jishan. Uh, that was published back in 2022, '22, '23, somewhere around that. And I, I'll provide you the link, guys. And the argument was back then is that, you know, uh, even, even for India that is now dealing with this geopolitical rivalry block with China, even though you and I know India has no— stand no chance competing with China in what? Soft or Russia for that matter. So however, there was one key aspect, and that's been talked about in Washington from way back, is that to Washington, India's presence inside BRICS is useful. Useful to whom? To the United States. By being part in the BRICS, the US argues that India would prevent China and Russia from pushing any, any policy forward. So now there are those who say, well, no, that can't be right, Dr. O. Yeah, maybe the theory wasn't right because India has to look after its own interest, and I agree to that. But the facts remains. If I am to tell you When Algeria wanted to join BRICS, who blocked it at that time? Does anybody know? Let me see your answer, guys, in the chat box. Who blocked it when Algeria expressed an interest into joining BRICS, and by whom? So which country inside BRICS blocked it? But who was the country that influenced the decision? Yeah, Alistair, okay, you got it. Steve, you got it. It was India. But by whom? No, it wasn't the US. It was not the US. You, you, Hamad City, you got it. It was France. And that tells me right there, I kind of, uh-uh, I can't I've been expressing this. Nothing against India. Once again, I want— because I know I'm gonna get some nasty comments from some people inside India. You hate our country. No, it's nonsense, you know, and I don't sugarcoat the truth. That's straightforward, you know. Till India gets it, you can be playing both sides. That's like when you're dealing with someone. Are you gonna be dealing with someone who flip-flops? No, you're gonna wash your hand of the guy, or the gal for that matter. No, that's it, same argument. And that's the way I look at it. So, and this is why the, the, the application of Malaysia is much more of a strategic concern to India than anything else behind the scenes. To China and Russia is welcome. Why? Because that's going to further cement that direction of the multipolarity. Which, by the way, it's not about China and Russia controlling the process of the multipolarity. That is not the case. Like I've always argued, the new multipolarity is going to be dictated by the economic blocks, not ideology. And in this case, the collective West will stand no chance because countries will see the economic developments. Look at Vietnam, look at Cambodia, Look at Thailand and Laos for that matter. Yeah, this is why you have these countries right now, uh, thinking in terms of, uh, even, uh, even Thailand, you know, that is now bidding to join BRICS, you know. And of course in Thailand it's, it's, it shouldn't be a problem at all. It shouldn't be a problem at all. But again, it has to do with economics, and this is one thing India is not willing to accept, that for you, India, in this case, to prosper economically, you have your neighbor, one of the largest in the world, a massive economy, and you are not willing to sit down on an equal footing and resolve your differences. Then that becomes on you. Sorry. So that's the way I see it, guys. And, uh, this is what I, I believe, uh, I'm gonna stop right here because that's all I have to share with you, uh, uh, and I am gonna take some of questions, of course. So, uh, first of all, let me say thank you. Let me say thank you. Oh, my image went— hopefully nobody, right? Let me say thank you for those who bought me coffee. And speaking of coffee and and, and tea and all that. Uh, I got a, a massive donation yesterday. Yeah, I'm going to share it. Of course, I would not disclose the names. You know, there are, there are some donors. Yeah, I will— they asked me not to disclose, and I am going to honor their, their, their, their request, no matter what the cost is. So, uh, but it was a, uh, it was, it was a major donation of about $1,000. Yeah, to the point that even Buy Me Coffee sent me an email now, wanted to have an explanation, which I found very ridiculous. You know, are we entering some censorship here? Because if it is the case, I'm gonna just close that and move somewhere else. But so far, I responded to the email to Buy Me Coffee and explained, yes, those donors and the supporters, it's for my Asia trip. Simple as that. So I guess they never seen a donation that size, and they were like— but anyway, I wanted to let you know where things are. We are moving over, uh, let me show you because I need to share it with you. Uh, transparency is very important to me, as you know. Uh, let me share the screen, uh, with you and show you where things are. All right, share screen. Let me remove this one here, or we leave it, why not? For those who wants to support the Asia trip or the channel, whatever you decide. All right, let me share the screen where we are as of today. All right, this is the number we are at, but you have to add, you have to add $1,500 to this. So we crossed halfway, uh, uh, will be about, uh, I think Yeah, almost $3,000 short of the targeted number. So, and by the way, someone put a comment that I, uh, will I stay in 5-star hotel, uh, that I looked at as an insult. That's an insult, you know, just because— no, I don't do that kind of stuff. That's, to me, it's not a, you know, what do I do? I forgive, you know, but, but I didn't appreciate some comment like that. Uh, you have no idea— to this person, you have no idea what my plan is and where I intend to go and the places that I intend to visit. So it would be here of you to start to think before you speak. I will greatly appreciate it. But anyway, guys, uh, I appreciate the continued support. Uh, it means a lot to me. And I am gonna put a new link for Bitcoin. Yes, I will accept also the support, and any support comes through Bitcoin or Venmo, okay, they're gonna go to Asia trip. This is not for the channel. This is why I have those two. The first one at the top is for the channel, the second one is for Asia trip, strictly for that. That's what I shared with you. All right guys, let me answer some questions from you and we're gonna go from there. Uh, once again, I want to say thank you to, uh, Robo for your super sticker. Truly appreciate you. And, and you put another one here, man. I truly appreciate you. Uh, you put a question: Malaysia joining BRICS, 3/5 Islam— Islam, yeah, 15th century from China and Arab— gives BRICS a homogeneous cultural identification. I will have to agree with you on that. Because when you consider United Arab Emirates, Eritrea, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia and Iran, big deal. And you remember, there is a Muslim population in China, there is Muslim population in Russia, there is Muslim population in India, and there are some, I believe, in South Africa. So, so it's a win-win, it's a win-win no matter how you look at it. And I, and I will have to say, yes, it will be to the advantage of, uh, uh, Malaysia into that direction. So that's, that's how I, that's how I see it. Once again, thank you so much, uh, for, uh, for your super sticker. Uh, let me see some question from you guys. Army with Harmony, you put, thank you for your service, Dr. O. You're most welcome. Well, you're most welcome. So, you know, sometimes what you do, you get some, you know, to me, just people have to think rationally before they say something that doesn't make any sense. But I don't take it personally. Yes, I will respond, but I don't take it personally. Yeah, I don't take it personally because my main focus, guys, is on the community. So I want to grow this community even bigger and larger, and, and this is one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Asia, and I am going to go to other locations later on, some other time, some other date. Uh, this is why I decided to do this almost on a full-time basis, because I believe in it. I believe in it. All right, question from Army with Harmony. Army with Harmony. Question: Will the next response from Iran be coordinated? Yeah, I know there are some developments going on right now, uh, given Israel's And I might do a video for you guys on Friday, not sure yet, because to me it's very complicated. And I, I, I get concerned sometimes if I don't have enough time to explain the basics of it, it will not make sense to you. So I can give you just a half story. I, I don't do that. Either I do it the right way or not at all. So, but I will, I will take a look and, and see what I can do soon. Uh, I was not the giver, but you were. You, Harry Local, you've been supporting the channel behind the scenes also, you know. I'm aware of your support behind the scenes. You don't do it right here openly, but there are some of you that just— that's how they do it. So, and I'm very grateful. So I'm very grateful. Thank you all, and I mean it, to all of you. So, because each one of us, those donors who can afford this kind of substantial amount of money to them, they are in a position to do so. Yeah, you know, I, I hope one day I'll be able to do something similar to someone down the road, and I will. You have to pay it forward one way or another. Like I always say, guys, you can't just take in life, you have to give. You know, we came into this earth with nothing and we leave with nothing. It becomes just your good deeds. That's all it is, how you were treating others. Simple as that. All the status and the titles and, and the wealth, I know it won't matter. It won't matter. So, so thank you very much, Hiri. Okay, let me see one more question and I'm going to sign off because I need to go work on a few other things for you guys. Yeah. Okay, I don't see any. I'm gonna sign off, guys. Uh, once again, thank you so much for being here, and I look forward to seeing you next time. Maybe, maybe, uh, tomorrow. I doubt it tomorrow. Maybe Friday. If not, the 3rd on Saturday. Do not— my advice to you guys, do not miss that conversation with Dr. DaShan Fang and Dr. Yan Liang. So very, very important. So as always, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, guys, bye-bye.