Malaysia is rubber country. Since the British Empire introduced rubber trees into Asia during the mid-nineteenth century, Malaysia has become the world’s number one supplier of foley catheters, latex thread, and rubber gloves – nearly one in two pairs of rubber gloves worldwide come from Malaysia. It is the world’s third largest producer and fourth largest exporter of natural rubber. Recent advancements in breeding and biological techniques have raised yields, from 769,000 tons in 1999 to 1.3 million tons in 2006; the highest level since 1996 (when more individuals lived and worked in rural areas), according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Malaysia Country Profile 2007. The same profile noted that smallholders continue to be the primary source of raw rubber output.
Combined with robust manufacturing sector growth through exports of rubber goods, smallholder dominance of raw rubber indicates a vibrant local economy that remains globally connected – typical of Southeast Asian economies, and an attraction to migrant workers because of consequential high wages across all sectors. Waves of recognized and unrecognized immigrants raise fears of racial conflict, in a country whose 1969 race riots still raise deeply powerful and painful memories.
In this tense environment the fluidity of power can rattle elected officials and bring them to use any means necessary to solidify their places of privilege, such as when Malaysia’s deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was jailed on charges later overturned:
Anwar’s ouster in September (1998) traumatized Malaysia’s political system, which had been a model of stability for decades. Soon after being expelled from the government, Anwar was detained without trial and beaten in custody by the country’s chief of police, sustaining injuries that a government doctor described as near-fatal. He was then charged with sodomy and corruption. Find the rest of the story in the Washington Post archives…
But Malaysia is rubber country, and even though rubber wasn’t originally part of Malaysian culture, many have adopted its characteristics.
Experts hail Malaysia’s recovery from the East Asian Tigers’ late 1990s collapse as one of the strongest in the region. Part of that strength came from reforms adopted under Ibrahim’s leadership as finance minister. Besides weeding out corruption and cronyism, Ibrahim’s recovery policies slashed ministerial salaries 18 percent, and put major infrastructure projects on hold. Then-prime minister Mahathir bin Mohamad took these actions as an affront to his power, and the handcuffs cuffed. But Ibrahim is Malaysian, and after being released earlier this year from a second false sodomy charge, he bounced back.
Published Date: September 17, 2008