“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” said the Bard — and nowhere can we see this truth more clearly than in how Malaysia’s opposition is currently performing its outrage over Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN Summit.
From Dr Mahathir Mohamad to Abdul Hadi Awang to Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, the opposition has been outdoing one another in demanding that the government cancel Trump’s invitation in solidarity with Palestine — as if Malaysia were a global superpower, and Trump just a middle manager from New York who could be uninvited without consequence.
But why is the opposition so insistent on this doomed crusade?
The answer is simple: they know the government cannot cancel Trump’s visit.
Malaysia, as ASEAN chair, is obligated to invite all major global leaders. Asking the government to rescind that invitation is like PAS demanding that Anwar Ibrahim stay out of Kelantan — or like a cucumber trying to roll against a durian. Whether the durian rolls over the cucumber or the cucumber rolls against the durian, the cucumber is the one that gets crushed.
Whether we like it or not, Trump remains the head of the world’s most powerful nation — a vain and unpredictable one, yes, but a leader whose visit carries immense diplomatic and economic weight. The United States remains Malaysia’s largest foreign investor, and ASEAN’s principles of neutrality and centrality require us to engage, not posture.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamad Alamin captured this reality perfectly when he told Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal not to be “more Hamas than Hamas.”
Wan Fayhsal, in true performative zeal, had thundered in Parliament that Trump was a “war criminal” who had “allowed genocide in Gaza,” asking what benefit Malaysia could possibly gain by letting such a man “set foot in our country.”
In response, Mohamad reminded him that Malaysia must view issues from a broader perspective. Trump was invited as part of Malaysia’s duty as ASEAN chair, and not as a personal endorsement.
He added a stinging reminder: “Hamas itself has welcomed Trump’s 20-Point Plan. So why can’t we support it? Machang, let’s not try to be more Hamas than Hamas.”
Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan, announced on Sept 29, calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, and the creation of a transitional administration under international oversight — though critics point out that it stops short of guaranteeing Palestinian statehood.
Mohamad admitted that the plan had “loopholes” and might still favour Israel, but said Malaysia would use Trump’s visit to push for an end to the bombings, open humanitarian aid routes, and contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction.
This pragmatic approach, however, doesn’t fit the opposition’s preferred theatre of moral outrage.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, ever the elder statesman of political drama, released a Facebook video urging Anwar Ibrahim to withdraw Trump’s invitation, declaring that “Trump is complicit in genocide” and that Malaysia must take a moral stand even as a small nation.
“By cancelling Trump’s invitation,” Mahathir said, “Malaysia would send a clear message that he is a criminal and a child-killer.”
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang was equally fiery, calling Trump a “great devil” who supplied Israel with banned weapons and repeatedly vetoed UN resolutions holding Israel accountable. He cited Islamic teachings on avoiding alliances with oppressors and condemned Malaysia’s justification for inviting Trump as “weak and unreasonable.”
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile, maintained a firm but pragmatic tone. He reminded critics that the ASEAN Summit will bring together leaders from the US, China, India, Japan, and beyond — and that Malaysia must use this diplomatic platform to speak for Palestine, not retreat from it.
“We must be wise in making friends,” Anwar said. “Malaysia will not stay silent on Gaza, but we must also protect our economic and diplomatic interests.”
And so, like a play whose actors have memorized their lines — Mahathir as the moral conscience, Hadi as the firebrand preacher, Fayhsal as the indignant young crusader, and Anwar as the weary pragmatist — the performance unfolds.
Each delivers his cue, each plays his part.
But as Deputy Minister Mohamad Alamin quipped, sometimes a fellow actor has to remind another not to overact.
“No need to be more Hamas than Hamas,” indeed, Wan Fayhsal.
Everyone’s got a role in this show — everybody must play their part according to the script, and not like, Wan Fahysal, get carried away and assume that they are the biggest star on stage.
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