KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia, which will take over the chairmanship of Asean, is in a good position economically with political stability, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
This is the result of better governance, together with clear policy formulation especially for the industrial, digital transformation, energy and semiconductors sectors, Anwar said on X.
The prime minister is currently in Vientiane, Laos, for the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits.
Noting the need for continued improvement, including “a more vigorous and meaningful shift” for Malaysia, Anwar said the positive economic climate and political stability offer a window of opportunity for changes.
“I stress that it is important to take advantage of the political stability in Malaysia that we are currently experiencing to improve governance and promote trustworthy and responsible management practices with the goal of raising the nation’s rank and dignity,” he said.
Anwar yesterday outlined Malaysia’s vision for Asean as its new chair. This includes bolstering regional value chains and regulatory cooperation, expanding trade and investment linkages, fostering regional digital transformation, strengthening member countries’ fundamentals, and “reinventing” members’ economies while leveraging on each other’s strengths.
The prime minister, who is also finance minister, said these strategies would help boost intra-Asean trade which has been low for the past few decades despite Southeast Asia’s economic progress.
The Asean summit is scheduled to end today with Laos handing over the Asean chairmanship for 2025 to Malaysia in the closing ceremony. – October 10, 2024