YOURSAY ‘Wake up PKR. Until you come to power, you are not part of American policies.’

PKR upset over Obama's Anwar snub

Progressive: Isn't it common courtesy for visiting dignitaries to meet the leader of the opposition? It happens in Australia and even in India.

United States President Barack Obama is a failed leader in championing human rights. He promised the closing of Guantanamo detention centre where foreigners are held illegally. But it is still open.

Though he is black, Obama has done nothing for the blacks of America, except making many speeches on issues of the black people. What a shame. It's best we let Obama descend into history as the first failed black president of America and a president without a backbone.

Pemerhati: Obama, like any other world leader, visits another country to advance the interests of his own country. The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), which is said to be of great interest and extremely beneficial to the US and could be bad for other countries like Malaysia, comes to mind.

His embassy would have advised him that by meeting PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim he would upset Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his cohorts, who could then retaliate by rejecting the TPPA.

The past behaviour of the US and most other countries have indicated that morality and high principles often take second place to their economic and other interests.

At the moment the TPPA and the security issues are very important for the US and these can only be resolved to their satisfaction by Najib who heads the ‘Kerajaan 47 percent’. They are not bothered about Anwar and the 51 percent that voted for Pakatan as they cannot give the US what it wants.

If in future Anwar is likely to come to power, then the US will turn the charm on him as they did in the case of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in India, a candidate for prime minister.

JMC: The world is not what it used to be and US is not what it was - a real champion of freedom and democracy in the world. Today everything is about business and power plays.

Rights of the ordinary people are overlooked for reasons that are so inhumane. The US is losing its moral standing as the champion of freedom and human rights in the world and Obama is just accelerating that loss of faith in his country.

Obama is too scared to upset the status quo in Malaysia. As the leader of the most powerful democracy in the free world, why should he shun from meeting an opposition leader who is persecuted by an unjust regime, which has the support of just 47 percent of its people?

Anwar represents the voice of the majority of Malaysians, so why doesn't Obama have the courtesy of meeting a legitimate opposition leader?

If Obama doesn't have the courage to meet Anwar, he should not come here to allow Najib and gang to gain political mileage from his visit.

Yours and My Malaysia: PKR, get real and work to gain control over Putrajaya. Then all the presidents will be visiting.

Anon1: Obama, after all is said and done, is a politician who must do what is politically correct as advised by his political advisers. He is here for only one reason and he does not give a rat's ass about our internal affairs. I'm quite shocked at this childish behaviour by PKR.

Sunnyd: This is on record. When Anwar was DPM, he was asked by the US media if he thought a non-Malay could be the prime minister of Malaysia. His smart reply was "Maybe when the US has a black President?”

Now this black president does not want to meet him. Karma?

Anonymous_3e0b: (By Truth Seeker): Presumably this US president is ill-advised over the arrangement. Visiting a country only to meet leaders of a government that was elected and formed with minority popular votes and disregarding totally the coalition majority in the election?

Has that country’s protocol gone nuts? Surely the US government is aware of the real position of our country. I say let all clear thinking Malaysians give 0bama's visit a miss and ignore his presence here totally.

We can only pray that the expenses incurred on his visit will not cause a bad dent to his country's coffers.

Mushiro: It is very unlike the greatest democracy in the world to carefully avoid meeting with the host country's democratic leader who commands 52 percent of the popular votes, just so as to please the leadership of the host country that only commands 47 percent.

Mohican: Obama, In Myanmar you met with the opposition leader. Here, you want to be a hypocrite when the majority of the Malaysians voted for the opposition who got the popular vote. Anyway, you are as good as gone as you are limping through your final term.

Worried Sick: I had so much admiration for Obama, thinking then that the first black president would be the torch bearer of democratic principles. But now I think he is just another run of the mill politician - weak and indecisive in many areas that need the action and attention of the United States.

When David Cameron was in Sri Lanka, he ignored that country's protocol and visited Jaffna to gauge for himself the sufferings of the Ceylon Tamils. Of course, Obama is no David Cameron. Here in Malaysia, as Awang Top said,"Karpal Singh is more important than Obama." Don't you agree?

Son of PJ: Malaysians always seemed to be confused between the Americans in Hollywood movies and those in real life. In reality, the American government is always concerned about America's wealth first and foremost. It has shown support for many corrupt and iron-fisted regimes the world over in the past, as long as these regimes toe the line in the US’s grand scheme of things.

Even if Pakatan is in power, the US will not give due recognition unless it has something sweet to sing to American ears.

Bamboo: Of course Obama won’t meet Anwar. Anwar doesn’t have the authority to sign the TPPA or buy weapons from US. Anyone who thinks US is the good guy is mistaken. Only geopolitical interests and business matter.

Idiot: Obama is here to represent America's capitalism. He does not care that the opposition won the popular vote. He only talks to people in power to achieve what American stands for, to suck the blood of Third World nations.

Where there is money to be made you can find the American government. It is not about American people; it about American imperialism and foreign policies. Wake up PKR. Until you come to power you are not part of American policies.

Odin: Idiot has got it absolutely right. The Pakatan might have won 52 percent of the popular votes, but it is the Umno Baru-BN government that decides where to buy what.

Recently, Obama also praised Najib to high heaven. Before he uttered his praise, he surely must have known, or must have been advised, on the situation in Malaysia.

Anonymous #19098644: This is nothing surprising. US foreign policy has always been about what is in the interests of the US. Due to that they have consistently been having relationships with some of the most undemocratic regimes like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan.

They have invaded tiny Grenada and overthrown the democratically elected government of Allende in Chile when it suited them. So what if Pakatan got 52 percent of the popular votes? Get real, this is about scratching one another’s back. Anwar can’t scratch his back while Najib can.

FellowMalaysian: From his two-day programme agenda in KL, Obama seems to want to spend some time engaging the attention and focus of youths. When he went to Britain last, Obama met up with Opposition Leader Ed Milliband.

It would just be great and would please lots of his admirers here if he could make a concession and spend a little time with Anwar.

Well Thats Fantastic: Who cares about Obama? He is an almost done, final term president, whose country is in the throes of financial collapse. A country held to ransom by bankers. Really, who cares?

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