The Path to Malaysia's Neutral Foreign Policy in the Tunku Era

Abstract

During the era of Malaya/Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, or Tunku as he is commonly referred to, the country was inclined to adopt a neutral foreign policy in the early years of post-independence. Along with other senior ministers, the Tunku’s stance on communism was soft even before Malaya won independence from the British in 1957. However, domestic and international situations at the time did not allow the government to fully implement a neutral foreign policy until the mid-sixties. With the establishment of diplomatic relations with communist countries that included Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, Romania and Bulgaria, the government shifted from a pro-Western policy to a neutral foreign policy nearing the end of the Tunku’s premiership. It was the Tunku, and not his successor Tun Abdul Razak, who was the pioneer in steering the country towards a neutral course.