Wednesday 09/04/2025

Excellencies, Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors,

Distinguished delegates from ASEAN and the Plus Three countries,

Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, and welcome to Kuala Lumpur.

It is a pleasure and a privilege to host you this evening, as we gather under Malaysia’s Chairmanship of the ASEAN Finance Track. My sincere thanks to Bank Negara Malaysia for this gracious setting and generous hospitality.

Evenings such as this offer more than a pause in the official programme. They offer space – a gentler rhythm in which we may step back, consider the broader arc of our work, and reflect on what it means to serve this region, together.

We meet at a time of deepening complexity. The ground beneath the global economy is shifting. What once felt settled – rules, norms, the spirit of open exchange – is now less certain, more brittle.

We need not rehearse the headlines. This may not be the hour for declarations, but it may well be the time to look beyond the noise, and reflect on what changes, and what abides.

For ASEAN, the answer is not to retreat; nor to rush. Ours is a region seasoned by adversity. From currency shocks to global contagion, we’ve seen it all. We have weathered disruption. And each time, we have rebuilt not merely what was lost, but what was possible.

Still, resilience must be paired with purpose. The world is not standing still, and neither can we.

ASEAN is no longer a quiet corner of the global economy. We are central to it. But influence, as ever, rests on unity: on our ability to speak with one voice, to act with shared intent.

This is why Malaysia’s Chairmanship is guided by the themes of Sustainability and Inclusivity, not as rhetorical flourishes, but as practical ambitions. 

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. Whether by deepening intra-ASEAN trade, aligning our frameworks for green finance, strengthening safety nets or broadening access to capital, we shape the region we wish to inhabit – not only tomorrow but in the decades to come.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This evening is not about pronouncements. It is, however, a good time to remind ourselves why we do this work at all. 

ASEAN’s strength has never been in sameness –but in the habit of finding harmony amid difference. In quiet, sometimes imperfect, but enduring consensus.

And that habit – especially now – is one worth tending.

Thank you, terima kasih, and enjoy the evening.

--BERNAMA