ASEAN, which has faced a series of global uncertainties, has emerged from a quiet corner of the global economy to become central to it, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
From currency shocks to global contagion, ASEAN has seen it all, the prime minister said in his keynote address at the gala dinner in conjunction with Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship of the Finance Track.
The speech was read by Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan. Also present at the dinner was Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, among others.
“We have weathered disruption and each time, we have rebuilt not merely what was lost, but what was possible,” said the prime minister.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said ASEAN’s influence, as ever, rests on unity, which is the region’s ability to speak with one voice and act with shared intent.
“This is why Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship is guided by the themes of ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Inclusivity’, not as rhetorical flourishes, but as practical ambitions,” he said.
Anwar emphasised that Inclusivity means growth that does not merely lift markets but touches lives – reaching the small trader, the young entrepreneur, the underserved and the unseen.
Sustainability, in turn, means more than climate consciousness. It is about continuity: of opportunity, of stability, of faith in institutions, he added.
“It calls on us to plan with discipline, to invest with foresight, and to act with care.
“The Finance Track gives us the instruments to realise these ideals,” he said.
Anwar stated that ASEAN is shaping the region it desires to inhabit, not just for tomorrow but for decades to come by deepening intra-ASEAN trade, aligning frameworks for green finance, strengthening safety nets, and broadening access to capital.
“ASEAN’s strength has never been in sameness but in the habit of finding harmony amid difference. In quiet, sometimes imperfect, but enduring consensus,” he said. - April 10, 2025
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