US Acting Ambassador Edgard Kagan has assured that while there might be some changes, the bond between the two countries, forged over so many years, would remain the same, if not improve.
“US-Malaysia relationship has improved dramatically in recent years. It is a reflection of the strong ties between our countries, the people-to-people relationship, and the interests that have driven us.
“I’m really confident that the importance of Asia to the US is not going to change.
“There will definitely be twists and turns in the relationship, undoubtedly there will be some changes as a result of a new team that takes over, but the underlying relationship won’t change,” he told a press conference at the JW Marriott Hotel.
The US embassy hosted a live election watch at the hotel, where the atmosphere was as lively as one could expect it to be. Booths were placed to educate those present on how the US presidential election works.
There was even a mock voting centre set up to allow Malaysians to experience how voting in the US takes place.
Kagan noted the “remarkable” interest Malaysians had in the US presidential race, sharing with reporters that everywhere he or his colleagues had gone the past one year, they were bombarded with questions about the election.
“It really does reflect something very positive about the relationship. This isn’t just about the relationship between leaders, government or businesses, but it’s also about relationships between people.
“And that is something we’re working very hard to promote and we think there’s no better way for our countries to work together.”
However, there were some attendees here who expressed doubt over the embassy’s assurance, especially as at the time this report was written, Republican candidate Donald Trump was in the lead.
A man speaking to FMT on condition of anonymity, said he feared Trump’s lack of experience in foreign policies might affect the economy of Malaysia.
“He seems to be very emotional. And while he may be good in business, he also appears to be adamant to have things going his own way.
“This may mean that if Malaysia wants to protect its good relationship with the US, we will have to give in to a lot of his demands.”
Another attendee, who also requested to have his identity protected, questioned the state of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement now that both leading candidates, Trump and the Democrats’ Hillary Clinton, had announced their objections to it.
Kagan had earlier addressed this issue, but his response was non-committal as he said: “We’ll just have to see what happens (in the future).”