Malaysian Growth

Re “Malaysian Dreams, Bev Hills Bucks,” Commentary, Jan. 14:

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visits California to drum up investment for his multimedia corridor while “West-bashing” and saying that the West “places too high a priority on individual rights.” The U.S. dominance in the world economy, scientific research and intellectual property does not occur in a vacuum. It is an outgrowth of the American commitment to individual rights and freedom of expression.

Mahathir has often proven to be a pragmatist and a bold leader. He jettisoned his “Look East” policy of the 1980s when he realized that his Asian neighbors, namely Japan and South Korea, were not willing to share or transfer technology as freely as the West. He has abandoned the linguistic nationalism of the late 1970s, which sought to eclipse the use of the English language, and he has embraced, after initial reservations, the World Trade Organization’s recent agreement on elimination of tariffs on electronic products.

Malaysia is still a nation where government policy discriminates against the ethnic minority 40% of the population. One generation of Malaysia’s best and brightest minorities has been lost to a diaspora. Mahathir should strive to engage the next generation’s dreams within its borders if Malaysia is to excel economically.

XAVIER SWAMIKANNU

Los Angeles