Dr Mahathir: Asean will be formidable if it speaks with one voice

BANGKOK: For Asean to emerge as a more prominent organisation and assert its position as an economic power, it must stand together and speak with one voice, especially when dealing with other big economies on the global stage, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

He said it is crucial for all 10 Asean member states to work as a team when entering international negotiations, as it would give the regional grouping more edge, compared to members entering talks as individual countries.

“If you want to be listened (to), you must be very powerful, strong or very rich, otherwise, nobody listens to you. If we function as a regional organisation, as Asean, then we have more people to argue in our favour in forums, and when we have more people, we can attend all the meetings and express our views.

“But if you go alone, if Thailand goes alone, it will not be as strong as 10 Asean countries,” Dr Mahathir said during a dialogue session at the Asean Business and Investment Summit held in conjunction with the 35th Asean Summit here, today.

The session, which was held at the IMPACT Convention and Exhibition Centre, was moderated by Asean Business Advisory Council Chairman Arin Jira.

Dr Mahathir also stressed that it is important for members to agree on a decision prior to heading to international meetings.

“So together, we should speak with one language, and before any international gathering, we have to decide what our stand is, and we should keep to that stand. Asean must have one single stand in all international meetings, then they will listen to us. Asean is quite a big market for the whole world.

“We don’t want to go into trade wars. But sometimes, if (other countries) do something not nice to us, we have to be (not) nice to them,” he said.

Citing the example of palm oil, which faces a ban from the European Union, the Prime Minister said that it is an attempt to sabotage the versatile commodity. The campaign against palm oil includes allegations that Malaysia is cutting down its forests and destroying natural habitats in order to open up more oil palm plantations.

“But if you cut down the import of palm oil from Malaysia, we will cut down on some of the imports from your country,” he said.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (left) gives his keynote address at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2019 in Nonthaburi province, Thailand. - EPA

THE WAY AHEAD

Moving forward, Dr Mahathir said that Asean must make full use of its 650 million population and technological advancements as catalysts to speed up economic growth in the region.

He stressed that this is crucial, as Asean is not performing as strongly as it should be.

“We must make full use of our strength. Our strength lies in our market. We have a market of 650 million people. As our economy grows, we will have a stronger voice. We are going to enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) and this will help us grow much faster than before,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that while there is so much talk on digitalisation and the new way of doing business to grow the economy much faster, people in Asean are still not fully availing themselves of the new method of doing business.

He added that for that to happen, member countries need to educate their people on the benefits of the digital economy and how to respond to new technologies.

Citing an example, Dr Mahathir said that China is using its communication technologies to buy and sell its products.

“They are selling much more (products), as they have a good domestic market. We, too, have a good domestic market, but our people have not upgraded to the new technology.

“Therefore, we should create awareness of the technology to improve their lives. Those doing business should make use of digitalisation and equipment in order to communicate and do bigger business,” he said.

The Asean Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) is a platform for Asean governments and sectors to showcase business opportunities, and generate greater awareness on the impact of the emergence of IR4.0 in various dimensions of digital infrastructure, digital connectivity and digital workforce.-- Bernama