KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 3): DAP's Tony Pua said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's alleged stand in pandering to China has much bigger implications to Malaysia than merely an attempt to play off one superpower against another.

In a statement today Pua, who is DAP's national publicity secretary and MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, said Najib's foreign policy switch will lead Malaysia, intentionally or inadvertently, down the road of becoming a rogue nation, globally snubbed and internationally derided.

"As basket cases like Burma, Vietnam or even Iran redeems themselves with greater rapprochement with the international communities, it is frightening that a Prime Minister, consumed with the need to save himself is taking actions which will lead us down the slippery slope," he said.

Pua said Malaysia has always prided itself to be a progressive nation which built its foundations the principles of justice and moderation.

"Even before our own independence, we have always been on the on the right side of history, fighting the Axis powers during the World War II and was part of the coalition to halt the rise of communism in Southeast Asia.

"Even during the worst of times during the Mahathir's era of an authoritarian regime, we have never been regarded as a basket case like Cambodia, Burma, Iraq or God-forbid, North Korea," he said.

Pua added that Najib himself had tried hard to be part of international elite fraternity with his constant, albeit rhetorical, preaching of the "global movement of moderates".

He said things had changed with the last two years and in July this year, the United States (US) Department of Justice had labelled Malaysia a kleptocracy, with the single largest seizure of assets purchased with funds laundered in the US which were misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Pua said despite the severity of the accusation by the US Attorney-General, Najib had refused to deny the allegations and has chosen to remain silent.

"Instead today, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has decided that it is now in his best interest to pucker up to mighty China. After all, China doesn't pass judgement on who they deal with, regardless of whether it's a rogue nation like North Korea or a Western counterpart like United States. China's investments for influence policy reaches out far and wide to third world countries all around the world, especially in Africa, like Nigeria, Sudan and Angola.

"After the much-hyped promise of Middle-Eastern petrodollars-led investment boom in Malaysia failed to materialise, the Prime Minister is turning to Beijing to not only jumpstart our economy, but also to help him clean up his multi-billion dollar 1MDB mess," said Pua.

The DAP lawmaker added that as if to hammer the nail into the coffin, the Prime Minister wrote in his special column in China Daily chastising the West including the "former colonial powers", that "it is not for them to lecture countries they once exploited on how to conduct their own internal affairs today".

"It is a not so subtle statement to tell these Western powers that how Malaysia is a kleptocracy today isn't any of their business.

"If they are not happy with him, he is more than happy to embrace China, who couldn't care less about how the Malaysian government leaders plunder the nation," said Pua.