Petaling Jaya, 10 December 2022—Pertubuhan Serikat Rakyat Malaysia (Serikat Malaysia) believes that now is the time for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's new Prime Minister, to demonstrate his influence in strengthening Malaysia's influence on the international stage through Malaysia's foreign policy. Serikat Malaysia believes that foreign relations are an important mechanism for strengthening the country's economy, particularly in light of the impending economic recession in 2023.
This is an important period for Malaysia to differentiate itself in terms of attracting investment through foreign policies by strengthening Malaysia's cooperation and integration with international organisations. Serikat Malaysia believes that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will continue to be an important component for Malaysia in terms of increasing economic growth and protecting the country from the effects of economic recession.
Maybank has released an ASEAN Macro 2023 Year Ahead report, which states unequivocally that intra-ASEAN trade has the potential to boost GDP in 2023. Intra-ASEAN trade has increased by more than 30%, indicating that demand among ASEAN countries is increasing. The ASEAN market is very important because it has a population of 668 million people, which accounts for 9% of the world's population. ASEAN is also the world's busiest trading region, serving as a bridge between western and eastern countries.
At the start of its existence, it was founded on trade and economic growth. The ASEAN market will help to expand the market for Malaysian companies, particularly with the implementation of tariff-free access to nearly 98% of market products under the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA).
Serikat Malaysia proposed that Malaysia continue to strengthen cooperation with the Government of Indonesia in jointly leading ASEAN on the issue of economic growth, as well as in neutralising the influence of major countries such as China in the South China Sea and rebuilding relations with the US following the 1MDB scandal.
Aside from ASEAN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) remains an important partner for Malaysia in terms of cooperation. The total population of OIC countries is 1.9 billion people, and this organisation continues to have an impact, particularly in the Islamic world. Malaysia has its own history in the OIC, having been fully involved in the organization's early days, and the first former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, also served as the OIC's first Secretary General in 1970.
Malaysia's more active participation in the OIC will provide two major benefits: increased investment by Muslim countries, particularly Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and further restoring and strengthening Anwar Ibrahim's image as an Islamic fighter, particularly in the Palestinian issue, among Malaysians.
The Serikat Malaysia also proposed that Malaysia focus on becoming a bridge between Islamic countries in order to ensure that the OIC continues to focus on the development of Islamic countries and increase intra-OIC investment and trade.
Anwar Ibrahim has demonstrated that he has good relations with ASEAN leaders, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his close friend, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Serikat Malaysia believes that now is the time for Anwar Ibrahim to demonstrate his influence in reviving the Malaysian economy for the coming year.
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