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Free Malaysia Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Trump's Harvard foreign students ban ‘insane', says US professor
Harvard University has filed a suit against the Donald Trump administration, arguing that the ban on foreign students is a blatant violation of the US constitution. (Wikipedia pic) PETALING JAYA : American economist Jeffrey Sachs has slammed the move by the Donald Trump administration to bar international students from enrolling in Harvard University, the oldest and most prestigious Ivy League institution in the US. 'The US yesterday banished foreign students from Harvard University. That's not a joke, that's insane,' said Sachs, a professor at Columbia University, New York, and UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network president. 'It is self destruction at a rate that is absolutely impossible to understand other than in psychological terms. 'This is a backlash, resentment, aggression, and arrogance that will destroy the core of (America's) prosperity,' he said in his presentation at the 'Asean amidst shifting global order' forum organised by the Sunway Group yesterday. Sachs also linked this unprecedented move by President Trump to 'America's Cultural Revolution'. He compared it to China's Cultural Revolution launched by Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1966 that lasted till his death in 1976. 'Cultural revolutions do not go well. It set back China for 20 years,' he said. In an earlier interview with Hindustan Times, Sachs noted that the Cultural Revolution was a 'disastrous period for China', where universities were closed down, and the economy was in turmoil. 'The Trump administration is attacking universities. It's said to be on the basis of antisemitism in these (elite) institutions. 'That is both a laughable and tragic claim. The whole idea is completely absurd,' said Sachs, who was a student and professor at Harvard. The university and US government have been at loggerheads for months as the administration demanded the university make changes to campus operations. The administration has homed in on foreign students and staff it believes participated in contentious campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. On Thursday, Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem dropped the bombshell that Harvard's student and exchange visitor programme certification has been revoked, effective immediately. This affects thousands of international students, who would have to transfer or face deportation. Noem accused Harvard of 'fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party'. Harvard responded with a suit the next day, citing 'blatant violation' of the US constitution. A federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the White House from revoking Harvard's ability to enrol foreign students, who make up an estimated 27% of the student body or about 6,700 students. Malaysian support for Harvard The Harvard Club of Malaysia has rallied behind the institution against the Trump administration's shock move. 'We fully support our alma mater's stand and affirm our commitment to openness, inquiry, and service – principles that not only define Harvard, but also our enduring role in society,' it said in a statement yesterday. 'We are confident the university's ongoing commitment to its values, globalism, rule of law, and the betterment of humanity will continue to stand it in good stead, whatever the political winds of the day.' Club deputy president Krishnavenee Krishnan said the association is deeply concerned for Malaysian students at the university. 'They should not be robbed of their opportunity to receive a world-class education and to make world-class contributions,' she said. Earlier, Perikatan Nasional criticised the US decision, with its education portfolio chairman Saifuddin Abdullah calling the move 'uncivilised'. Saifuddin said universities are institutions of knowledge that 'cherish the values of truth and justice'. The former deputy higher education minister also urged Putrajaya to promptly engage with Malaysian students at Harvard and other US universities to ensure their welfare is safeguarded.
Free Malaysia Today
23-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Asean should ‘choose neighbours' in US-China competition
US economist Jeffrey Sachs said Asean cannot do without its economic relations with China. PETALING JAYA : Eminent US economist Jeffrey Sachs said Asean should choose its neighbour – China – if it is forced by the US to pick a side in its great power competition with the Asian giant. 'The US should not try to make Asean choose. That would not only be unfair, but if Asean is forced to choose, you would choose your neighbour, China, obviously. 'This is because Asean cannot do without its economic relations with China. That's not even imaginable,' said Sachs, a professor at Columbia University and UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network president. He added that Asean should have good relations with all parts of the world rather than be in alliance with other countries or groupings. 'The idea is that Asean is a very open region, and trades with the US, Europe, China, and others. So, the US should not try to force Asean into making such choices,' he said during a dialogue on 'Asean amidst shifting global order' organised by Sunway University and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. Sachs made his comments in response to a question on whether strategic neutrality is still a viable option for Asean. For Malaysia, and Asean, China remains their largest trading partner. In 2024, Malaysia-China trade hit a record US$212 billion (RM917.4 billion), marking the 16th consecutive year China was Malaysia's No 1 trading partner. Since 2013, Asean-China trade has grown on average 7.5% a year, reaching US$982.3 billion (RM4.25 trillion) in 2024. A recent Bloomberg report said the administration of US president Donald Trump is preparing to pressure countries seeking reductions or exemptions on US reciprocal tariffs to curb trade with China. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent also said countries negotiating trade deals with the US should 'approach China as a group' together with Washington. In response, China has warned countries against striking an economic deal with the US at its expense, ratcheting up the temperature in a spiralling trade war between the world's two biggest economies. Sachs said if the US tries to put on secondary sanctions and impede Asean's economic relations with China, it would 'have to be resisted'. 'That's because neighbours need to trade, have common infrastructures and transport (links), manage riversheds, and so forth.' He said the 10-nation regional grouping should work closely with China in areas such as physical infrastructure and connectivity. 'This is a neighbourhood. The Belt and Road Initiative is a very important and positive initiative. It implements fast rail, renewable energy, and digital systems that are for everybody's mutual benefit,' he said. Sach added that Asean's goal should be openness to all. 'Be calm and don't get into a conflict. We don't want to be in the middle of your conflict, and there is no reason for conflict at all,' he said. In this regard, he suggested that foreign military bases in the Asian region be eliminated. The US has military bases in the Philippines, Japan and South Korea, all within striking range of its adversary China. 'Over time, I believe the US should leave (its bases in the region). We can't afford it anyway. 'President Trump says Japan and South Korea should pay for our services. I think Japan and Korea should say 'thank you very much but we don't need to pay'. If you want to leave, that's also fine,' he said.
