Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced yesterday at the Khazanah Megatrends Forum, that he may attempt to link the ten-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the BRICS into a partnership, after Malaysia assumes the chair of ASEAN on Oct. 11. The Khazanah Nasional Berhad is Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Anwar announced in his opening address at the conference: “We reiterate the paramount importance of adhering to a rules-based order, regionally and internationally, but we reject the hypocrisy and double standards observed by those when it suits them,” reports Bernama, Malaysia’s national news service. He added: “And we may go beyond ASEAN, as we explore partnerships with BRICS, which will deepen global South-South relationships.”
An ASEAN-BRICS partnership would profoundly further the growth of the Global Majority’s development-based new economic order. Bernama paraphrased the Prime Minister as stressing the need for the world to have a new financial architecture, founded on the principles of equity, fair play, and justice. Prime Minister Anwar noted: “As we navigate this age of turbulence and contradiction, let us do so with courage, conviction, and a commitment to the greater good.”
Malaysia applied for membership in the BRICS in July. Then, on Sept. 4, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, host Russian Vladimir Putin headed a Russian delegation that met with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar.
