The Third Academic Forum on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (RBI) today cannot be more timely, held six months after the historic peaceful and democratic first transition of power in Malaysia after six decades to reset nation building policies to create a New Malaysia.

In this New Malaysia, academic forums and the civil society have an active and important role to play in Malaysia’s robust and vibrant democracy, which is open and receptive of diverse views about the future of Malaysia and the world, where dissent is not regarded as an act of disloyalty or anti-national expression which must be met with detention without trial or repressive authority of the state.

When the change of government in Putrajaya first took place six months ago, there were concerns about the China policy of Pakatan Harapan Government. Read the rest of this entry »