Anwar told to prioritise Malaysia’s economic agenda at Apec summit
Published on: Saturday, November 11, 2023
By:
FMT, Chia Wan Rou
.jpg "Anwar told to prioritise Malaysia’s economic agenda at Apec summit")
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will attend the Apec Economic Leaders’ Week 2023 in Los Angeles in the US from Nov 11 to 17.
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s focus at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Week 2023 in the US should be on enhancing the Malaysian economy, say academics.
Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia’s Mizan Aslam said the country’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery and the efficacy of the 2024 budget depended on the potential investments that Anwar could attract following the Apec summit.
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“We should support the prime minister in efforts for economic recovery, and at the same time, utilise platforms such as the Apec to convey the country’s stance (on the Palestinian cause) in a diplomatic and discerning manner.
“Only then can our country develop further and the Palestine conflict can be resolved,” he told FMT.
On Tuesday, Anwar said he will attend the Apec meeting in Los Angeles from Nov 11 to 17 despite calls for Malaysia to boycott the summit because of the ongoing situation in Gaza.
He said all Asean leaders and other Apec member states will be attending the meeting.
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“We do not agree with the United States’ position (on the Israel-Palestine conflict), but it is our priority to maintain diplomatic relations, while not budging from our position on championing justice.
“I understand that this decision will not be favourable to many, but even so, do not punish me by branding me as pro-Israel,” he told a finance ministry staff assembly in Putrajaya.
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Apec is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific.
Akademi Nusantara geostrategist Azmi Hassan said the prime minister’s presence at Apec would give him an opportunity to raise the issue of Palestine to a wider audience.
“US president Joe Biden will surely also attend the summit, and Anwar can express Malaysia’s position to him face-to-face, no longer through the media,” he said.
Ferooze Ali, a research fellow at the Asia Middle East Center for Research & Dialogue (Amec), said Anwar should seize this opportunity to articulate his stance on the Palestine issue, something his predecessors have also done.
“His policies are frequently compared to past leaders such as (former prime ministers) Najib Razak and Dr Mahathir Mohamad,” he said.
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