KUALA LUMPUR: The Look East Policy (LEP), adopted by the government in 1982, remains as a relevant policy for Malaysia and its people.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who introduced the policy during his first stint as prime minister in the 1980s, said the LEP had been one of the cornerstones of Malaysia-Japan relations.
"Throughout the years, Japan had assisted Malaysia tremendously in its economic development endeavours.
"Japan helped Malaysia build many of its world-class infrastructures, transferred technical knowledge, and extended a helping hand during the financial crisis of 1997 and the recent pandemic."
He said after he stepped down in 2003, the subsequent administrations continued to support the policy, though the emphasis was not as strong.
It was during his second stint as prime minister in 2018, he said, when he focused on revitalising the policy.
"The late (Japanese) prime minister Shinzo Abe and I had then agreed that the framework of the LEP 2.0 must incorporate new trends in bilateral cooperation in order to remain relevant," he said at the 40 Years of The Look East Policy book launch and the Malaysia-Japan Forum here, today.
He said the Japanese work ethics, discipline, pride and sense of shame when failing were some of the values that he wanted Malaysians to embrace when the LEP was formulated and introduced.
Dr Mahathir said he believed that if Malaysians had the same attitude, ethics, and work culture, together with the sense of pride in their work and sense of shame when failing, the country would be as successful as the Japanese.
"It was however not an easy task as Malaysia, like any other former colonies of European nations, tends to be more accustomed to treating the western culture as superior.
"Though it was not easy to supplant the culture of the former colonialists, we have managed, to some degree, to successfully promote the policy.
"Our students and workforce sent to Japan upon their return, were testimonies of this success and that the work ethics they adopted were worthy to be emulated by fellow Malaysians.
"Of course the policy would not been successful without the support and cooperation of the Japanese government."
Dr Mahathir added that new global developments, including the meteoric rise of China as an economic and military power in particular, as well as the United States' hostile reaction to this had impacted many of Malaysia's foreign policies and international relations.
Asean, he said, faced a threat to its centrality and subsequently its relevance from both external and internal forces.
"Malaysia and Japan perceive the threats from these new realities differently. China's rise caused greater concerns in Japan leading it to align itself closer to the US.
"Meanwhile, China's growing prominence within the Southeast region threatens to overshadow Japan's presence."
He said this then caused divisions, with countries in the region pushed to choose sides rather than integration and cooperation.
"It is important for Malaysia and Japan not to lose sight of its long-standing good relations.
"Albeit these new challenges and uncertainties, I personally and sincerely hope that the people-to-people interaction between Malaysians and Japanese people would blossom into a strong and enduring bond and that it will be the glue that binds our two nations.
"I truly hope the LEP will continue for many more years and act as a balance to other cultures particularly those from the west," he added.