馬哈蒂爾 美國台海發動戰爭

馬來西亞前總理馬哈蒂爾：美國企圖在台海發動戰爭 拜登無能

觀察者網 2022年08月20日 11:21:05 來自上海市

【編譯/觀察者網 李煥宇】8月19日，馬來西亞前總理馬哈蒂爾接受美聯社采訪，長期以來以批評西方及其地緣政治而聞名的他這次也沒有藏匿自己的鋒芒。他直言，美國試圖在台海挑起戰爭，而他們的總統拜登則是一位無能的領導人。

馬哈蒂爾 視頻截圖

馬哈蒂爾首先指責了美國眾議院長佩洛西的竄訪之旅。

他認為中國大陸允許台灣保持現狀，“這不會出什麽問題。他們現在還不打算武力收台。如果他們想用武力，那早就動武了。”

“但是，美國卻為了挑起戰爭挑釁（他們），誘使大陸試圖拿下台灣。這樣美國就有借口去幫助台灣，甚至是同大陸對抗，並且能向台灣出售大量武器。”

此外，馬哈蒂爾還就國際事務批評美國總統拜登的“無能”（ineffective）以及歐盟的言而無信。

他說：“在某種程度上，他（拜登）非常反伊斯蘭，這不公平。麵對以色列犯下的各種罪行，甚至是種族滅絕，他毫無作為。”

“北約和歐盟正在進一步升級他們的挑釁行為，然後要烏克蘭人去戰鬥......他們承諾接受烏克蘭（加入北約），但他們沒有。”

截至目前，美國尚未就馬哈蒂爾的言論做出回應。

馬哈蒂爾現年已經97歲，此前曾在馬來西亞總理位子從1981年幹到了2003年。2018年，由於時任馬來西亞總理納吉布爆發腐敗醜聞，馬哈蒂爾領導的反對派在2018年的選舉中取得曆史性勝利，推翻了納吉布政府，馬哈蒂爾再度出任總理，成為世界上最年長的政府首腦。

但是馬哈蒂爾領導的反對派聯盟不到兩年就因內部糾紛而瓦解，前總理納吉布所在的巫統重新掌權。今年8月，馬哈蒂爾宣布成立了一個名為“祖國運動”的政黨聯盟，該聯盟將參與下一屆全國大選，目前尚未公布總理人選。

馬哈蒂爾說：“我不知道是否能成為總理候選人，但如果我足夠強壯，足夠健康，他們也想讓我參選，那我就會參選。”

Malaysia's Mahathir says US seeking to provoke war in Taiwan

https://buffalonews.com/news/national/govt-and-politics/malaysias-mahathir-says-us-seeking-to-provoke-war-in-taiwan/article_6bf3dd62-45b8-5288-aa9b-c81f0f5817c6.html

By EILEEN NGyesterday

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Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. Mahathir expects Malaysia’s graft-tainted ruling party will hold general elections in coming months, and could win big, but the nonagenarian reformer vowed Friday that he would fight "even a losing battle" on principle. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Friday accused the U.S. of trying to provoke a war in Taiwan, and in a wide-ranging interview also said he expects Malaysia’s graft-tainted ruling party to hold general elections in the coming months.

Mahathir, a two-time prime minister long known as a critic of the West and its geopolitics, warned that the U.S. was antagonizing China through recent visits to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others. China considers the self-ruled island democracy part of its territory and regards such visits as meddling in its affairs.

“China has allowed Taiwan to remain by itself. No problem. They didn’t invade. If they wanted to invade, they could have invaded. They didn’t. But America is provoking (them) so that there can be a war, so that the Chinese will make the mistake of trying to occupy Taiwan,” the 97-year-old Mahathir said.

“Then there is an excuse ... for the U.S. to help Taiwan, even fight against China and sell a lot of arms to Taiwan,” he added.

Following Pelosi’s visit, China launched large-scale military drills surrounding the island and fired ballistic missiles into the sea. Beijing also warned Washington not to encourage Taiwan to try to make its de facto independence permanent, a step China says would lead to war.

There was no immediate U.S. response to Mahathir’s comments.

In Malaysia, Mahathir said the ruling United Malays National Organization is likely preparing for snap polls that it will most likely “win big.” He believes that a number of Malay voters have returned to UMNO because they were offered money and other incentives.

“I think they will want to have the general elections this year. If possible, maybe as soon as two or three months from now, because they feel that at this moment the public still looks up at them, and the opposition is broken up, disorganized,” he told the AP.

Elections are not due until September 2023, but some UMNO members, including ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak and party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who are both fighting graft charges, have been rallying for an earlier vote.

Mahathir was an UMNO prime minister for 22 years until his retirement in 2003. He was inspired to return to politics by the massive looting of the 1MDB state fund during Najib’s term in office, and rode a wave of public anger to lead the opposition to a historic victory in 2018 polls that ousted Najib’s government.

Mahathir became the world’s oldest head of government at 93, but his reformist alliance collapsed in less than two years due to defections. UMNO returned to power and now leads a new coalition government.

Mahathir has formed a new party, Pejuang, and a Malay alliance to contest 120 Malay-dominated parliamentary seats. He said his mission remained the same: to “clean-up” the country and form a graft-free government.

“I don’t know about being prime minister candidate, but if I am strong enough, if I am healthy enough, if they want me to contest, I will contest,” Mahathir said.

“I will fight, even if it is a losing battle,” he said. “I will fight because I believe in principle. It’s not what happens to me. I believe in principle. I believe that this is a great country which can become a developed country, but under the crooks you will never become.”

Najib has maintained his innocence. With his final appeal against a 12-year prison sentence in the first of several trials ongoing in the country’s top court, he would not be allowed to run in the event of an early election.

Mahathir said he believes Najib hopes to make a political comeback with an UMNO win.

“In the elections, if UMNO wins, he expects an UMNO government to ask for a pardon for him — and when he gets a pardon, (and is) cleared completely, he can then become prime minister,” Mahathir said. “He will do it. Believe me, he will do it.”

On the international front, Mahathir described President Joe Biden as an “ineffective” leader.

“In a way, he’s very anti-Islam, he’s not being fair. He allows Israel to commit all kinds of crime, genocide, and he does nothing. He supports them,” said Mahathir, who has been accused of anti-Semitism for attacking Jews, whom he blames for a humanitarian crisis in Palestinian territories.

He also railed against the European Union over the Russian war on Ukraine.

“What NATO is doing, the EU is doing is to provoke some more and asking the Ukrainians to fight,” Mahathir said. “They promised to accept Ukraine (into NATO) but they didn’t.”