00:01A senior analyst at a think tank has described the country's new ambassador to the U.S. as a pragmatic choice, saying Malaysia needs a steady hand in the post, not a maverick or headline magnet.
00:13Thomas Daniel from the Institute of Strategic and International Studies expects Shahrukh Ikram Yaqub to be able to handle the world's wide responsibilities, ranging from high-level negotiations to the more day-to-day matters.
00:26Daniel said among the new ambassador's top priorities would be to secure high-level access for bilateral talks and promote Malaysia's interests in the U.S., especially in view of President Donald Trump's maximalist approaches.
00:40The new ambassador would also have to manage Trump's aggressive and uncompromising foreign policy style and the lukewarm perception of Malaysia within U.S. foreign and defense policy circles, he said.
00:51Meanwhile, Yakim Leng of Sunway University said Shahrukh's immediate economic challenges would be to reaffirm Malaysian neutrality and a long-standing relationship with the U.S.
01:03He said it was critical that Malaysia project its neutrality as both the country and ASEAN may be perceived by others as tilting towards China.
01:10Former Sungai Banut MP Taufik Ismail called for Shahrukh to urgently protect Malaysian students studying in the U.S.
01:17with the Trump administration tightening foreign student visa requirements.
