Furious Malaysian government ministers yesterday accused Mr Al Gore of inciting "unruly elements" to overthrow the government. The US Vice-President was also criticised by many Asian and western governments attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit here for publicly supporting Malaysia's reformasi campaign at a non-political forum.
But on the streets of Kuala Lumpur last night the young masked men and Muslim activists demonstrating against the Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, outside the Kampung Baru mosque were in no doubt that by mentioning their cause in a speech on Monday Mr Gore had given it a powerful impetus.
"Many people are very happy Mahathir was put in his place," said a middle-aged civil servant as a crowd of 200 burned pictures of the Prime Minister and yelled "Reformasi", the catchword of the reform movement, at passing motorists before dispersing peacefully. They disputed the fears of opposition figures that Mr Gore's astonishing intervention would lend weight to claims that reformasi is an American plot in support of his ousted deputy, Mr Anwar Ibrahim.
"Definitely Mahathir will say after this that Anwar is an agent of the US and the CIA," said a protest organiser. "But I would say this is not true because Anwar is also supported by other countries, such as the Philippines and Australia, so he must be an agent of those countries, too."
Mr Gore made his remarks at a business dinner on Monday evening hosted by the Malaysian Prime Minister. He said: "And so among nations suffering from economic crises we continue to hear calls for democracy, calls for reform in many languages, people's power, doi moi, reformasi. We hear them today - right here, right now - among the brave people of Malaysia." (An hour after he spoke a lone protester who held up a paper with the word "Reformasi" was arrested outside the venue).
The White House said yesterday that President Clinton stood behind this sentiment. "This and Mr Clinton's absence and the decision by [the US Secretary of State] Madeleine Albright to meet Anwar's wife show that this is all very deliberate American policy," said a senior western diplomat. The cry of "Reformasi" is used by supporters of Mr Anwar, dismissed by Dr Mahathir on September 2nd and now on trial for sodomy and corruption.
Dr Mahathir has repeatedly accused his former deputy of trying to incite Indonesia-style riots to topple his government. Malaysia's Foreign Minister, Mr Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said Mr Gore's comments were unwarranted, provocative and based on a one-sided view of developments in the south-east Asian nation.
"Malaysia views them as gross interference in the internal affairs of the country and a brazen violation of the basic tenets of relations between sovereign states," he said. It "finds the incitement by the US government to lawlessness by certain elements within the country to use undemocratic means in order to overthrow a constitutionally elected government most abhorrent."
"This plays into Dr Mahathir's hand and will probably even strengthen him," said Mr Syed Husin Ali, president of the opposition Part i Rakyat Malaysia. "Gore's speech will be used by Mahathir as an opportunity to strengthen his position by whipping up the people's patriotic sentiments."
The opposition leader, Mr Lim Kit Siang, a vocal supporter of democratic reform, said Mr Gore had stirred up "a hornet's nest" and that "there is the feeling of national embarrassment that a foreign leader should be talking about the need for democratic change in Malaysia on our own soil". Western leaders tut-tutted about what the New Zealand Prime Minister, Ms Jenny Shipley, called "megaphone diplomacy", saying it threatened APEC.
Singapore's Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong, said "politics should not get in the way of APEC", and the Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, who in September expressed concern over "the apparatus of the state being used to settle political scores" in Malaysia said it was not the Australian way to tell other people what to do. A Chinese spokesman said nations should respect the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.
Mr Gore was unmoved yesterday. At the start of a meeting with the Russian Prime Minister, Mr Yevgeny Primakov, he said: "That is the American message, and I am proud to deliver it here and anywhere I go." One world leader agreed. "It was a very beautiful speech," said President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines.
The two-day summit of 21 Pacific Rim nations, which ends this afternoon, has also exacerbated tensions between the US and Japan. The American delegation is angry at Tokyo's refusal to rapidly reduce tariffs on two of nine key industries. President Clinton was reported yesterday to have sent a "very stiff" letter to the Japanese Prime Minister, and officials said he would raise the issue in harsh terms when visiting Japan on Saturday.