Sejarah Pemikiran Pandang ke Timur Semasa Era Tun Abdul Razak

ABSTRACT: “The History of the Look to the East’s Idea during the Era of Tun Abdul Razak”. This study analyzes the history of the “Look to the East” idea in Malaysia between 1970 to 1976. It is the period of Tun Abdul Razak administration. The method used in this study is based on the method of observation of the resources available at the Library and the National Archives of Malaysia. Over a decade after 1945, there were no official bilateral relations between Japan and the Federation of Malaya, due to Malaya under British occupation again. Official bilateral relation between the Federation of Malaya and Japan only starts when Kishi Nobosuke visit the Federation of Malaya on 24 and 25 November 1957. Malaysia and Japan economic relations continued during the administration of Tun Abdul Razak, when Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) channeled to Malaysia to finance the bulk of the country’s development projects. The “Look to the East” idea seen unlikely to fade after the Second World War (1939-1945) until the period of Tun Hussein Onn administration, a long time period for 34 years. When Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad continued the “Look to the East” idea, that led to the formation of the “Look to the East Policy”, Japanese investment in the country has grown with Japan emerged as Malaysia’s major trading partner. This leads to the importance of this study, due to there are no previous study tracing the history of the “Look to the East” idea during the administration of Tun Abdul Razak.