KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 — 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.
In his keynote address at the gala dinner today, held in conjunction with Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship of the Finance Track, he said that Asean has seen it all, from currency shocks to global contagion.
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan read out Anwar's speech. Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, among others, was also present at the dinner.
“We have weathered disruption, and each time, we have rebuilt not merely what was lost but what was possible,” he said.
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.
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.
“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,” Anwar said.
He added 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,” Anwar said.
— Bernama
