PERHAPS their envy of their Palestinian brethren has prompted radical Islamist movement Taliban to court Malaysia for trade and investment as their homeland Afghanistan grapples with a severe economic crisis.
Despite Malaysia not officially recognising the Taliban regime, business and NGO ties are being explored, according to the Afghanistan Times.
Taliban is courting Malaysia for trade and investment as Afghanistan grapples with a severe economic crisis. Despite Malaysia not officially recognizing the Taliban regime, business and NGO ties are being explored. Taliban is eyeing Malaysia as a key partner, particularly in… pic.twitter.com/Q6kZuJ3GZl
— Afghanistan Times (@AfghanistanTime) August 26, 2024
Taking a long shot, the Taliban is eyeing Malaysia as a key partner, particularly in higher education and mining sectors as they strive to revive Afghanistan’s economy three years after the US withdrawal.
So, if it’s indeed destined that the Madani administration is able to fulfil the wishes of its Taliban counterpart, how will the arrangement pan out or what will the future hold for Malaysia?
“We can send planes to bring them here. Our Kebangsaan (primary national) schools will be suitable for them. Oh yeah … they don’t allow girls to be educated … tricky 😉,”remarked social activist and lawyer Siti Kasim in a recent Facebook (FB) post.
Indeed, Siti Kasim’s views opened the floodgate to some of the darndest if not hilarious responses with a commenter stating that Malaysia should only accept female students given they were banned in Afghanistan while another suggested that “maybe girls disguised as boys” if the Talban insists on depriving education for their women folks.
How about bringing the Afghan female students to Malaysia in exchange for the “ultras” (presumably fanatic PAS members), one commenter wondered while another nominated PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang as the Afghan Higher Learning Minister with motor mouth Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor as Hadi’s deputy.
On the contrary, one commenter proposed that Malaysia sends its women lecturers to Afghanistan while another cheekily suggested sending “Turtle King” (slang for former premier Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) to Kabul “to bring Bahasa Malaysia to the international level”.
Talking about education for women, few commenters revealed that women are getting more educated than men which is a worrying trend in Malaysia “as boys seem to drop out more or not pursuing higher education while women have filled up many professional posts these days” – an issue that has been kept away from the prime media.
To ensure lightening does not strike twice, one commenter pre-empted any likely move by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from engaging with the Taliban – like how he has flown injured Palestinians to Malaysia for medical treatment – lest he is doing so with his own and not taxpayers’ money.
Whatever said and done, the bottom line is that at least the Taliban government has a forward plan which makes some commenters wondered what Malaysia can exchange for offering its so-called “higher education”.
Well, the answers ranged from “guerrilla warfare” to heroin trade or how to make “AK-47s and bombs especially IEDs (improvised explosive device) and to setting up a regional terrorist hub. – Aug 30, 2024
Main image credit: Reuters
