MALAYSIA wants to use its engagement with BRICS to push for fairer trade and a more democratic international system, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
Anwar said Malaysia’s participation in the grouping had received the backing of major members, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He said Malaysia submitted its application when Putin was chairing BRICS, with Modi among the first leaders to support the move.
“Modi was the first to quickly raise his hand, then even President Xi Jinping,” he said in an interview with Indian television channel Thanthi TV.
Anwar said Malaysia was fortunate to have received the support of the three countries, as well as other BRICS members.
But he said Malaysia’s interest in the grouping was driven mainly by the need for meaningful multilateral trade and fairer trading practices.
“Our interest is, of course, to allow for really meaningful multilateral trade and fair trading practices,” he said.
At the same time, Anwar stressed that BRICS should not be seen as an alliance formed against other countries.
He said the grouping should instead be built around common interests and accepted international principles.
“It is not to be a force against people but to forge this new alliance based on common interest and based on a principled stance of multilateral mechanisms that has been accepted internationally,” he said.
That emphasis on a more representative international order also came through when Anwar was asked about India’s push for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
He said Malaysia supported the move, arguing that the existing system needed to be formalised and made more democratic.
“Yes, because I think we should formalise the system and negotiate a new, more democratic system,” he said.
Anwar described India as an important country with a long history in the Non-Aligned Movement and its efforts to strengthen cooperation among developing nations.
He cited the historical ties between India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, China’s former premier Zhou Enlai and Indonesia’s founding president Sukarno.
“India is an important country, a great history from the days of non-alignment, from the collaboration — Nehru, Zhou Enlai, Sukarno — supportive and is a great friend,” Anwar said.
India has long sought a permanent seat on the 15-member Security Council, which currently has five permanent members — China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States.
Malaysia became a BRICS partner country on Jan 1, 2025, after expressing its interest in joining the grouping.
Anwar’s comments underline Malaysia’s push for greater representation of emerging economies in global institutions, while keeping its engagement focused on cooperation and common interests rather than confrontation. – September 15, 202
