On May 2, the latest leg of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Lecture series took place in Kuala Lumpur and saw one of Asia’s leading public intellectuals, Kishore Mahbubani, calling Tunku one of the greatest statesmen he had never met. The lecture series itself is deeply embedded in the country’s history. It was inaugurated by the Malaysian Institute…
ASEAN’s remarkable success story is evident in its rapid development and strong economic growth, which have significantly reduced poverty over the past two decades. With deep political commitment to effective policies, over 100 million people have been lifted out of poverty since the turn of the century.
The reopening of China’s borders in early January marked a significant turning point for the world economy after nearly three years of closed borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The impact of China’s reopening is being felt across Southeast Asia, not just in the tourism industry, but also in trade and investment.
International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz’s proposal to position Malaysia as a strategic gateway for investment into ASEAN has received criticism from some quarters, which, in my opinion, is misguided. Senior fellow at the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research Geoffrey Williams dismissed the proposal as “no longer relevant” and lacking “real vision for…