Philippines congratulates Malaysia's Mahathir on comeback victory
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government is seeking to further enhance bilateral ties with Malaysia following the victory of former authoritarian leader Mahathir Mohamad.
Mohamad was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday after securing a political comeback, denying his former protege Najib Razak a third term.
"The results of the election and the peaceful transition of government affirm the adherence of the Malaysian people to the democratic process. We are confident that the new administration will continue to foster peace, security, and the economic success of Malaysia," the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The DFA also congratulated Malaysia for the successful commencement of Kuala Lumpur's 14th general elections.
"The Philippines is looking forward to working with Prime Minister Mahathir and his government in further enhancing the bilateral partnership between our two countries and peoples," the statement read.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. also said that the two Southeast Asian countries would continue to develop a "strong partnership" following the comeback of the 92-year-old Malaysian leader.
Roque described Malaysia as a "brother nation" and a "dependable partner" of the country's efforts to attain peace in Mindanao.
“We are thus confident that the strong partnership between our countries would continue to be enhanced in the years to come,” Roque said.
Malaysia's election result is a political earthquake for the Muslim-majority country, sweeping aside the 60-year rule of the National Front and its leader Najib, whose reputation was tarnished by a monumental corruption scandal, a crackdown on dissent and a new sales tax that hurt his coalition's poor rural supporters.
It was also a surprising exception to backsliding on democratic values in Southeast Asia, a region of more than 600 million people where governments of countries including Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines have swung toward harsh authoritarian rule.
Amnesty International said Malaysia's first-ever change in government is an opportunity to "eradicate repressive policies" and put human rights first.
"We need to have this government today without delay," Mahathir, 92, said before the ceremony. "There is a lot of work to be done. You know the mess the country is in and we need to attend to this mess as soon as possible and that means today." — Patricia Lourdes Viray with Associated Press
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