The revelation earlier this month that Malaysia ’s disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak allegedly urged a crown prince from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help cover up the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal is expected to complicate ties between the two countries, analysts say. It came as relations between the Southeast Asian nation and Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the Sunni Muslim world, have been strained since Riyadh saw a summit of Islamic nations in Kuala Lumpur last month as an affront to its standing. Political analyst Azmi Hassan said he believed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s disclosure of the taped 2016 conversation – which it says is between Najib and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan – would be a factor in diplomatic ties, despite its release being aimed at embarrassing Najib. “This is due to the fact that the issue discussed in the conversation deals with the internationally known sensitive matter, 1MDB,” he said. “To make things worse, it was disclosed by a government agency which gave the impression that the act, which is diplomatically very unwise, is sanctioned by the government.” Malaysian authorities reveal 1MDB-linked Najib tapes The 1MDB scandal, in which billions of dollars were allegedly looted from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, led to the ousting of Najib in Malaysia’s 2018 general election. In one of the recordings, a man the authorities say is Najib is heard making a request to a “Royal Highness” to help fabricate a loan agreement to show that the former premier’s stepson, Riza Aziz, had received financing from the UAE state fund International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) and not from money siphoned from 1MDB. “The premise is relatively small, if there can be an agreement with Sheikh Mansour to have a loan agreement signed … that will show that it is a legitimate financing package, it’s not money laundering,” Najib allegedly said on the audio clip, in a reference to Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Mansour, the current deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and the brother of Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, was the then IPIC chairman. James M. Dorsey, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the recordings would not rupture Malaysia’s ties with the UAE. “But the Emiratis will not be happy. This is not going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back but the UAE will be wary of Mahathir [Mohamad, Malaysia’s Prime Minister],” he said. Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it did not foresee any problems in bilateral relations between Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi following the disclosure of the recorded phone conversation. “I do not think there will be a problem … if there is, we will make contact and provide the information and explanations,” Malaysian foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah was quoted as saying by Bernama last week. Saifuddin said the Malaysian embassy in the UAE had contacted Abu Dhabi’s foreign ministry following the release of the recordings to inform them of the matter and provide further information if required. Mahathir, set a retirement date or we’ll do it for you: Anwar ally Rafizi Dorsey said he believed Mahathir’s critical views of the UAE and Saudi Arabia were rooted partly in the alleged involvement of some individuals from the Gulf region in the 1MDB scandal. “He has also always wanted Malaysia to have a leading role in the Islamic world – for example, Malaysia as a hub for Islamic financing.” Najib faces 42 criminal charges in five trials and faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in jail if he is convicted of just a handful of them. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and claimed that US$800 million channelled into his personal bank account was a “donation” from Saudi Arabia’s late monarch, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, to ensure Malaysia would become the model of a stable and modern Islamic country. Najib claimed that he later returned US$620 million to the Saudis. “The Saudi financial contribution was very small but they were certainly willing to give Najib cover when he needed it. I am sure that is not something Mahathir appreciates,” said Dorsey from Nanyang Technological University. Political analyst Azmi said he did not believe Mahathir was critical of Saudi Arabia and the UAE but acknowledged this impression could have been fuelled by the appointment of Defence Minister Mohamed Sabu, who has expressed critical views of Riyadh. Sabu last year brought home Malaysian troops stationed in Riyadh, saying that maintaining a military presence in the kingdom risked dragging the Southeast Asian nation into a regional conflict. He also forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran and closed down a Saudi-backed counterterrorism centre , the King Salman Centre for International Peace. KL Summit is ‘first step’ to solving Muslim world’s problems: Mahathir Malaysia’s previous government, the Barisan Nasional coalition led by Najib, in 2017 agreed to allocate a massive plot of land in the administrative capital of Putrajaya for the centre’s construction. But critics questioned the partnership with Saudi Arabia, saying the country was not qualified to lead such a centre in view of its official doctrine of Wahhabism – which is believed to have inspired the ideology of Islamic State (Isis). The situation was compounded when leaders of Saudi Arabia’s three top rivals in the region – Qatar, Turkey and Iran – attended December’s Kuala Lumpur Summit and delivered keynote speeches. The Saudis – along with its allies, including the UAE – stayed away from the event, while Mahathir made clear there was no attempt to play down the importance of the Saudi-dominated Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Azmi said Malaysia’s ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia are vital given Riyadh’s importance to the Muslim world and its investments in Malaysia. “We want a healthy trade relationships with all Arab states,” he said. “But putting together all the missteps made by KL … these Arab states will be inclined to perceive that Mahathir’s government is very amateurish when it comes to diplomatic relations due to the lack of pertinent experience displayed by a number of ministers.”