Iran sees a friend in LGBTQI advocate Penny Wong - Iran's reliance on China oil revenues flowing via Penny's home state Sabah, Anwar Ibrahim's defiant support for HAMAS and Iran may explain the very unlikely alliance

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

As part of its diplomatic campaign against Israel Iran has reached out to a seemingly unlikely ally, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who is openly lesbian and champions LQBTQI rights internationally, with Australian Government resources. In addition she has imposed "targeted sanctions" against Iranian officials for their treatment of women. In Iran Wong would be put to death. 

However, Wong's home state of Sabah, in Malaysia, is also an important link in the Iran-China sanction oil trade, and Wong's family remains influential in that state.  Wong's political ascendency could not have come without substantial funding and her late father's timber tycoon connections in the state are likely to have been a source of funds. It would  not be in Wong's interest, and that of her Sabah connections, to see any disruption to that cash flowing into Sabah from the Iran-China oil trade, which is especially vital to Iran at this point, given the need to fund the war with Israel.

The likely disruption to the Syria-Iran  oil trade is likely to have placed a strain on oil revenues, and hence the China revenues are even more crucial. Ensuring that Wong and Australia are onside against Israel is therefore vital to Iran's war effort, and Wong's support for Palestine ,along side Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim who has publicly declared his support for HAMAS, and Iran's right to defend itself against Israel, must give the Iranian leadership some comfort that they can count on Wong's support,regardless of her sexuality, and their abhorrence of it and everything  else she stands for. 

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Friday, April 12, 2024

Penny Wong consulted Malaysia about recognising a Palestinian state -Malaysia does not recognise Israel's right to exist, Malaysian government and media's word for Israel is "Zionist Regime"

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

                 Penny Wong and Anwar Ibrahim

As reported by the AFR:

Foreign Minister Penny Wong canvassed extensively with a series of international counterparts, including UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and ministers from key Muslim countries before announcing Australia could potentially recognise Palestinian statehood.

Over the past month or so, Senator Wong has spoken to foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan – the first two Arab countries to recognise neighbouring Israel – as well as a slew of South-East Asian ministers at Melbourne’s ASEAN summit, including Malaysia and Indonesia, two big international champions of the Palestinian cause.

Malaysia's does not recognise Israel's right to exist. That determination is reflected in  Malaysian government and media statements in which  even the  word  Israel is forbidden. The word  "Zionist Regime" is used instead.

As reported previously, Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim (who effectively runs the government, over-riding his ministers) has insisted that he will always support HAMAS. 

Wong cannot but be at least aware that her two state proposal really means the end of Israel as it currently exists.