Event
The Free Democratic Party's Visit to Malaysia
As part of a trip to a number of Asian countries, a delegation of Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP) visited Malaysia from July 5th to 8th. The delegates, including party chairperson Christian Lindner, met with local officials and activist as well as German diplomats to discuss the two countries’ relations and Malaysian politics.
On the first evening of the tour, the party delegation, together with leading figures of the regional offices of the Friedrich-Naumann Foundation, met the German ambassador H. E. Nikolaus Count Lambsdorff for dinner. On this occasion, the delegates gained an insight into the general political and social situation in Malaysia. On the following day, the FDP representatives talked to political cartoonist Zunar, who is known for his critical satirical work. The conversation’s main talking points revolved around freedom of expression in Malaysia and the political changes after the 2018 election.
Later, the delegates met with representatives of the civil society organisation Sisters in Islam (SIS), to discuss the group’s work of promoting the rights and emancipation of women within the Islamic community. SIS has been in close cooperation with the Friedrich-Naumann Foundation since its inception in the 1980s. During this time, the organisation was able to achieve widespread recognition for its work but also continues to face backlash, such as the fatwa that has been issued against them. Christian Lindner also met with Steven Gan, the Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder of the news platform Malaysiakini. The pair discussed press freedom and the emergence of online news. The day concluded with a joint dinner of the German delegation and seven Malaysian MPs. The parliamentarians of the two countries exchanged ideas on how to strengthen relations between Germany and Malaysia further.
The next day, the delegation drove to the Forest Research Institute (FRIM) to gain insight into the fight against deforestation and global warming. The visit to the manmade rainforest outside of Kuala Lumpur offered the delegates the change to discuss sustainability and different approaches towards environmental challenges. Afterwards, the group made a stopover in Putrajaya, the Federal Administrative Centre of Malaysia. The city’s government and ministerial offices with their opulent modern architecture with Islamic features left a great impression on the German MPs. The delegates spent their last evening in Malaysia at a dinner at the German ambassador’s residence. This offered an opportunity to draw a final summary of the visit.