Local Food Production in Malaysia

Introduction.

Food security is a subject that has attracted global attention, particularly in the third world economies. The World Food Program estimates that nearly one billion individuals are suffering from hunger and undernourishment. As the population keeps on growing, there is a need to enhance food production to take care of the ever-increasing demand and to avert food security threat.

Malaysia is one of the economies where food security is still a matter of concern. As a matter of fact, food self-sufficiency in the country is reducing day by day (Razak 2013). One of the main weaknesses of the Malaysian agricultural sector is its over-reliance on the production of cash crops with little attention to food crops (Ministry of Agriculture 2008).

According to the Ministry of Agriculture (2008, p. 12), the main challenge facing the agricultural sector is the lack of self-sufficiency in the production of food crops and over-reliance on food imports. In addition, the overall agricultural productivity in the country has also declined over the past three decades.

Figure 1 below shows the country’s agricultural productivity in relation to aggregate productivity. It is evident that the Malaysian agricultural GDP in relation to national GDP has declined from 23 percent to less than 10 percent (Bakar 2006). Therefore, it is important to look at the source of the decline in agricultural productivity and the reason behind the importation of food crops in Malaysia.

Figure 1: Agricultural Share of the national GDP (%)

Source: Bakar (2006, p. 339)

The National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020

Before we explore the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020, it is important to understand the origin of the problems bedeviling the agricultural sector in the country. This will help us understand the goal and objectives of the policy. Most literature traces the decline in agricultural productivity in Malaysia to the 80s and the mid-90s, which they refer to as the “sunset era”.

In the 80s, the economy shifted from agriculture to manufacturing, whereas in the mid-90s the economy shifted from manufacturing to information communication technology (ICT) (Bakar, 2006). Therefore, the challenges facing the country’s agricultural sector are mainly attributed to the structural changes in the economy.

Due to improved and steady proceeds generate by the manufacturing industry, individuals in the public and private sectors opted to venture in the manufacturing sector as opposed to the agricultural sector. In addition, agribusiness was becoming riskier because of its vulnerability to external factors, which include adverse weather conditions and price fluctuations in the global market.

The scarcity of land was also a contributing factor. In fact, in the past three decades, land in Malaysia has become increasingly scarce. As a result, the government and private entities prefer to use the land for more profitable ventures. Moreover, those who ventures into agriculture preferred cash crop production.

Last but not least, acute shortage of labor also contributed to the decline in the agricultural production. There has been a tremendous exodus of labor from the agricultural sector to the industrial sector, particularly the youthful population. The industrial sector offers more lucrative wages than the agricultural sector.

Despite the fact that agriculture has been sidelined, it is still a significant part of the Malaysian economy. Prior to the introduction of National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020, the country was spending well over RM 15 billion on food imports and this adversely affected its balance of trade.

As a result, the government introduced the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020 whose main objectives include self-sufficiency in food production, optimization of land use, increased participation of farmers in growing food crops, and an annual saving of $200 million on vegetable imports (Razak 2013). These objectives were to be met through four significant programs.

The first program emphasizes on land use and increasing the acreage of food crops. The second program focuses on the coordination of all the agricultural efforts from the village level to the national level through the department of agriculture and farmers association. The third program focuses on the advancement of marketing strategies through state and non-state agencies.

Lastly, the fourth program focuses on the implementation of all the programs from the local level to national level (Ministry of Agriculture 2012; Tey 2010; Harron Shamsudin & Latif 2001). In a nutshell, the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020 acts as a guiding principle for the country’s agricultural sector.

The previous policies focused on the commercialization of farming activities, streamlining farmers associations and agricultural banks, and rehabilitation of farm lands. On the other hand, the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020 emphasizes on food security and safety, increased the efficiency of food crop productivity, equitable investment in agriculture, growth and development of agricultural industries, and employment creation.

I guess the Malaysian government has realized that structural changes in the economy should not be used as an excuse to sideline agriculture. As a matter of fact, nearly all the industrialized economies, including the U.S. and Britain are self-sufficient in food production.

The Impact of the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020

Even though the aggregate agricultural output in relation to the country’s overall output has been declining in the past three decades, the production of key food commodities has been increasing though at a slow pace. However, the amount of food produced cannot meet the ever-increasing demand attributed to the rapid increase in population.

As a result, the deficit has to be bridged through food importation. The production of main food commodities in Malaysia is shown in figure 2. From the figure, you can see that the production of key food commodities from 2000 to 2010 has grown by approximately 3.7 percent per annum.

However, since the launch of the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020, the production has grown by over 4 percent per annum. The main focus is on rice, fruits, fish food and vegetables. Therefore, the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020 not only targets self-sufficiency in the production of food crops, but also improved nutrition.

The four components are nutritionally balanced because they contain carbohydrates, vitamins and proteins.

Figure 2: The past and projected production of main food commodities in Malaysia

Source: Ministry of Agriculture (2012, p. 11)

Figure 3: Self-Sufficiency Level of Principal Foods

The figure above shows the self-sufficiency level of the key food commodities since the inception of the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020 and the projected figures. It is very clear that the country is making significant strides towards the achievement of self-sufficiency in the production of key food commodities.

However, it is still lagging behind in the production of dairy products, vegetables, mutton, rice and fruits. It seems they will still have to import these food commodities in the next two decades to meet the domestic demand, which is very unfortunate.

Despite increasing the area under paddy rice by nearly 20 percent since 2010, the self-sufficiency level was still around 68.2 percent in early 2015, which is way below the projected value of 70 percent. This shows that the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020 still has weaknesses and has to be reviewed.

It should be noted that rice is a staple food in Malaysia and, therefore, can be used to benchmark the aggregate food production in the country. The government may argue that the low production level is attributed to the scarcity of land and labor. However, it is obvious that the government is not doing enough to improve the situation.

There are many countries facing similar challenges but are self-sufficient in food production. For example, Holland is exceedingly self-sufficient despite having the same problem. Food production in Holland is very much mechanized and this has helped the country to cope with the problem of labor shortage. In addition, Holland has gone ahead to reclaim all the potential farm land.

For instance, they have created mechanisms to increase agricultural farm lands. Moreover, the government has put more emphasis on the manufacturing sector and ICT sector because of its high returns.

The Malaysian government’s move would be welcomed by many economists. If the manufacturing sector offers more opportunities than the agricultural sector, then it is prudent to pay less attention to the latter. This is based on the classical economic theory of comparative advantage, which refers to the opportunity cost of producing a given product compared to another country.

It basically refers to the value of trade between two countries. Therefore, if the cost of producing food crops in Malaysia is higher than importing them from the neighboring countries, then it is reasonable to import. However, this poses a huge risk for the country in terms of overdependence on other countries for key food commodities.

Agriculture in Malaysia is both a source of food and livelihood. In addition, the sector is essential to the country’s economy. However, the three decades have been characterized by low agricultural productivity as a result of structural changes in the economy.

This has forced the Malaysian government to spend massively on food imports. On the other hand, the ratio of agricultural output to aggregate output has dropped by more than 15 percent since 1980. This is despite the fact that the government had initiated key reforms in the agricultural sector.

However, these reform programs have not achieved their target. In late 2010, the Malaysian government ratified the National Agro-Food Policy 2011-2020 whose main aim was to make Malaysia a food secure country through the production of food crops.

Even though the National Agro-Food Policy 2010-2010 has not fully achieved its goals, it is gradually helping the country to reduce food imports by increasing the amount of local food production. However, a lot has to be done in order to meet the set targets.

Bakar, B 2006, The Malaysian Agricultural Industry in the New Millennium: Issues and Challenges , University of Malaysia.

Harron, M, Shamsudin, M & Latif, IA 2001, Challenges for Agribusiness: A Case for Malaysia , The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

Ministry of Agriculture 2008, Follow-up of the Implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action , Ministry of Agriculture, Kuala Lumpur.

Ministry of Agriculture 2012, The National Agro-Food Policy , 2011-2020, Ministry of Agriculture, Kuala Lumpur.

Razak, MI, Hamzah, ASM, Abas, N, Idris, R & Ibrahim, Z 2013, ‘Sustaining Food Production for Security in Malaysia’, Journal of Economics and Development Studies , vol.1, no. 2, pp.19-25.

Tey, Y S 2010, ‘Malaysia’s strategic food security approach’, International Food Research Journal, 501‐507.

  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, November 22). Local Food Production in Malaysia. https://ivypanda.com/essays/local-food-production-in-malaysia/

"Local Food Production in Malaysia." IvyPanda , 22 Nov. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/local-food-production-in-malaysia/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Local Food Production in Malaysia'. 22 November.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Local Food Production in Malaysia." November 22, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/local-food-production-in-malaysia/.

1. IvyPanda . "Local Food Production in Malaysia." November 22, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/local-food-production-in-malaysia/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Local Food Production in Malaysia." November 22, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/local-food-production-in-malaysia/.

  • Agro-Food Geographies: Food, Nature, Farmers and Agency
  • The TIMAC AGRO Italia Firm's Analysis
  • Business Plan of Agro-Wrom in 2010
  • Marketing Plan for Astra Agro Lestari Tbk PT’s Palm Plantation
  • Agro-Terrorism: The Lessons to Learn
  • Agro-Terrorism: Definition and Impacts
  • Refugees Self-Sufficiency Program in Miami
  • Principles of Agro Ecology Overview
  • Opportunity and Challenge of Malaysian Beef Industry
  • Biological Warfare and Agro-Terrorism
  • British Clothing Industry
  • Postwar Petroleum Order Rise and Fall
  • Global Oil and Gas Industry: Shell UK Company
  • Expanding the Australian Food Processing Industry into the United States
  • CookSafe Food Safety Management Audit

Transforming the Agricultural Sector is Needed to Support Malaysia’s Transition to High-Income Nation Status: World Bank

PUTRAJAYA, November 20, 2019 – Malaysia’s agricultural productivity is less than half of high-income country averages, highlighting an urgent need for reforms and expanding the sector’s contribution to the country’s development trajectory, according to a new World Bank report Agricultural Transformation and Inclusive Growth: the Malaysian Experience , launched here today.

While the country’s success in agriculture can serve as a case study for many emerging economies, further efforts are needed if Malaysia is going to have an agricultural sector reflective of a developed economy, the report stated.

“The government is serious and is focused on this development need. Therefore, smart and high-value agriculture has been identified as a key economic growth activity in the recently launched Shared Prosperity Vision 2030,” said Datuk Saiful Anuar Lebai Hussen, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Malaysia . “This timely report is a joint effort between our Ministry and the World Bank and serves to distill lessons from the Malaysian experience and identify remaining key challenges. Moving forward, we will continue our cooperation to enrich development policies in Malaysia.”

The report notes that agriculture in Malaysia is still dominated by smallholders with an aging farmer population. With palm oil covering 75 percent of the cultivated land, agriculture diversification should be considered to reduce dependence on single crops to protect the sector from external shocks.

The latest figures show that as of 2017, agricultural value added per worker in Malaysia was 45 percent of the average among high-income countries. If agricultural transformation is delayed, the economy will also find it difficult to emerge from upper middle-income status and efforts to enhance shared prosperity between rural and urban communities may be hampered.

“At the heart of a country’s economic structural transformation is agriculture. No country has made a transition to high-income status without successful agricultural transformation. Without such shifts, there will be delays to economic transformation to the detriment of the overall economy, poverty reduction, food security, and the broad welfare of urban and rural people,” said Firas Raad, World Bank Country Manager for Malaysia. “We have been working closely with the Ministry of Economic Affairs on various areas of policy – agricultural transformation being the latest. We hope our strong partnership will continue to serve the long-term development aspirations of the country.”

The report recommends that Malaysia addresses this issue as a key development priority, noting that successful agricultural transformation would lead to a convergence between average household incomes from agriculture and from other development.  In some countries, agricultural households command higher median incomes than households in other sectors reflecting higher productivity in agriculture relative to other sectors.

In Kuala Lumpur

  • Full Report: Agricultural Transformation and Inclusive Growth - The Malaysian Experience

Agriculture

Agriculture in Malaysia - statistics & facts

Key agricultural commodities, the challenge of climate change, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Share of agriculture, forestry and fishing to the GDP in Malaysia 2012-2021

GDP from the total agriculture industry in Malaysia 2015-2022

Number of people employed in the agriculture industry in Malaysia 2015-2022

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Current statistics on this topic.

Monthly salary of agriculture, forestry, and fishing employees in Malaysia 2013-2022

Crop Production

Yield of fresh fruit bunches in Malaysia 2012-2021

Areas planted with paddy field in Malaysia 2017-2022

Related topics

Recommended.

  • Palm oil industry in Malaysia
  • Rubber industry in Malaysia
  • Demographics of Malaysia
  • FMCG market in Malaysia

Recommended statistics

  • Premium Statistic Gross domestic product of Malaysia 2019-2022, by sector
  • Premium Statistic Share of agriculture, forestry and fishing to the GDP in Malaysia 2012-2021
  • Premium Statistic GDP from the total agriculture industry in Malaysia 2015-2022
  • Premium Statistic GDP from the agriculture industry in Malaysia 2022, by sub-sector
  • Premium Statistic Number of people employed in the agriculture industry in Malaysia 2015-2022
  • Premium Statistic Monthly salary of agriculture, forestry, and fishing employees in Malaysia 2013-2022

Gross domestic product of Malaysia 2019-2022, by sector

Gross domestic product (GDP) of Malaysia from 2019 to 2022, by sector (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Share of agriculture, forestry and fishing to the gross domestic product (GDP) in Malaysia from 2012 to 2021

Gross domestic product (GDP) from the total agriculture industry in Malaysia from 2015 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

GDP from the agriculture industry in Malaysia 2022, by sub-sector

Gross domestic product (GDP) from the agriculture industry in Malaysia in 2022, by sub-sector (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Number of people employed in the agriculture industry in Malaysia from 2015 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Average monthly salary of employees in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry in Malaysia from 2013 to 2022 (in 1,000 Malaysian ringgit)

  • Premium Statistic GDP from the palm oil industry in Malaysia 2015-2022
  • Basic Statistic GDP from the rubber industry in Malaysia 2015-2022
  • Premium Statistic GDP from the food crops industry in Malaysia 2016-2022
  • Premium Statistic GDP from the rice industry in Malaysia 2016-2022
  • Premium Statistic Yield of palm oil in Malaysia 2013-2022
  • Premium Statistic Production of rice in Malaysia 2013-2021

GDP from the palm oil industry in Malaysia 2015-2022

Gross domestic product (GDP) from the palm oil industry in Malaysia from 2015 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

GDP from the rubber industry in Malaysia 2015-2022

Gross domestic product (GDP) from the rubber industry in Malaysia from 2015 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

GDP from the food crops industry in Malaysia 2016-2022

Gross domestic product (GDP) from the food crops industry in Malaysia from 2016 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

GDP from the rice industry in Malaysia 2016-2022

Gross domestic product (GDP) from paddy in Malaysia from 2016 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Yield of palm oil in Malaysia 2013-2022

Average yield of fresh fruit bunches of oil palm in Malaysia from 2013 to 2022 (in metric tons per hectare)

Production of rice in Malaysia 2013-2021

Production of rice in Malaysia from 2013 to 2021 (in million metric tons)

  • Premium Statistic GDP from the livestock industry in Malaysia 2016-2022
  • Premium Statistic GDP from the poultry industry in Malaysia 2017-2022
  • Premium Statistic GDP from the cattle industry in Malaysia 2017-2022
  • Basic Statistic Number of chicken in Malaysia 2013-2022
  • Basic Statistic Number of cattle in Malaysia 2013-2022
  • Basic Statistic Number of pigs in Malaysia 2013-2022

GDP from the livestock industry in Malaysia 2016-2022

Gross domestic product (GDP) from the livestock industry in Malaysia from 2016 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

GDP from the poultry industry in Malaysia 2017-2022

Gross domestic product (GDP) from the poultry industry in Malaysia from 2017 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

GDP from the cattle industry in Malaysia 2017-2022

Gross domestic product (GDP) from the cattle industry in Malaysia from 2017 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Number of chicken in Malaysia 2013-2022

Chicken stock in Malaysia from 2013 to 2022 (in millions)

Number of cattle in Malaysia 2013-2022

Cattle stock in Malaysia from 2013 to 2022 (in millions)

Number of pigs in Malaysia 2013-2022

Pig stock in Malaysia from 2013 to 2022 (in millions)

  • Premium Statistic GDP from the fishery industry in Malaysia 2017-2022
  • Premium Statistic Marine fish landings volume in Malaysia 2017-2021
  • Premium Statistic Fresh water aquaculture production volume in Malaysia 2017-2022
  • Premium Statistic Brackish water aquaculture production volume in Malaysia 2017-2022

GDP from the fishery industry in Malaysia 2017-2022

Gross domestic product (GDP) from the fishery industry in Malaysia from 2017 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Marine fish landings volume in Malaysia 2017-2021

Volume of marine fish landings in Malaysia from 2017 to 2021 (in million metric tons)

Fresh water aquaculture production volume in Malaysia 2017-2022

Production volume of fresh water aquaculture in Malaysia from 2017 to 2022 (in 1,000 metric tons)

Brackish water aquaculture production volume in Malaysia 2017-2022

Production volume of brackish water aquaculture in Malaysia from 2017 to 2022 (in 1,000 metric tons)

International trade

  • Premium Statistic Export value from the agriculture sector in Malaysia 2017-2022
  • Premium Statistic Export value of palm oil and palm-based products Malaysia 2013-2022
  • Premium Statistic Export value of natural rubber in Malaysia 2017-2022
  • Premium Statistic Export value of cocoa and cocoa based products from Malaysia 2019-2022
  • Premium Statistic Import value from the agriculture sector in Malaysia 2017-2022
  • Premium Statistic Import value of rice Malaysia 2013-2022

Export value from the agriculture sector in Malaysia 2017-2022

Export value from the agricultural industry in Malaysia from 2017 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Export value of palm oil and palm-based products Malaysia 2013-2022

Export value of palm oil and palm-based products from Malaysia from 2013 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Export value of natural rubber in Malaysia 2017-2022

Export value of natural rubber in Malaysia from 2017 to June 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Export value of cocoa and cocoa based products from Malaysia 2019-2022

Export value of cocoa beans and cocoa based products from Malaysia from 2019 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Import value from the agriculture sector in Malaysia 2017-2022

Import value from the agricultural industry in Malaysia from 2017 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Import value of rice Malaysia 2013-2022

Import value of rice in Malaysia from 2013 to 2022 (in billion Malaysian ringgit)

Domestic consumption

  • Premium Statistic Annual rice consumption in Malaysia 2019-2024
  • Premium Statistic Malaysia's palm oil consumption 2012-2022
  • Basic Statistic Per capita poultry consumption in Malaysia 2016-2031
  • Basic Statistic Per capita beef and veal consumption in Malaysia 2012-2026
  • Basic Statistic Per capita pork consumption in Malaysia 2012-2026

Annual rice consumption in Malaysia 2019-2024

Total consumption of rice in Malaysia from 2019 to 2024 (in million metric tons)

Malaysia's palm oil consumption 2012-2022

Palm oil consumption in Malaysia from 2012 to 2022 (in million metric tons)

Per capita poultry consumption in Malaysia 2016-2031

Poultry consumption per capita in Malaysia from 2016 to 2021, with a forecast until 2031 (in kilograms)

Per capita beef and veal consumption in Malaysia 2012-2026

Beef and veal consumption per capita in Malaysia from 2012 to 2021, with a forecast for 2026 (in kilograms)

Per capita pork consumption in Malaysia 2012-2026

Pork consumption per capita in Malaysia from 2012 to 2021, with a forecast for 2026 (in kilograms)

Further reports Get the best reports to understand your industry

Get the best reports to understand your industry.

  • Agriculture in Singapore
  • Agriculture in Thailand
  • Agriculture in the Philippines
  • Agriculture in Indonesia

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

  • Board of directors
  • Tun Hussein Onn Chair
  • Research Team
  • Royal Fellow
  • Distinguished Fellows
  • Visiting Fellows
  • Asean-Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (Asean-ISIS)
  • Council of Security and Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific (CSCAP)
  • Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC)
  • Network of East Asian Think-Tanks (NEAT)
  • Research Institute Network (RIN)
  • Policy Briefs
  • THOC Essays
  • Presentations
  • Infographics
  • Annual Reports
  • APR Reports
  • Other Reports
  • PRAXIS 2023
  • PRAXIS 2022
  • PRAXIS 2021
  • PRAXIS 2019
  • PRAXIS 2018
  • 2005 – 2009

agriculture in malaysia essay

  • 2009-2005 Archive

Development of Malaysia’s Agricultural Sector: Agriculture as an Engine of Growth?

Paper presented by Larry C. Y. Wong at the Conference on the Malaysian Economy: Developments and Challenges held at ISEAS, Singapore, 25-26 January 2007.

Download PDF

' src=

ISIS Malaysia

agriculture in malaysia essay

Chairman Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Prof Faiz leads the institute’s policy development and Track-Two diplomacy, including through the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS) and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC). He is also Co-Chair of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia- Pacific (CSCAP). Faiz’s diverse career spans media, law enforcement, education, and three decades of legal practice, focusing on corporate law and public interest litigation. In 2009, with Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Faiz co-founded the World Forum for Muslim Democrats, dedicated to providing a common platform for public intellectuals to articulate their views on Islam, reform, democracy and governance. He is the author of four books on topics ranging from shariah reforms to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Faiz is the founding dean of the Selangor Business School. He is a graduate of the University of Malaya, the International Islamic University of Malaysia, the University of Southern Queensland and the Putra Business School.

Pro Vice-Chancellor University of Tasmania

Prof Farrelly specialises in the analysis of political conflict and social change in mainland Southeast Asia, with a long-term focus on Myanmar. He was the founding Director of the Australian National University’s Myanmar Institute and has researched Myanmar politics for more than 20 years. The second edition of his co-edited book , Myanmar: Politics, Economy and Society , was published by Routledge in 2023 and is accessible online.

Senior Lecturer Department of International and Strategic Studies, Universiti Malaya

Dr Passeri was a research fellow and adjunct professor at the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Bologna and visiting research fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. His interests are on nationalism in East Asia, small-power diplomacy and political developments in Myanmar.

Fifth holder of the Tun Hussein Onn Chair in International Studies, ISIS Malaysia

Prof Zakri is a founding director and professor at the International Institute for Science Diplomacy & Sustainability at UCSI University. He is chairman of Atri Advisory,a consulting company advising governments and international organisations on sustainable development.

Zakri is also pro-chancellor of two universities – Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris (UPSI) and Multimedia University.  He is the joint chairman of the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), chairman of the Business Council on Sustainable Development and chairman of the National Biodiversity Roundtable. He was the science adviser to the prime minister and former director of the Institute of Advanced Studies, United Nations University.

His professional interests include crop science, biodiversity and science diplomacy. Among his awards are Fulbright-Hays fellowship; ISSAAS Matsuda award; Zayed International Prize for the Environment; Midori Prize for Biodiversity; Asean Biodiversity Hero; United Nations Malaysia award; and Anugerah Akademik Negara.

Zakri has had three species named after him: beetle ( Paleosepharia zakrii ), cicada ( Pomponia zakrii ) and pitcher plant ( Nepenthes zakriana ).

Adviser to chairman, Sunway Berhad

Raman has served more than 40 years in the communications industry, initially as a journalist and later in the private sector. He began his journalism career with the New Straits Times, before moving to The Star. Subsequently, he occupied senior editorial positions at The Atlanta-Journal Constitution newspaper and CNN International. Upon his return to Malaysia in 2008, he served as group communications head at AirAsia before setting up shop as a consultant.

Japan-Asean roundtable (Survey Form)

Ambassador of Japan to Asean

Amb Kiya joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987 and served in various capacities in countries ranging from Nigeria to Belgium. He has also worked in the Defence Ministry as former consul-general of Japan in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of “Why Should we Act for International Cooperation? Looking beyond Humanitarian and National Interest Considerations” and “Challenges of Japan’s Policy towards the United Nations – A Practitioner’s View”.

Asia-Europe Institute Universiti Malaya

Assoc prof Furuoka has lived in Malaysia since 1987. From 1991 to 1999, he worked as a senior assistant at the Consulate-General of Japan in Penang. He then moved to academia and has taught economics for 25 years at three Malaysian public universities – Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Universiti Malaya. Furuoka specialises in Asian economy, with a focus on Japanese foreign direct investment and official development assistance in Asean.

Ambassador Embassy of Japan in Malaysia

Prior to his appointment as ambassador to Malaysia, Amb Katsuhiko was attached with Japan’s embassies in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and served at the permanent mission to the United Nations. He was also director-general of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

School of Social Sciences Nanyang Technological University Singapore

Dr Koga is an associate professor at NTU and heads the Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme. Concurrently, he is a non-resident fellow at the National Bureau of Asia Research (NBR), the US; and a member of the research committee, Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS), Japan. He has published on East Asian/Indo-Pacific security, US and Japanese foreign policies, the US-Japan alliance and Asean.

Senior Lecturer Department of East Asian Studies Universiti Malaya

Dr Geetha is an expert on East Asian international relations, teaching courses related to East Asian regional affairs. She teaches, researches and publishes on inter-Korean issues and East Asian international relations. She was a participant in the Study of the United States Institute exchange programme and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, academic exchange.

Fellow Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Calvin’s research interests include economic growth and development, labour markets and the design of social-assistance programmes. He has looked at the impacts of the US-China trade conflict on the Asia-Pacific region and the design of cash-transfer initiatives. Calvin has collaborated on projects with federal and state governments, multinational development organisations and civil society organisations, focusing on digitalisation of small and medium enterprises and infrastructure development in Asia-Pacific.

Researcher Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Angeline’s research covers East Asia’s international relations, with a particular focus on China. She is interested in China’s foreign policy, Japan’s strategic approaches to Southeast Asia and the impact of the US-China tech rivalry on the region. She contributed to “Focus in Continuity: A Framework for Malaysia’s Foreign Policy for a Post-Pandemic World” published by the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 2021. She was a visiting research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) in 2023.

Analyst Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Izzah’s research areas look into foreign policy and security developments in the Asia-Pacific, including the ongoing unrest in Southern Thailand and Southern Philippines and regional security cooperation in Asean. Her o ther research interests include nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, and civil-military relations. She is also part of the Secretariat for the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia – Pacific (CSCAP).  

Capacity Building Officer All-party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on SDGs

Hirzawati is a former research fellow at the East Asian International Relations and is co-writing a chapter on the Korean Peninsula. She was a presenter at a seminar series on the comparison between Malaysia and South Korea’s post-Covid policy. She is also a frequent attendee of seminars and forums on topics related to Korean Peninsula affairs.

Deputy Executive Director Internationalisation, Research, Value Creation & Enterprise Asia-Europe Institute Universiti Malaya

Dr Rogers has taught at the Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College and the Malaysian Defence Armed Forces College. His area of specialisation includes political science, international relations and history (China and Central Asia). His research interests are government and politics of the Central Asian republics in Xinjiang.

Deputy Director-General Asean Bureau Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Korea

Lee joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1999 and is now overseeing the Asean bureau. His stints include first secretary, Southeast Asian division; director, South Asian and Oceanian affairs; coordinator of the New Southern Policy; and director for planning and finance.  

Senior Lecturer Asia-Europe Institute Universiti Malaya

Dr Nurliana also serves as deputy executive director (academic and student affairs) at UM, where she is a fellow at the Centre for Asean Regionalism.  She specialises in international security and development cooperation with a focus on Asean and East Asia.

Associate Professor Department of International Relations Yonsei University

Dr Kim is a former senior lecturer in the Southeast Asian Studies Department, Universiti Malaya. He is currently serving as vice-president of the Korean Association of Southeast Asian Studies. His research focuses on Asean and regionalism in East Asia. Some of his major outputs include ‘Asean Socio-Cultural Community and Human Security’, East Asia Research, 2022; ‘The Crisis in Myanmar and the Continuity and Change of Asean Norms’, Southeast Asian Studies, 2020; ‘The Network of East Asian Think-Tanks: Socialising China into an East Asian Community?’, Asian Survey 57:3, 2017.

Senior Fellow Centre for Regional Studies Asan Institute for Policy Studies

Dr Lee is a former visiting professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), Korean National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA). His research focuses on Southeast Asian politics and international relations, East Asian regional cooperation, and non-traditional and human security issues.

WE ARE FULLY SUBSCRIBED.

For queries, contact [email protected].

Ambassador ROK Embassy in Malaysia

Yeo was appointed as ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Malaysia in October. Prior to the appointment, he served as deputy minister for political affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he joined in 1990. Yeo has held postings in China, Norway, Afghanistan and New Zealand. He had also served as foreign policy adviser to the prime minister.

Undersecretary International Relations Division (Culture) Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture

Yeo assumed her current post in April 2020 and has been at the forefront of cultural diplomacy efforts to promote Malaysia’s diverse arts, culture and heritage overseas. Her experience includes serving in various capacities across central agencies and ministries, with a focus on interdisciplinary advisory, research and policy development. Yeo is a founder member of Talent Corp, which spearheaded public-private partnership to deliver facilitative immigration instruments.

Teaching Fellow Monash University Malaysia

Koh’s research interests are in history, political and national identity formation. He has lectured and tutored extensively in the Monash School of Arts and Social Sciences as a sessional staff and briefly in Sunway University’s School of Arts. He also taught Global Studies and Contemporary Issues in the Monash Foundation Year in Sunway College. Today, he assists in the Global Studies major under the School of Arts and Social Sciences. Koh’s introduction to the Korean Wave was through early variety programmes and films that got him through his master’s.

Chair, Brunei Darussalam Institute of Strategic Studies (BDIPSS); 2023 Chair of Asean-ISIS Brunei Darussalam

Ambassador of the European Union to Malaysia

Rokas has 26 years’ experience in the field of foreign affairs, having joined the European Commission External Relations Directorate General in 1994. His previous postings included chargé d’affaires a.i. and head of EU Delegation to New Zealand, first secretary of the European Commission’s Office in Hong Kong and Macau and head of the China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Mongolia division at the European External Action Service.

Maurice A. Deane Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law & Interim Dean Hofstra University United States

Ku’s primary research interest is the relationship of international law to domestic laws and foreign policy. He has also conducted research on a wide range of topics, including international dispute resolution, international criminal law and the impact of international law on US-China relations. He has been a visiting professor at the College of William & Mary Marshall – Wythe School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia; a Fulbright distinguished lecturer in law at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, China; and a fellow at National Taiwan University, Taipei. He is a member of the New York Bar and a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.

Prime Minister of Malaysia

Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, sworn in on 24 November 2022. He was Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1993 to 1998, also serving as Minister of Finance from 1991 to 1998, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in 1983; Minister of Agriculture in 1984; and Education Minister in 1986.  

For championing the cause of the poor and taking a principled stance against corruption and abuse of power, he endured years of incarceration. Anwar is viewed as one of the forefathers of the Asian Renaissance. He has held visiting professorships at St Anthony’s College at Oxford, the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and at the School of Foreign Service in Georgetown University. He is a sought-after speaker on governance and accountability, geopolitics, the relationship between Islam and democracy, the need for greater civilisational dialogue and contemporary politics in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

Executive Director Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy Republic of Ireland

Heinl’s work focuses on conflict-prevention strategies related to international cybersecurity policy, strategic technologies, regional security architectures and the Asia-Pacific/Southeast Asia/EU. She recently served on the Irish government’s Commission on the Defence Forces and continues her work as an expert within flagship EU cyber diplomacy and Indo-Pacific security cooperation initiatives.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia

Ouyang arrived in Malaysia in December 2020. He previously served as director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, deputy director-general and subsequently director-general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs. Ouyang has held various positions in the Department of Treaty and Law, including as counsellor.

Senior Fellow Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Thomas’ interests lie in the security/strategic challenges and impacts of major power dynamics on Asean and its member states, the South China Sea dispute, and Malaysia’s national security and foreign policies. He also looks at the policy implications of refugees, asylum seekers and other displaced people in Malaysia, and the government’s refugee policy of “not having a policy”.

Executive Director Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Indonesia

Yose’s research activities focus on international trade, regional integration and the globalisation of value chain. He is active in many networks of research institutes in East Asia, such as in Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade, ERIA Research Institutes Network and Think 20, the think-tank network of G20 countries. He is now serving as co-chair of the Indonesia National Committee of Pacific Economic Cooperation and member of the governing board of Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia.

Visiting senior official, Australian High Commission  

Barraclough is a career diplomat with a strong background in Southeast and South Asia.  He has served two postings in Jakarta, his most recent as economic minister counsellor during Australia’s negotiation of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. He has also been posted to Brussels and Noumea. Barraclough was awarded the Devahuti prize by the Indian government in 1991. He has also worked in education in Pakistan and Australia.

Member of the Executive Board Federation of German Industries (BDI) Germany

Niedermark has wide experience in Asia-Pacific, having served as regional manager of the German Asia-Pacific Business Association in India to secretary-general of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul. From 2006, he worked for the chemical company BASF and was appointed head of the Berlin office in 2009. In his capacity as corporate communications vice-president, he was responsible for the company’s government relations in Berlin and Brussels. In 2020, he was appointed an executive board member of BDI, Berlin.

Researcher Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam Vietnam

Vu is also an alumnus of the ocean law and policy programme, Centre for International Law – National University of Singapore. His expertise includes international law, law of the sea, international environmental law with a geographical focus on Southeast Asia and the South China Sea. He has broad experience in legal service, diplomacy, civil service and academia.

Jimbo is also managing director of International House of Japan.  He served as special adviser to the former defence minister and senior adviser at the National Security. His main research fields are in international security, Japan-US security relations, Japanese foreign and defence policy, multilateral security in Asia-Pacific and regionalism in East Asia. He was a former policy adviser for various Japanese governmental commissions and research groups, including National Security Secretariat, Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His policy writings have appeared in NBR, The RAND Corporation, Stimson Centre, Pacific Forum CSIS,  Japan Times, Nikkei, Yomiuri, Asahi  and  Sankei Shimbun.

Department of Political Science Doshisha University Japan

Terada was assistant professor at the National University of Singapore and professor at Waseda University, Tokyo. He also served as a visiting fellow at University of Warwick, a Japan scholar at Woodrow Wilson Centre, Washington and an adviser for the US-Japan Institute. His areas of specialty include international political economy in the Indo-Pacific, theoretical and empirical studies of Asia-Pacific integration, and Japanese politics and foreign policy. His latest works include ‘Politics on TPP/CPTPP: turning Japan into one of the world’s major FTA powers’ in  Critical Review of Abe Administration  and ‘The evolution of Japan-Asean relations: core moves for Japan’s initiatives in Asian Regionalism beyond Southeast Asia’ in  The Oxford Handbook of Japanese Politics .

Vice-president China Foreign Affairs University China

Sun is the secretary-general of China National Association for International Studies, and deputy editor-in-chief of  Foreign Affairs Review . She has published and translated books, and written articles and papers on international relations, China’s foreign policy and international political linguistics in journals, such as  World Economics and Politics ,  Foreign Affairs Review ,  International Studies  and  Journal of International Studies . She is the author of  Language, Meaning and World Politics – the Language of the Bush Administration and the Iraq War .

Faculty of Law and Justice University of New South Wales Sydney Australia

Klein is an Australian Research Council future fellow. She is currently president of the Australian branch of the International Law Association and a trustee for the UK-based charity, Human Rights at Sea. Her research focuses on law of the sea and international dispute settlement. She was previously dean of Macquarie Law School and acting head of the Department for Policing, Intelligence and Counterterrorism at Macquarie University. She worked at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP for the government of Eritrea and in the office of legal affairs at the United Nations. She is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.

Executive Director Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace Cambodia

Sothirak also serves as adviser to the government, having held the post of secretary of state of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, ambassador to Japan, MP and minister of industry mines and energy. He was the visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore and has written extensively on issues confronting the development of Cambodia and the region.

Council Secretary & Senior Research Fellow Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) Singapore

Yeo Lay Hwee is director of the EU Centre, vice-chair of AseanCham-EU, senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and adjunct senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. She also teaches at the National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University. She is an expert in EU-Asean/Asia-Europe relations and has an interest in regionalism, multilateralism and global governance. She sits on several academic advisory boards, including Centre for European Studies at the Australian National University, Leiden Asia Centre in Leiden University and Asian Vision Institute in Cambodia. She co-edited Asean-EU Partnership: the Untold Story.

Chairperson, Department of Political Science University of the Philippines-Diliman Philippines

Arugay’s research interests are civil-military relations, comparative democratisation, security sector governance, and foreign policy. He is also editor-in-chief of Asian Politics & Policy . He manages the Philippine studies project of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies-Yusof-Ishak Institute (Singapore) as a visiting fellow. Arugay is a trustee of the Foundation for the National Interest, Inc, a new independent think-tank based in Manila. He was a visiting scholar in the Carter Centre, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Chulalongkorn University, University of Sydney, Jeju Peace Institute, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and National Institute of Defence Studies (Japan).

Senior Fellow Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) Thailand Thailand

Thitinan is also professor of international relations at Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of political science. He has had held visiting positions at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, University of Victoria in New Zealand, and Yangon University, and currently serves on several editorial boards of academic journals, including Journal of Democracy . He is the author of many articles, books, chapters and opinion articles. He has appeared regularly in international media, including CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, Aljazeera and NHK. His current work focuses on the comparative politics and geopolitics/geoeconomics of Asean and the Indo-Pacific in view of the US-China rivalry and competition.

Deputy Executive Director for Research Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia

Shafiah joined CSIS in December 2000 and her research interests include issues of regional security in the Indo-Pacific, Asean, maritime security, Indonesia’s foreign policy, and development cooperation. In 2017, she joined the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies Singapore as a senior fellow at the Maritime security programme. She was the chief editor of The Indonesian Quarterly , an academic journal published by CSIS, doctoral fellow at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy in Hamburg and recipient of various scholarships and research grants. She served in the panel of jury for the 2022 and 2021 Adam Malik Award.

Distinguished Professor De La Salle University Philippines

De Castro is the holder of the Dr Aurelio Calderon chair in Philippines-American relations. He was a visiting fellow at the National Institute for Defence Studies, Japan, and visiting researcher at the Japan Institute of International Affairs. He also served as a consultant to the National Security Council during the Aquino administration. He consults on courses on international relations, strategic and security studies at the National Defence College, Special Intelligence Training School, General Staff and Command College of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Foreign Service Institute.  As a member of the Albert Del Rosario Institute of Strategic and International Studies board of trustees, he writes monthly opinion columns for the Philippine Star and Business World .

Deputy Director & Visiting Professor Tama University Japan

Glosserman is also a senior adviser (non-resident) at Pacific Forum, Honolulu, where he served for 13 years as executive director. He is author of Peak Japan: The End of Grand Ambitions and co-author of The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash . He has just completed a manuscript on “the new national security economy”, examining the geopolitical intersection of national security and high technology. He is a member of the editorial board of the Japan Times and where he writes a weekly column on geopolitics and technology. He is an adjunct lecturer at the Management Centre of Innsbruck.

Founder and President Center for China and Globalization (CCG) China

Wang is also the vice-chairman of the China Association for International Economic Cooperation and dean of the Institute of Development Studies of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu. As a thought leader on global relations, international business, global governance, global investment and trade, he has published more than 100 books in Chinese and English.

Chairman of the Board China-Southeast Asia Research Center on the South China Sea China

Wu is also chairman of Huayang Centre for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance; and founding president and chairman of the academic committee of China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies. He serves as chairman of the advisory board of Institute for China-America Studies, adjunct professor of Nanjing University and chair professor of Xiamen University. His research interests cover the South China Sea, maritime delimitation, maritime economy, international relations and regional security. He has published widely in academic journals on South China Sea, regional security issues, international relations and the development of Hainan Free Trade Port.

Director of Legal, Corporate & Government Affairs for Asean and New Markets Microsoft Malaysia

Jasmine has extensive experience in legal, policy, regulatory engagement and communications. She is the first Malaysian appointed to the Internet Governance Forum multistakeholder advisory group and was honoured with the inaugural WIM’s Tan Sri Napsiah Omar women leaders’ award. She is currently an adjunct professor at Unitar International University and has received an honorary doctorate for her leadership in and contributions to public policy and governance.

Director, Cybersecurity and Critical Technologies Pacific Forum United States

Manantan leads the cyber Asean initiative, and the US Cyber, Technology and Security partnerships with Japan, Australia, Taiwan and South Korea. He is also a non-resident fellow at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, National Chengchi University, Taiwan, and a former research consultant at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Washington. He has held visiting fellowships at the Japan Foundation, Centre for Rule-Making Strategies at Tama University in Tokyo, Japan, and the East-West Centre, Washington.

Senior Fellow, Asia Program Carnegie Endowment for International Peace United States

Elina focuses on developments in Southeast Asia, particularly the impact and implications of technology reshaping power dynamics, governance, and nation-building in the region. She was the former director of political-security affairs and deputy director of the Washington office at the Asia Society Policy Institute. She spent most of her career at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, where she last held the position of director, foreign policy and security studies. Elina was also formerly with the Brookings Institution’s project on US relations with the Islamic world.

Head of School, Social Sciences University of Tasmania Australia

For more than 20 years, Farrelly has researched political, social and economic issues across Southeast Asia. In 2006, he founded New Mandala, a website which remains a prominent public forum in Southeast Asian studies. He previously held a range of academic positions in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, including as deputy director of the Coral Bell School of Asia-Pacific Affairs and as founding director of the ANU Myanmar Research Centre. He also served as associate dean in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. In 2020 he was appointed to the board of the Australia-Asean Council.

Executive Director Philippine-American Educational Foundation Philippines

Amador is CEO of Amador Research Services, interim president of the Foundation for the National Interest, and founder and trustee of the non-profit FACTS Asia. He regularly participates in Tracks 1.5 and 2 events and writes on national security and foreign affairs for various publications. He was a civil servant for more than a decade and worked on foreign affairs and national security issues. He co-edited A Handbook on Philippine Public Diplomacy and co-authored the monograph ‘Reviewing Philippine-US Bilateral Defence Relations: The Legal, Military, and Diplomacy Perspectives’. Amador is involved in designing executive education programmes on foreign affairs and national security for defence, military, and private training and educational institutions.

Fellow & Coordinator, Myanmar Studies Programme ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute Singapore

Moe joined ISEAS in 2008, serving as a lead researcher in the Asean Studies Centre up to August 2019. Prior to ISEAS, Moe spent 10 years at the Asean Secretariat, where she headed the human development unit. A former diplomat, she is researching Burma’s foreign policy implementation for her PhD at the National University of Singapore. Moe has contributed to several compendia on Asean/Southeast Asia and on Myanmar. She co-authored Myanmar: Life After Nargis and co-edited Urbanisation in Southeast Asia: Issues and Implications and Asean and India: The Way Forward .

Director, Institute of Security & International Studies (ISIS) Thailand; Assistant Dean, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University Thailand

Pongphisoot is also an assistant professor and assistant dean of the faculty of political science, Chulalongkorn University.  His research interests focus on great power competition in Southeast Asia, Thailand’s foreign policy, and norms and identity in international relations. He is working on several projects, including the normative constructs influencing Thailand’s strategic choices between the US and China, and geopolitics of great power competition in the Indo-Pacific, especially the Mekong subregion. He served as an analyst at Thailand’s Office of the National Security Council before embarking on his academic career.

Senior Fellow & Co-founder Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia

Jusuf is the vice-chairman of the board of trustees CSIS Foundation. He served as vice-chair of the Indonesian National Committee for the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, co-chair of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council and co-chair of the Council of Security Cooperation in Asia-Pacific. He is also publisher of The Jakarta Post . A lawyer by training, Jusuf was assistant professor of law at the University of Indonesia and has served in various national and international organisations. He has edited a number of books on political and security developments in the Asia-Pacific region. His memoir, Shades of Grey , was published in 2013.

Executive Director Asia New Zealand Foundation New Zealand

Draper has extensive international background in negotiation and relationship management. He joined the Asia New Zealand Foundation in September 2015, coming from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade where he had worked in various roles since 1991. These included director United Nations, Human Rights and Commonwealth Division, which saw him driving New Zealand’s successful campaign for a UN Security Council seat. Since joining the Asia New Zealand Foundation, he has enhanced its international focus and created new opportunities for New Zealanders to experience Asia first-hand. He is a commentator on Asia and has a long-running fortnightly column published in newspapers across New Zealand and on Stuff.co.nz, one of the country’s biggest news media sites.

Former Executive Director & Senior Fellow National Maritime Foundation (NMF) India

After 35 years as a missile warfare specialist and commanding two warships, Gurpreet retired from the Indian Navy in January 2023 as professor, Naval War College Goa. He formulated seminal doctrinal documents for the navy: Indian Maritime Doctrine, Handbook on Law of Maritime Operations and Indian Maritime Security Strategy. He is the author of three books and numerous academic papers on geopolitics, maritime strategy and naval operations. As executive director of NMF, he represented India in IORA, EAS and CSCAP, and contributed to drafting the National Maritime Policy. He is member of an international committee of experts at US Naval War College Newport for drafting the new manual on law of naval warfare.

Head of Center for Asean-Indian Studies Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security Republic of Korea

Choe leads the Korea National Diplomatic Academy’s research on Southeast Asia, South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific. His current research focuses on the role of Korea in the geopolitical dynamics and regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific. Among his most recent writings are South Korea’s New Southern Policy: The Limits of Indo-Pacific Geopolitics; The ROK’s Indo-Pacific Strategy under President Yoon: Key Elements and Strategic Implications; The Quest for Strategic Balance and South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Conundrum.

Team Leader, Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies (CISS) Bundeswehr University Munich Germany

Stumbaum is a frequent speaker on Asia-Pacific security issues and advises the European Union and the German government. Working at the intersection of academia and politics, she has worked as a lecturer/visiting fellow at European, American, Asian and Chinese think-tanks, universities and government agencies, including the European External Action Service and the German Ministry of Defence. She is the former director of the EU’s Asia-Pacific Research and Advice Network and NFG Research Group; senior research fellow/executive director at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI); and Fritz Thyssen fellow, WCFIA, Harvard University.

Assistant Professor, Regional Security Architecture Programme S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Singapore

Teo’s research interests include multilateral security and defence cooperation in Asean and Asia-Pacific, middle powers in the Asia-Pacific and international relations. Her latest book is Middle Powers in Asia Pacific Multilateralism: A Differential Framework . She is the co-author of Security Strategies of Middle Powers in the Asia Pacific and the co-editor of Minilateralism in the Indo-Pacific: The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue , Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism, and Asean . Her articles have appeared in International Theory, The Pacific Review, Asia Policy and various commentary platforms.

Associate Professor of War Studies University of Potsdam Germany

Rieck also teaches international relations at Humboldt-Universität in Berlin and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid. His research focuses mostly on German and European defence policy, comparative regional integration and regional powers. He has worked at the foreign policy institute at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Berlin, European foresight programme at the tech think-tank Stiftung Neue Verantwortung and Latin American Institute of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies GIGA. He was a former DAAD Carlo Schmid fellow at the United Nations in Mexico City.

Executive Director of Policy, Asia Society Australia Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute Australia

Maude has more than 30 years’ experience in foreign policy and national security and has served in Singapore, the United States and Malaysia. He is the former deputy secretary, Indo-Pacific Group, in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and a senior official to the East Asia Summit. In 2017, Maude headed a task force, which supported the Australian government’s foreign policy white paper. He was also the director-general of the Office of National Assessments and senior adviser on foreign policy and national security issues to prime minister Julia Gillard.

Senior Fellow Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia

Rizal was Indonesia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ireland and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) from 2016 to 2020. He joined CSIS in 1990 as a researcher and assumed the role of executive director in 2009 until 2015. He has worked extensively on issues, such as Southeast Asian security, Asean, Indonesia’s defence and foreign policy, military reform, Islam and politics, and domestic political changes in Indonesia. He was the first Indonesian to receive the Nakasone Award in July 2005 and named as one the 100 Global Thinkers in 2009 by Foreign Policy magazine.

President Emeritus & WSD-Handa Chair in Peace Studies Pacific Forum United States

Cossa is president emeritus and worldwide support for development-Handa Haruhisa Chair in Peace Studies at the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum. He is senior editor of the Forum’s electronic journal, Comparative Connections, and co-author of its regional overview. He is a member and former international co-chair of the Asean Regional Forum Experts and Eminent Persons Group, and a founding member and former co-chair of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. He is a former military officer, who served as a special assistant to two US Pacific Command commanders.

President & Senior Research Fellow Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) China

Chen specialises in the studies of the United Nations, China’s foreign policy and China-US relations. He has led numerous research projects commissioned by the China National Foundation of Social Sciences Studies and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is the chief editor of China Quarterly of International Strategic Studies , a flagship English journal on China’s diplomacy. He is also the adjunct professor of SIIS. He is adviser to the Independent Team of Advisory for ECOSOC Dialogue on longer-term positioning of UN Development System, a member of Asean Regional Forum’s Expert and Eminent Person and senior adviser on economic diplomacy to China’s Foreign Ministry.

Secretary-general, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Amran started his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992, and his stints include multilateral diplomacy. He has served in missions in New York, Geneva and Jakarta before being accredited as ambassador to Turkey in 2014. This was followed by appointed as a permanent representative of Malaysia to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva in 2016. He returned to Putrajaya in 2019 to head the Department of Bilateral Affairs and was appointed the ministry’s 17th secretary-general in 2022.

Prof Emeritus, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Tham is also a visiting senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. She was formerly director and professor of international trade at Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), UKM. Her research interests cover trade in goods and services as well as foreign direct investment (FDI). She sits on several editorial boards for international journals and board of Global Development Network (GDN). She is also a member of the task force appointed to review the new industrial master plan 2030. She is currently working on BRI projects in Malaysia, trade in higher education services and digital trade in Asean.

CEO, Strand Aerospace Malaysia

Naguib is also president of Malaysia Aerospace Industry Association (MAIA). Naguib holds a BEng aerospace engineering from UMIST and a MSc from Cranfield. He began his career growing a UK aerospace start-up, and then returned to Malaysia to build Strand Aerospace Malaysia into an organisation leading the design and analysis engineering services industry. In 2021, Naguib founded Advanced Manufacturing & Robotics Accelerator Centre of Excellence (Amrace) dedicated to accelerating the transformation to smart businesses with sustainable business practices. He speaks frequently on aerospace and other technology subjects at global events.

Professor of Law, School of Business and Economics, Universiti Putra Malaysia

Rozanah graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s in law and obtained her PhD from the International Islamic University, Malaysia. Her areas of interest and specialisation are industrial safety (OSH) law, employment law and business law. She is internationally recognised, holding the post of visiting associate professor, Tashkent-State-Technical-University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan; visiting fellow at Alliance Manchester Business School, Lincoln International Business School and UWA Business School. She has carried out research and consultancy activities with public and private agencies, including the International Labour Organisation, World Bank Group, Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia, Department of Occupational Safety and Health , Legal Affairs Division (Prime Minister’s Department), and the National Valuation Institute.

Professor, Department of Economics, International Islamic University Malaysia

Aslam received his PhD from the School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, UK. He led the ‘turn-around’ plan of the Department of Economics and established the Centre for Islamic Economics, IIUM, where he acted as coordinator of its strategic development plan. He is currently director of the academic development division, leading efforts to redevelop and revamp IIIT ESEA research and publication agenda. He has researched and published extensively in various areas of economics and development studies. He co-founded an Islamic microfinance programme, I-Taajir, which serves the B40 community.

Secretary-general, Ministry of Defence

Muez holds an honours degree in economics from University of Malaya, a public administration diploma from INTAN and a master’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University, Tennessee. His career in public service is extensive, particularly in the economic, entrepreneurial and agricultural policy spaces. Prior to his current placement at the Ministry of Defence, he was the secretary-general of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. He has also been actively involved in amending several laws related to trade. For example, he deposited Malaysia’s instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol, which is primarily concerned with the country’s trademark system at the international level.

Deputy secretary-general (policy), Ministry of Finance

Johan is a chartered accountant (ICAEW) who graduated with an economics degree from the University of Cambridge. Since 2004, he has served in various roles, including deputy secretary-general (policy) and national budget director at the Ministry of Finance, deputy director-general of the Economic Planning Unit and CEO of Talent Corporation Malaysia. He was appointed secretary-general of the Ministry of Finance on 27 February 2023. Before joining the government in 2004, he worked in corporate finance and accounting roles.

Founder & Executive Director Asian Trade Centre Singapore

Elms is also president of the Asia Business Trade Association (ABTA) and the board director of the Asian Trade Centre Foundation (ATCF). She sits on the board of the Trade and Investment Negotiation Adviser (TINA) at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (UNESCAP). She is on the international advisory council for APCO and was a member of the World Economic Forum’s trade and investment council. Prior to founding ATC/ATCF and the ABTA, she was head of the Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations (TFCTN) and senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Executive Director Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia

Mark your calendar, Thursday, 18 May 2023.

We look forward to celebrating with you, your response has been submitted., if you have registered to attend, it will be confirmed within 2 working days..

Member of the board Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Munir is chairman of the Asean Business Advisory Council, Malaysia, of CARI Asean Research and Advocacy, and president of the Asean Business Club. He also sits on the board of the honorary council of advisers for EUROCHAM Malaysia and is board chairman of the Institute for Capital Market Research Malaysia. He is an advocate of deeper Asean economic integration. He is an honorary fellow of LSE and visiting senior fellow at the Centre of International Affairs, Diplomacy and Strategy.

Deputy head of mission European Union Delegation to Malaysia

Goosmann joined the EU Delegation to Malaysia in September 2021. He served as a German diplomat between 2009 and 2021 and was posted to Quito and Jakarta. Prior to the diplomatic stint, Goosmann worked as business consultant, university lecturer and in a think-tank. He speaks English, Spanish, French and (some) Bahasa Indonesia.

Senior fellow Centre for Strategic and International Studies

Poling directs the Southeast Asia p rogram me and Asia m aritime t ransparency i nitiative at the Centr e for Strategic and International Studies. He is a leading expert on the South China Sea disputes and conducts research on US alliances and partnerships, democrati s ation and governance in Southeast Asia, and maritime security across the Indo-Pacific. He is the author of On d angerous g round: America’s c entury in the South China Sea .  

Southeast Asia programme director Lowy Institute

Patton is the project lead for the Asia Power Index , the Lowy Institute’s annual data-driven assessment that maps the changing distribution of power in the region. She has worked in various Southeast Asia-focused positions, including senior analyst in the Southeast Asia branch at the Australian Office of National Intelligence.  

Director (special projects) Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Shahriman’s research interests include Malaysian foreign and defence policies, Southeast Asian maritime security affairs, and Malaysia-China relations, including in the context of the South China Sea. He also manages the institute’s China Engagement Initiative, which promotes Track-Two dialogue between Malaysia and China.

Analyst Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Qarrem’s primary research interests include international trade, political and institutional economics, wages & productivity growth and the development of local MSMEs. His recent work focused on government strategic plans for MSME development, formalisation of informal entrepreneurs and various sector-specific government development plans. He was a former consultant specialising in public sector economic advisory.

Researcher Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Meena’s research interests include political psychology, comparative regionalism, South Asian, Southeast Asian and European studies and domestic affairs, such as social welfare and gender-responsive policymaking. Meena is now a doctoral candidate at UM, focused on non-Western international relations.

Senior analyst Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Tashny’s research interests include domestic politics, labour migration, gender parity and equality, and the regional role and position of international human rights mechanisms. She is the founder of 50-50 Malaysia, a tool to connect policymakers, journalists and the public with female experts in, on or from Malaysia. Tashny also operates Kolektif BungaRaya, a support group for survivors of sexual harassment and assault.

Senior director (research) Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Alizan is currently completing his PhD at Keio University on understanding the influence of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address interlinkages across SDGs. His research area includes governance of and for sustainable development and global environmental governance. He was the lead author for the national readiness study to implement the SDGs for the Economic Planning Unit. His other areas of research include institutions for sustainable development and sustainable consumption and production.

Director Centre for Asean Regionalism Universiti Malaya (CARUM) Malaysia

Rahul specialises in politico-security affairs of the Southeast and East Asian region, Asean-EU regionalism, comparative regionalism and the role of major and middle powers in the Indo-Pacific, especially in the context of the China-US competition. His latest publications include Asia and Europe in the 21st century: new anxieties, new opportunities, and India’s Eastward Engagement from Antiquity to Act East Policy.

Department of Political Science   National University of Kyiv

OLEXIY HARAN is Professor of Comparative Politics at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy (UKMA). Since 2002, he has served as founding director of the UKMA School for Policy Analysis and from 2015, research director at the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, a leading analytical and sociological think-tank.

He is the co-editor of Constructing a Political Nation: Changes in the Attitudes of Ukrainians during the War in the Donbas (2017 , Ukraine in Europe: Questions and Answers (2009) and Russia and Ukraine: Ten Years of Transformation (Moscow 2003) . His latest book is From Brezhnev to Zelensky: Dilemmas of Ukrainian Political Scientist (2021) . Haran was a member of the Council of ‘Maidan’ movement (2013-2014) and has also spent weeks at the frontline in Mariupol, Luhansk, Avdiivka and Donetsk airport.

Foreign Minister of Australia, 1988-1996 President and CEO of the International Crisis Group, 2000-2009 GLF Member

Evans was one of Australia’s longest serving foreign ministers (1988-1996), best known internationally for his roles in developing the United Nations peace plan for Cambodia, bringing to a conclusion the international Chemical Weapons Convention, founding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and Asean Regional Forum (ARF), and initiating the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. He has maintained strong academic and scholarly connections throughout his career and has written or edited nine books and journal articles on foreign relations, politics, human rights and legal reform.

Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1999-2008 Administrator, UNDP, 2009-2017 GLF Chair

Clark was elected prime minister of New Zealand in 1999, 2002 and 2005. She became administrator of the United Nations Development Programme in April 2009 and was the first woman to lead that organisation. She was also chair of the UN Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments working on development issues. She now engages in public advocacy across a range of issues.

Attorney-General of Indonesia, 1999-2001 UN Special Rapporteur DPRK, 2010-2016 GLF Member

Marzuki served as attorney-general of Indonesia under the first democratically elected president, Abdurrahman Wahid. As AG, he led a wide-ranging corruption investigation into former president Suharto and family and prosecuted cases of corruption, mass murder and human rights abuses. In 2010, he was chair of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka and also served as special rapporteur for North Korea (2011-2016). Marzuki is currently chairman of the UN fact-finding mission to Myanmar.

Minister of Defence of South Africa, 1991-1992 Minster of Constitutional Affairs and Communication, 1992-1994 Minister of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs, 1994-1996 GLF Member

Meyer served as defence minister and minister of constitutional affairs and communication under president FW de Klerk. Together with Cyril Ramaphosa, chief negotiator for the African National Congress (ANC), Meyer negotiated the end of apartheid and helped pave the way to the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994. Meyer subsequently served as minister of constitutional development in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet. He has also been involved in peace processes in Bolivia, Burundi, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guyana, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Kenya, Kosovo, Myanmar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

Senior fellow for East Asia Lowy Institute   

Richard McGregor is senior fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute, Australia’s premier foreign policy think-tank.

McGregor is a former Beijing and Washington bureau chief for the Financial Times and the author of numerous books on East Asia.

His most recent book, Xi Jinping: The Backlash, was published in August 2019. His book on Sino-Japanese relations, Asia’s Reckoning: China, Japan and the Fate of U.S. Power in the Pacific Century (Penguin Books, 2017), won the prime minister of Australia’s literary award for non-fiction. He is also a senior associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in the US.

To ensure the safety of all participants, please follow our Covid-19 guidelines.

  • All participants/guests are strongly encouraged to take a Covid-19 RTK-Antigen Self-Test a day prior or on the morning of the event.
  • Everyone is encouraged to wear a mask during the event.
  • Stay home if you feel unwell.
  • Individuals who test positive for Covid-19 after attending the event should notify Atikah Ishak at [email protected] .
  • Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Research professor Center for Asean-India Studies Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security Korean National Diplomatic Academy

Dr Cho is also a visiting professor teaching Asean regionalism and Asean & Oceania courses at Yonsei University. His main research topics consist of international relations of the Indo-Pacific region, especially the Mekong subregion and South Asia. His recent policy papers include reports on India’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and international cooperation in the Mekong region. His academic articles have appeared in Defence and Peace Economics, Pacific Focus, and other Korean international relations journals.

Associate professor Department of International and Strategic Studies Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Universiti Malaya

Dr Varkkey’s areas of expertise include transboundary haze governance in Southeast Asia and global palm oil politics. Her monograph on The Haze Problem in Southeast Asia: Palm Oil and Politics was published by Routledge in 2016. Her latest book is a collection of essays on the politics of haze and the environment in Southeast Asia called The Forests for the Palms: Essays on the Politics of haze and the Environment in Southeast Asia published by ISEAS Singapore in 2021. She has almost two decades of experience in qualitative research, including conducting fieldwork and interviews among various government and non-government stakeholders, and has built up extensive research networks across Southeast Asia. She has edited and produced reports for the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Unicef and the Asean Secretariat.

Senior executive (research) IDEAS

Prior to joining IDEAS, Jazreen had a brief stint in legal (particularly the e-commerce sector) and previously worked at an international chamber of commerce where he performed business research, market intelligence, international trade, and assisted SMEs. His interests include (but are not limited to) international political economy, sustainable developments, and global K-Pop diplomacy.

Deputy undersecretary Policy and Strategic Planning Division Ministry of Defence

Sahipulhijaimanis’ purview includes international defence cooperation, traditional and non-traditional security issues, defence policy and military capability development. He was the lead officer for the formulation of Malaysia’s first Defence White Paper and the civilian adviser for the National Military Strategy review. Prior to the posting at Ministry of Defence, he was at the Ministry of Transport where he was the director of policy and monitoring, Road Safety Department.

Coordinator for the Indo Pacific Strategy Task Force Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Korea

Lim Sang-woo is the Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Strategy Task Force. He graduated from Georgetown University, Washington DC with a Master of Science in Foreign Service in 2003 and subsequently was posted in the US, Republic of Congo, Brazil and Madagascar. Under the Moon administration, Lim Sang woo has served as the Senior Assistant Secretary to the President for Foreign Policy in the Office of National Security and as Senior Advisor to Foreign Minister in the ROK MOFA. From Oct 2021, Lim Sang Woo helmed the North American Affairs Bureau as Director-General before shifting to play the role of Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Strategy Task Force in 2022.

Senior lecturer Strategic Studies and International Relations Programme Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Dr Hoo’s main research interests include Korean Peninsula issues, international relations theory and relations between Southeast Asia and the two Koreas. She was editor of The New Southern Policy: Catalyst for Deepening Asean-ROK Relations (ISIS Malaysia, 2020) and co-editor of a forthcoming volume on North Korea-Southeast Asia relations.

Board of directors ISIS Malaysia

Sulaiman is chairman of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA). He was the former director-general of the Economic Planning Unit and has held posts in the Finance Ministry and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry. He is also a board member of ISIS Malaysia and CEO of the National Recovery Council (MPN).

Kato currently organises the Japan Future Leaders School, a summer school in Fukuoka, focusing on educating the future generation of leaders from not just Japan, but all Asia. She is also chair of AFS Intercultural Programme, an exchange programme for high school students.

Former prime minister of Malaysia

Dr Mahathir’s first term as prime minister ran from 1981 to 2003. During his first tenure, he opened up the country and developed Malaysia into a prosperous and dynamic economy in Southeast Asia. Among his many legacies are the home-grown automotive industry and the Look East Policy. He served as prime minister again from 2018 to 2020.

Associate Professor

Mochinaga is an associate professor at the Department of Systems Engineering and Science at Shibaura Institute of Technology. He focuses on global cybersecurity, technology policy and regulatory issues. As a consultant for the Japanese government, he has contributed to cybersecurity policy development, including technology development, critical infrastructure protection and technical standards.

Senior lecturer Queensland Centre for Population Research University of Queensland

Dr Bernard is a demographer at the University of Queensland. She works on internal migration in partnership with international organisations and government departments on a range of theoretical, methodological, and applied issues. Her contributions to formal demography include developing measurement and estimation techniques that facilitate large-scale international comparisons of migration levels, patterns and selectivity. She is currently chief investigator on two Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects and a Linkage Project in partnership with the University of Melbourne, University of New England, Shanghai University, Australian Bureau of Statistics and Treasury’s Centre for Population. She serves as associate editor of the Journal of Population Research and will co-chair the IUSSP Scientific Panel on Lifetime Migration from 2023 to 2025.

CEO Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

Prior to his appointment to MDEC, Mahadhir was co-founder and CEO of Futurise, an agency under the Finance Ministry mandated to drive the National Regulatory Sandbox. In 2020, Mahadhir was handpicked to be part of the founding team of the National Economic Implementation and Strategic Coordination Agency (Laksana) under the Finance Ministry. Mahadhir has a proven track record of over 20 years in various industries including financial services, energy, information technology and media, serving established global and local organisations such as Deloitte Consulting, Kodak, Petronas and AmInvestment Bank.

Personal data protection commissioner Communications and multimedia ministry

Mazmalek is actively involved in international organisations, such as the International Telecommunication Union and Asia-Pacific Telecommunity. He was the former director of the Malaysian Emergency Response Services 999 (MERS 999) and worked on the enactment of the Protection of Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA 2010) and rural development of ICT and related matters. He was a negotiator in the Malaysia-Australia FTA, Trans-Pacific Partnership on telecommunications and e-commerce and Malaysia-European Union FTA.

Co-founder Mereka

Ambika is co-founder and chief operating officer of Mereka, an education technology start-up. She joined the Biji-biji Group in 2014. She was the ex-CEO of Biji-biji Ethical Fashion, which won the United Kingdom’s common objective leadership award in 2019. As the head of sustainability, Ambika developed and implemented multiple award-winning campaigns and was an East-West Centre’s 2020 Changing Faces Women, 2018 YSEALI professional fellow and Malaysian Public Service Department scholar.

Faculty of Business and Economics Universiti Malaya

Devadason’s previous positions include Centre for Latin American Studies head and Faculty of Economics and Administration deputy dean (research and development). She received her Ph.D. (Economics) from Universiti Malaya in 2006 and M.Soc.Sci. (Economics) from the National University of Singapore in 1992. Her research focuses on international trade and regional integration and her research work has seen print in international journals such as World Development , The Pacific Review and Journal of Contemporary Asia . She currently serves as an editor in chief to the Institutions and Economies (Universiti Malaya) journal, associate editor to the International Journal of Social Economics (Emerald) and member to the editorial boards of the Journal of Contemporary Asia (Taylor & Francis) and the International Journal of Rural Management (SAGE) .

Senior fellow ISEAS Yusof Ishak  

Dr Lee was previously a senior lecturer in development studies at the Universiti Malaya and authored Affirmative Action in Malaysia and South Africa: Preference for Parity (Routledge, 2021) and has written various ISEAS perspective and trends articles on Malaysia’s affirmative action, inequality, education and labour.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department

Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed is the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for the economic portfolio. He was appointed in March 2020, and has since been overseeing the nation’s overall medium and long-term socioeconomic development planning.

Born in 1950, Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed holds a first-class honours degree in economics from the University of Melbourne as well as a master’s degree in economic development from Boston University. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1995. He has since held a number of senior positions in the Malaysian government, including Minister of International Trade and Industry, Second Finance Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Agro-industry, Minister of Higher Education, Minister of Entrepreneur Development, Deputy Finance Minister, and Executive Director at the National Economic Action Council.

Head of Policy and Climate Change WWF Malaysia

Head of research Women’s Aid Organisation

Sharifah Shazana Agha is currently Head of Research at Women’s Aid Organisation, a Malaysian non-profit organisation working to improve gender equality and end violence and discrimination against women.

In the last 10 years, she has actively been a part of various research and advocacy initiatives advancing gender equality and children’s rights in Malaysia. In particular, she has contributed towards several projects focused on increasing and retaining the participation of women in the labour force and at decision-making levels.

Currently, she is a co-principal researcher for a research study focused on strengthening paid and unpaid care work policies in Malaysia in the context of endemicity. Shazana graduated from Monash University and holds a Master of Arts from University of Malaya in the area of Gender Studies.

Regional head, group economics & market analysis CIMB

Intan Nadia Jalil is the Regional Head, Group Economics and Market Analysis for CIMB Bank Berhad. Her previous appointments include CEO of PNB Research Institute, associate director of economics at the Malaysian Aviation Commission and deputy director of research at Khazanah Research Institute. Nadia has 17 years’ experience in macroeconomics research, and in developing comprehensive economic development policies, strategies, and plans in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, including a term as Malaysian economist for the World Bank. Nadia holds an MSc in Regional and Urban Planning Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and graduated from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom with a BA in Economics.

Economist World Bank Malaysia

Amanina is an economist in Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice at the World Bank. She works in social protection, skills and jobs, labour markets and migration, focusing on Malaysia. Prior to joining the World Bank, she completed a PhD in Applied Economics at Monash University Malaysia. Amanina was also a visiting researcher at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

CEO Strategic Change Management Office (MyDIGITAL) Economic Planning Unit

Fabian was appointed chief executive officer for the Strategic Change Management Office on 19 April 2021 and mandated to drive change management and ensure the successful delivery of the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint. Fabian received his BSc. from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA and his Masters in Public Policy from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo.

Senior director Think City

Izan was the founder and former CEO of Cendana, Malaysia’s Cultural Economy Development Agency dedicated to building a sustainable cultural economy. Under her, Cendana delivered RM37 million in economic impact within two years of its inception. An accountant by training, Izan has dedicated most of her career to the arts, from managing Enfiniti Vision Media to establishing the My Performing Arts Agency (MyPAA). Guided by her unwavering belief that the arts and cultural sector can do more to contribute to the economy with a proper ecosystem, Izan now heads Think City’s partnerships and creative sector division.

Group CEO MyCreative Ventures

Junady has more than two decades of experience covering an array of corporate disciplines, having previously held posts at entities, such as BIMB Holdings Bhd, Rothschild Malaysia, UEM Group, Renong Berhad, Aseambankers Malaysia (now known as Maybank Investment Bank) and PWC. Prior being appointed as the CEO of MyCreative Ventures, he served as senior director of strategic planning at Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera (Teraju) of the Prime Minister’s Department, where among his key responsibilities was the development of proposals to the Malaysian government for strategic interventions towards developing a long-term road map for Bumiputera economic and socio-economic participation.

Senior fellow Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Eddin is the founder of PUSAKA, which aims to preserve the oral transmission and research the cultural and religious politics and aspects of ritual in traditional theatre. He is the co-author of The Spirit of Wood and Rukunegara: A Brief History. He was the former chairman of a reform committee looking into national and vernacular education. Eddin is a graduate of University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and University of London.

Vice-president TalentCorp

Dean SEGi University & Colleges

Foong has been involved in early child care and education and tertiary education for over 30 years, locally and in the United Kingdom. She is currently the dean of the Faculty of Education, Languages, Psychology & Music at SEGi University & Colleges, is the secretary of the Professional Development Board of Early Childhood Care & Education Council Malaysia and an executive committee member of the National Association for Childcare and Education Malaysia.

Min Hui is an analyst with ISIS Malaysia whose research interests centre around gender equality policy with a particular focus on creating gender-sensitive systems and policies ftoward a more inclusive Malaysia. She is also on the Secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Urban Poverty and B40 community, working closely with parliamentarians to analyse issues related to low-cost public housing. Previously, Min was a former external affairs analyst at the World Bank. She holds an MA in Public Policy from King’s College London.

Lecturer Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

Yanti has taught human anatomy and histology for 28 years, and had just completed research on climate change impact on early childhood education, sponsored by Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood. She is also a research member in a recently completed a UNICEF-sponsored, Malaysia-centric research grant on climate change and impacts of environmental degradation on children’s health and wellbeing.

Co-founder Klima Action Malaysia

Ili Nadiah is the co-founder and programme director of KAMY, a climate justice and feminist organisation to strengthen the ecosystem of climate justice and climate governance in Malaysia through research and lobbying, and civil society empowerment for a just and peaceful transition.She is also a consultant working in climate policy and risk and business and human rights.

Senior analyst Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Afandi holds an MA in Sustainable Development Management from Sunway University. His interest lies in sustainable development, biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation and natural resources management. He had worked as an environmental consultant where he led several projects on strategic planning, policy preparation, land use planning and technical studies. He also served as a resource person for the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG).

Group head and lead economist, regional surveillance Asean Macroeconomic Research Office

Senior analyst, ISIS Malaysia

Farlina’s work and comments have appeared in the local and international media, such as New Straits Times and South China Morning Post. She was involved in crafting various dialogues and forums on cybersecurity, radicalisation and Malaysia-Korea relations. She was also a part of SEARCCT’s Experts on Violent Extremism and Community Engagement (EVOKE) Council (2018-2019).

Chief strategy & transformation officer Social Security Organisation (Perkeso)

Edmund Cheong Peck Huang is currently the Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer of the Social Security Organization (PERKESO) of Malaysia. Prior to this he was the Deputy CEO of the PERKESO Tun Razak Rehabilitation Centre. He was also instrumental to the implementation of PERKESO’s ICT Core Systems. Edmund is also given the responsibility to be PERKESO’s Project Lead for drafting the National Blueprint for Social Wellbeing alongside with experts from the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Bank Negara (Malaysian Central Bank) and other social security agencies. The National Blueprint for Social Wellbeing is an initiative of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office in coordinating and improving social protection for all Malaysians. He is currently a technical committee member of the Malaysian Social Protection Council (MySPC).

Deputy director of research Khazanah Research Institute

Dr Gong’s ongoing research focuses on digital policy, including digital inclusion, the digital economy, and digital governance. She leads the team that produced KRI’s book on digital policy issues, #NetworkedNation: Navigating Challenges, Realising Opportunities of Digital Transformation. 

Director Social Wellbeing Research Centre, Universiti Malaya

Professor Norma is the director of the Social Wellbeing Research Centre (SWRC) at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, Universiti Malaya. She is also a professor at the Department of Administrative Studies and Politics at the faculty, where she served as dean from 2004-2009. She was also a Ragnar Nurkse visiting professor at Talinn University of Technology, Estonia, in 2015. Her research interests cover public and social policy, governance and social protection. 

Senior fellow ISEAS Yusof Ishak

agriculture in malaysia essay

Chief Executive Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

As chief executive of the country’s premier think-tank, Herizal determines the institute’s strategic direction. This includes designing ISIS Malaysia’s research and engagement programmes, building its research and policy development capabilities, and managing relationships with the government, private sector, civil society organisations, diplomatic community and other think-tanks. Herizal also leads the institute’s Track-Two diplomacy through the Asean Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (Asean-ISIS), Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council.

Chairman Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V., Germany

Dr Lammert was appointed the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung chairman in January 2018. As an active participant of German politics for nearly four decades, he helped to shape important offices. He served as president of the German Bundestag for 12 years. In the governments of Helmut Kohl, he served as parliamentary state secretary in the Ministries of Education and Science, Economic Affairs and Transport. In 2003, Lammert was awarded a lectureship for political science at the Ruhr University Bochum, which appointed him honorary professor in 2008. His numerous publications deal with social, economic and cultural policy issues.

Research Fellow and Lecturer, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Dr Kliem is with the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at RSIS and his main research interests are regional integration and multilateralism, and the geopolitics of Asia and Europe. Among his research projects are the study of Asean and EU institutions, inter-regionalism and comparative regionalism, and European Indo-Pacific engagement. His latest book is Great power competition and order building in the Indo-Pacific: towards a new Indo-Pacific equilibrium and his new edited volume on Asean, The Elgar companion to Asean, is forthcoming in late 2022.

Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the ninth Malaysian prime minister, was appointed to the post on 21 August 2021. Ismail was named as deputy prime minister in July 2021 and had served as opposition leader. He is the Bera MP, which he has represented since 2004. He was the former minister of defence; youth and sports; domestic trade, cooperatives and consumerism; and, rural and regional development.

New Zealand Ambassador to Asean

Calman has been part of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry since 2013, where he has held leadership roles in the Pacific and development group, including overseeing global development, scholarships and as a special adviser. He has extensive experience in climate change and development issues. His previous postings included Canberra and as deputy head of mission in Beijing.

Foreign Minister Malaysia

Saifuddin is the Indera Mahkota MP and has served as communications and multimedia minister and deputy higher education minister. Saifuddin is an advocate of new politics, youth empowerment and social entrepreneurship. He actively promotes basketball and debate and is the founder of the Women’s National Basketball League and co-founder of the Malaysian universities’ royal debate. During his first tenure as foreign minister (2018-2020), he authored the Foreign Policy Framework of the New Malaysia, which served as Malaysia’s key foreign policy priorities. He has published eight books, the latest of which is New politics 2.0: multiracial and moderate Malaysian democracy (2017).

Assoc Prof of Political Science Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

Nguyen is associate professor of political science at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and deputy director-general of the DAV East Sea (South China Sea) Institute. He served as counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations (New York) from 2016 to 2019. His research interests include international relations in the Indo-Pacific, security and maritime issues in Southeast Asia, and foreign policy of Vietnam.

Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia

Lee is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently first assistant secretary of the multilateral policy division. He has served as head of mission in Bangladesh, and deputy head of mission in Jakarta and Port Moresby. Lee holds a PhD in development studies and a BA (hons) in jurisprudence from Adelaide University and a graduate diploma in foreign affairs and trade from Monash University.

Chairman Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA)

Tay is a public intellectual and adviser to major corporations and policymakers. He is currently an associate professor at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law; senior consultant with WongPartnership, a leading regional law firm; and ambassador for Singapore. He had served on boards of leading global companies, including MUFG Bank of Japan, Toyota Japan and Deutsche Boerse (Asia), and was a corporate adviser to Temasek Holdings. He was chairman of the National Environment Agency and a nominated MP.

Chair, Asean-ISIS Network; Vice-President, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

Dr Hoang was the former director-general of the Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies and has published dozens of articles in foreign and Vietnamese journals on Vietnam’s foreign policy, politics and security in Southeast Asia, and American and China’s policies towards the East and Southeast Asia. He is the author/co-author of several books on the same subjects. He was also the former ambassador to Indonesia and served as minister counsellor at the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington DC, and non-resident ambassador to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.

Dean, Institute of New Structural Economics Peking University, People’s Republic of China

Lin is dean of Institute of New Structural Economics and Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development, and professor and honorary dean of National School of Development at Peking University. He was a former senior vice-president and chief economist at the World Bank. He is the author of more than 20 books, including Justin Yifu Lin on China’s economy ; Beating the odds: jump-starting developing countries ; Going beyond aid: development cooperation for structural transformation ; Against the consensus: reflections on the Great Recession ; and Demystifying the Chinese economy .

Institute of Social Science University of Tokyo, Japan

Ito is one of the editors of The Asian Economy: Contemporary Issues and Challenges (Routledge, 2020). His research covers the Chinese industrial development, China’s outward FDI activities and innovation in Asia. Related works to this talk include Japan’s economic pragmatism: cooperating and competing with China , Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Strategic Japan 2021 programme discussion paper, and China’s belt and road initiative and Japan’s response: from non-participation to conditional engagement , East Asia , 36 (2019): 115-128.

College of Asia & the Pacific Australian National University (ANU)

Golley is an economist in the Arndt-Corden Department of Economics at the Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU. Her inter-disciplinary research focuses on the Chinese economy, including the economic geography of China’s industrial development, the economic impacts of demographic change and more recently, China’s growing geoeconomic capabilities and the impact of its bilateral political relations on patterns of trade. She is currently an executive member of the Australia China Business Council and an advisory board member for the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Director, Environment and Development Division United Nations ESCAP, Thailand

Dr Nam was appointed director, UNESCAP Environment and Development Division, in April. Prior to the current assignment, he served as deputy head, UNESCAP East and North-East Asia office and environmental affairs officer at the UNESCAP headquarters and ENEA office. He was a former lecturer at Hanyang University in Seoul and has served as an expert member of the presidential commission on sustainable development and northeast Asian cooperation initiative of the Republic of Korea. He is a founding member of Green Korea United, a leading environmental civil society group.

Lecturer, Department of Economic Development Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Dr Nyda teaches statistics, quantitative research methods, applied research, geographical information systems and research methodology in Royal University of Phnom Penh. His current research projects include education, environment and disaster risk management, climate change, agroecology, and market research. In the area of climate change, the research is related to drought early warning systems in Cambodia, climate vulnerability assessment, agricultural techniques for drought resilience and the role of social entrepreneurship for drought resilience communities.

Adviser The Australia Institute

Hemming is an adviser in the climate and energy programme at The Australia Institute. She has more than a decade’s experience working in policy, marketing and academic publishing roles for both not-for-profit and government sectors. Her current work focuses on the involvement of the fossil fuel industry in carbon markets and the subsequent social licence and claims these markets afford the industry. A recent area of research is the impact of Australia’s Indo-Pacific carbon offsetting scheme and global carbon markets on the Indo-Pacific region.

Regional Director Southeast Asia, Climate and Energy British High Commission, Singapore

Moody oversees the UK government’s climate change and clean energy strategy in the Asean region, and mobilisation of regional policy, development programming and commercial work to deliver it. This includes directing the UK’s unique network of climate change and policy attachés across Southeast Asia, who carry out policy advisory and engagement to raise ambition across the region. His career included overseeing the £50 million portfolio of prosperity fund programmes of technical assistance in the South Africa region, UK Overseas Territories, and domestic policy on education, justice and police accountability.

Asst Prof, Department of Political Science University of The Philippines Diliman

Dr Tana’s research focuses on Japanese foreign policy, Philippine external relations, human security and peacebuilding. She obtained her PhD at the National University of Singapore in 2019.

Former Ambassador for Disarmament New Zealand

Higgie was a career diplomat and international law specialist with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) until her retirement in 2021. She has served as international trade law adviser (responsible for all WTO litigation) and New Zealand’s first ambassador for counter-terrorism and director of MFAT’s international security and disarmament division. In the 12 years before her retirement, she was New Zealand’s global ambassador for disarmament. During this time, she was president of the Conference on Disarmament in 2015 and served as chair of the missile technology control regime. She remains as an ambassador-at-large for MFAT and chair of the Geneva-based Voluntary Trust Fund for the Arms Trade Treaty.

Senior Fellow Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, People’s Republic of China

Dr Tong is based in Beijing, where he conducts research on strategic security issues, such as nuclear weapons policy, deterrence, arms control, non-proliferation, missile defence, hypersonic weapons, and China’s security and foreign policy. He is an associate editor of the journal Science & Global Security and is a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials. Tong also serves on the board of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) and on the advisory board of the Missile Dialogue Initiative. He is the author of Tides of change: China’s nuclear ballistic missile submarines and strategic stability and Narrowing the US-China gap on missile defence: how to help forestall a nuclear arms race.

Distinguished Fellow Centre for Air Power Studies, India

Dr Manpreet has worked on nuclear energy, strategy, arms control and disarmament. She is author and editor of eight books and more than 120 papers. She lectures regularly at National Defence College and other establishments of Indian armed forces, police, foreign services and universities. She is a regular participant at policy conferences, Track Two initiatives and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). She sits on the board of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) and is co-chair of Women in Nuclear – India.

Lecturer, Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia

Andhika is a PhD candidate on nuclear engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea. His research interests include nuclear security, nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear energy modelling. His research in nuclear security includes the potential security impact and proliferation resistance of small and modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced nuclear technology. He is also acting as president of the Institute of Nuclear Material Management (INMM) KAIST student chapter and a former summer fellow at Nuclear Non-proliferation Education and Research Centre (NEREC) KAIST.

Programme Lead Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D), Australia

Tyler brings decades of experience in Australian foreign policy to her role as programme lead of the newly established AP4D. For 13 years she served as national executive director of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA). Under her leadership, the AIIA was recognised for three years running as the top think-tank in Southeast Asia/Pacific. In 2017, she co-authored Think Tank Diplomacy, the first book-length discussion of the role of policy institutes in the international sphere.

Founder Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia

Dr Dino is a former deputy foreign minister, Indonesian ambassador to the US and served as the presidential spokesman for president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from 2004 to 2010. Dino recently founded the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), which has become the largest foreign policy group in the country. He also founded the Congress of Indonesian Diaspora in 2012.

Director, Client and Business Development (International) at WMG University of Warwick

Dr Kogila Balakrishnan is the director for client and business development (international) at WMG, University of Warwick. Kogila is a consultant and adviser with cross-sector experience in technology offsets, defence and security industrial strategy and collaboration. She is an adjunct professor at the Malaysian Defence University and a fellow at the Institute for International & Strategic Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.

Chief research scientist, BT

Dr Hercock has more than 20 years’ experience in leading security research projects in the UK and was theme leader for cybersecurity in the UK MOD Information Fusion Defence Technology Centre. His research interests include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and complex adaptive systems. He has written on AI and security concepts and frequently provides expert advice to the government on defence, cybersecurity and AI issues. In 2020, he was appointed fellow at the Oxford Changing Character of Warfare Centre, Pembroke College.

Director Economic Geography Studies Group Institute of Development Economics (IDE-JETRO)

Satoru Kumagai is the director of economic geography studies group in IDE-JETRO and the lead programmer for its geographical simulation model. He researches on issues around international trade and economic development in East Asia, focusing on the Malaysian economy and middle-income trap. He was a former visiting research fellow at the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) and works as a specialist to evaluate transport infrastructure development projects for the Asian Development Bank and World Bank.

Senior fellow Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Singapore

Choong is senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and managing editor of Fulcrum, the institute’s commentary website focused on Southeast Asia and its wider environment. He was Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) from 2013 to 2020. Prior to joining IISS, Choong was a senior writer at The Straits Times, where he focused on defence, diplomacy and US policy in Asia.

Former foreign minister; Senior fellow, Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) Chulalongkorn University Thailand

Kasit was Thailand’s former foreign minister from 2008 to 2011. A former diplomat with a 37-year career, he is now actively involved with civil society organisations, focusing on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers as well as religious beliefs in a democratic context.

Former secretary-general, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Former chairman & chief executive, ISIS Malaysia

Rastam is former secretary-general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Malaysia. He has served as high commissioner to Pakistan, ambassador to Bosnia Herzegovina and to the Republic of Indonesia, and permanent representative to the United Nations in New York. He has also served as chairman and chief executive of the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.

Executive director RIKEN

Dr Yuko Harayama is executive director for international affairs, promotion of early career researchers and diversity at RIKEN, Japan’s largest research organisation for basic and applied science. Prior to joining RIKEN, she spent five years at the Cabinet Office of Japan as an Executive Member of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI). In this capacity, she represented Japan in different international science and technology meetings, including the G7 Science and Technology Ministers’ meeting. She is a Legion D’Honneur recipient (Chevalier) and was awarded honorary doctorate from the University of Neuchâtel.

Senior research associate Khazanah Research Institute

Dr Rachel Gong is a senior research associate at Khazanah Research Institute (KRI). Her ongoing research focuses on digital policy, including digital inclusion, the digital economy, and digital governance. She leads the team that produced KRI’s book on digital policy issues, “#NetworkedNation: Navigating Challenges, Realising Opportunities of Digital Transformation”. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and received her PhD in sociology from Stanford University.

Dr Prashanth Parameswaran Fellow Wilson Center

Dr Prashanth Parameswaran is a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, based in Washington, DC, and a senior columnist at The Diplomat, one of Asia’s leading current affairs magazines. He has conducted grant-based field research on Southeast Asian politics and security issues across 11 countries in Southeast Asia, consulted for companies and governments, and taught courses affiliated with the US Department of Defence and the Department of State.

Elbridge Colby Co-founder and principal The Marathon Initiative

Colby is co-founder and principal of The Marathon Initiative, a policy initiative focused on developing strategies to prepare the United States for an era of sustained power competition. He is the author of The Strategy of Denial: American Defence in an Age of Great Power Conflict , which The Wall Street Journal selected as one of the top 10 books of 2021. He was the former director of the defence programme at the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS) and served as deputy assistant secretary of defence. Colby led the development and rollout of the 2018 National Defence Strategy (NDS), which shifted focus to the challenges to US military superiority and interests posed by China and Russia. He was the Robert M. Gates senior fellow at the CNAS; principal analyst and division lead for global strategic affairs at CNA; and worked on strategic forces, arms control, WMD and intelligence reform matters.

Senior economist, The World Bank

Smita is based in the Malaysia  inclusive growth and sustainable finance  hub where she leads the programme on private sector development, innovation and entrepreneurship. Her expertise is in science, technology and innovation policy, skills development, business environment and competitiveness. She has led regional flagships publications in Europe and Central Asia, East Asia and Pacific and Africa on innovation and entrepreneurship issues and multi-sectoral operations of both development policy and investment policy instruments. Smita has also led policy dialogues on innovation and entrepreneurship in China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Datuk  Fadzli  Abdul  Wahit     Chief strategy officer Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)    

  Fadzli  has more than 30  years’ experience advising government and semi-government clients in Malaysia on policy development, economic and feasibility study, strategy planning and advisory, corporate restructuring and corporatisation  and privatisation  of public utilities industries. He  was a former partner/executive director at KPMG  Malaysia and  has  led  projects related to IT, project management, strategy and  business process and human resources.

Director and Senior Fellow Humanitarian Agenda

Kurtzer is director and senior fellow with the Humanitarian Agenda, an initiative that leverages the expertise of the Center for Strategic & International Studies to explore humanitarian challenges. Previously, he served as head of public and congressional affairs for the Washington Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, representing the ICRC to a broad spectrum of audiences in the United States and Canada.

Commissioner National Human Rights Commission Malaysia (SUHAKAM)

Joseph has been a human rights defender and trainer consultant at both local and international levels. He served as a member of various human rights organisations, including the Commonwealth Foundation, Asian South Pacific Bureau for Adult Education, Asia-Pacific NGO Steering Committee of World Conference against Racism. He is presently a board member and adviser of the Anti-racism and Non-Discrimination Programme of Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat, and was appointed as a Commissioner of SUHAKAM in June 2016 for the term 2016-2019.

Harris’ primary research areas include policy responses to mis- and dis-information; the consequences of mis- and dis-information on democracy and society; and Southeast Asian and Malaysian politics, human rights, and democratisation. His other research areas include China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Asean-Korea relations, and the geopolitics of the Mekong River.

PhD candidate, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University

Aaron served as an international programme officer at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur between June 2019 and June 2021. He has also worked as a social research officer at the Centre for Asean Regionalism Universiti Malaya and Asia-Europe Institute, UM. His research interests are in Korean studies, inter-Korean relations, regionalism in the European Union, Asean and the Pacific Islands, and Malaysian and Japanese politics.

MASK Network member

Wong is former deputy chief executive and board member of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. He is now an independent researcher and consultant on human security and political economic matters, as well as a mental health practitioner in training.

Associate professor, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia

Dr Danial is associate professor at the Department of Political Science, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, IIUM. He is chief editor of Intellectual Discourse Journal of IIUM, and an editorial board member of Jurnal Parlimen Malaysia and Al-Shajarah Journal. He is also principal researcher for the Extremism Analytical Research Unit and project leader of the award-winning flagship project on peacebuilding and civilisational development or 2LEAD4PEACE. The project focuses on creating platform, bridging the gap and capacity building for PCVE (preventing and countering violent extremism) stakeholders. Danial is also Malaysian coordinator for collaborative research between IIUM and the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, University of Maryland.

Senior research fellow, Institute of Social Sciences, Seoul National University

Dr Ko is currently a senior research fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences, Seoul National University and adjunct senior lecturer, Sunway University Business School in Malaysia. She is the author of Asean Super App War and Future Growth Market Asean, which are the first Korean books to analyse tech firms and business environment and market trends with many business cases in Asean. She has conducted research on directors’ remuneration, corporate reforms and mutual fund performance in Malaysia and has extended her research work across the whole area of emerging and frontier markets.

Director, External Relations, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs

Dr Zokhri has held some academic positions in international relations (IR) research and teaching, serving as the deputy dean of student affairs at Management and Science University. His area of research focuses on the changing nature of diplomacy and sovereignty of developing nations, especially Malaysia. This led to the establishment of Eirene Research to explore leadership and diplomacy in IR. He co-founded ARUS, an avenue to nurture talents and empowerment for Malaysian youth. He is now the director of external relations at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, Malaysia (IDEAS).

Associate professor, Department of International Relations, Yonsei University Wonju Campus

Dr Kim is an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Yonsei University Wonju Campus. Before joining Yonsei University, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of International Relations at Changwon National University and as a senior lecturer in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, Universiti Malaya. His research areas include Asean and East Asian regionalism. He has authored a number of journal articles and presented papers at domestic and international conferences on regionalism and normative matters in international relations.

Director, Institute of China Studies, Universiti Malaya

Dr Ngeow is director of the Institute of China Studies at Universiti Malaya. He is the editor of Researching China in Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2019) and Southeast Asia and China: Exercises in Mutual Socialisation (World Scientific, 2017, together with Lowell Dittmer). Ngeow has also written more than 40 articles in scholarly journals and book chapters and published short pieces in South China Morning Post, East Asia Forum and Channel News Asia.

Professor and director, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Malaysia

Dr Jemilah is a medical professional with more than 20 years’ experience managing crises in health, disasters and conflict settings. She is currently professor and director of the newly established Sunway Centre for Planetary Health. She is also the pro-chancellor of Herriot-Watt University Malaysia. She served as special adviser to the prime minister on public health from April 2020-September 2021. She was also a member of the government’s Economic Action Council and sits on the Malaysian Climate Action Council and Consultative Council for Foreign Policy.

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Malaysia

Ambassador Lee was a former environment minister (2006-2007). He has held various senior appointments in the field of environment, including secretary-general of the Korean Federation for Environment Movement, head of Korea Institute for Social and Environmental Policy, and president of Korea Environment and Resources Corporation. Prior to the posting as ambassador to Malaysia in 2019, Lee was chairman of the Northeast Asia Peace Economic Association of Korea.

National vice women chief Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)

Sangetha is passionate about levelling the playing field for women and lifting the gender and race barriers in Malaysian politics. She founded Lead Up Malaysia, a social enterprise with the objective of upskilling and motivating B40 women and girls. She is the vice-chief of PKR Wanita.

Area director Social Innovation Area University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid

Salazar brings an extensive professional experience in government and international organisations. She began her career as a lawyer, a director-general of tourism and chief executive of the school of tourism of Spain’s Ministry of Economy. Her career continued as a law professor at Rey Juan Carlos University. In 2013, she moved to New York to serve as senior adviser to UN Women. A year later, she became the director of the Foundation Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid. Salazar has directed numerous development projects on capacity building, gender policies, governance, and economic empowerment of women. At present, Salazar is the general coordinator of the Spanish cooperation in Egypt, focusing on access to justice and the democratic transition of the country.

Salzman is the Donald Bren distinguished professor of environmental law with joint appointments at the UCLA School of Law and at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara. In 12 books and more than 100 articles and book chapters, he has addressed topics, such as drinking water, trade and environment conflicts, ownership engineering, and creating markets for ecosystem services. Before entering academia, he worked in Paris in the environment directorate of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and in London, as the European environmental manager for Johnson Wax.

Youth chairman, Malaysian Chinese Association

Wong is a politician serving as the national youth chairman and Federal Territory state liaison committee at MCA. She is the first female MCA Youth chair in its 63-year history. Wong joined MCA in 2001. She started her political career as acting director of the youth bureau of MCA women’s wing from 2008 to 2013 while working as personal assistant to a former deputy minister. When MCA youth’s wing was first opened to females in 2013, Wong was elected as vice-chairman. In the same year, she ran in the Seputeh parliamentary seat in GE13. In November 2018, she made history as the first female MCA Youth chief. Wong sits as a board member and director of the Human Resources Development Corporation.

Director, Sejahtera Centre , International Islamic University Malaysia  

Zainal is the director of Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability and Humanity, International Islamic University Malaysia, while serving as an associate professor at the Department of Political Science, Kuliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Science. His area of academic specialisation is international political economy and he has a strong interest in education for sustainable development. He has participated in several international workshops and conferences on the subject as both speaker and discussant. His current research interests are sustainability science, education for sustainable development and public policy analysis.

Primary care physician , Klinik Rakyat PJ

Subatra is a doctor with experience in anaesthesia and intensive care. Her MA in International Development Studies focused on barriers to maternal and child healthcare access in migrant populations. At present, she runs a primary care women’s clinic focusing on sexual and reproductive health in Petaling Jaya. She has worked at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific based in Bangkok, where she focused on the 20-year review of the ICPD programme of action. She was the vice-resident of AWAM (2018-2020) and cureently the President of the Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia.  

Lead economist, The World Bank

Apurva is the lead economist for the Russian Federation, based in Moscow. Apurva led the economic growth cluster of the World Bank’s Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Department when he was based in Washington. His comment pieces have appeared in Financial Times ; The Economist ; Project Syndicate , and popular blogs, such as the World Bank’s and Brookings. Apurva is also a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Extreme Events and was the team leader for the joint World Bank–UN flagship project on the economics of disasters. 

Senior researcher, ISIS Malaysia    

Tengku Qistina focuses on women and gender issues. She writes on domestic violence, women’s policies and women’s empowerment and is inspired by her voluntary work in Kelantan, where she develops programmes for her family’s foundation. Her social work has also exposed her to the vast rural-urban divide and women’s role and vulnerability. She has written extensively on the subject in her New Straits Times column since 2016. She is also founder of the Network of Women in Foreign Affairs and Security (WISEA) in Malaysia.  

Co-founder  and education director , UNDI18

Qyira is the  c o- f ounder and  e ducation  d irector of #Undi18 ,  a grassroots movement spearheaded by a group of young people  who  lobbied  successfully  the  g overnment to amend Article 119(1) of the  c onstitution to reduce the minimum voting age in Malaysia from 21 to 18. Qyira is a  f ellow at the Institut Für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) and a  d emocracy  d iscourse  f ellow  at  the De La Salle University. She was recently listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work in  s ocial  i mpact. With #Undi18, she leads the voter education initiatives by creating workshop modules and content to ensure that by GE15, Malaysian youth are prepared to vote. Some of the program me s and initiatives  include  Parlimen Digital, Seeds  for  Democracy  and  Youth Defence Summit  

Regional head, Group Economics and Market Analysis, CIMB

Intan is the regional head, Group Economics and Market Analysis, CIMB Bank. She was previously the CEO of PNB Research Institute, associate director of economics at the Malaysian Aviation Commission and deputy director of research at Khazanah Research Institute. Nadia has 17 years’ experience in macroeconomics research and in developing comprehensive economic development policies, strategies, and plans in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

Climate Consultant  UNICEF  

Senior fellow, ISIS Malaysia

Denison holds a PhD in sociology from Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom and was a Chevening scholar. He is the head of the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG). He is also a member of the Shared Prosperity Action Council, National Unity Advisory Council, National Science Council, EPU poverty circle and SDG national steering council.  

Batang   Lupar  MP ;  APPGM-SDG chairman  

Rohani is the MP for the Batang Lupar constituency in Sarawak, representing the United Traditional Bumiputera Party (PBB). In 2013, she served as women, family and community development minister, and has also served as deputy agriculture and agro-based industry minister and deputy domestic trade, cooperatives and consumerism minister. As MP, she is known for her friendly personality in the Batang Lupar area. She was elected chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group of Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG) in August 2020 and is a member of the Special Independent Committee on Emergency 2021.  

Broadcast journalist, Astro Awani

Saraya writes and reads news for Astro Awani’s Awani Tonight. She covers current affairs and is passionate about the environment and wildlife, women, children, youth empowerment and education. Saraya reaches the youth through educational and entertainment content created on TikTok and Instagram, as she is a believer in youth power to push for change.

Petaling  Jaya MP ;  APPGM-SDG vice-chairman

Maria has worked for women’s rights for  more than  30 years and played a key role in lobbying for the Domestic Violence Act 1994 and laws related to violence against women. As the former  e xecutive   d irector  of  Persatuan   Kesedaran   Komuniti  Selangor (Empower) ,  she worked with marginalised communities ,  such as low-income women and indigenous communities.   A strong advocate for electoral and institutional reform s , she led the  Bersih  4  and   Bersih  5 rallies for free and fair elections. Just before  Bersih  5  in 2016 ,  th e  former  Bersih  2.0 chair man  was detained without trial under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 for 11 days in solitary confinement. In 2018, Maria  won  the  Petaling  Jaya seat. As an MP, she continues to advocate for a life of dignity for all Malaysians.  

Chief digital business officer, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation

Aiza brings more than 20 years’ experience and expertise to strengthen MDEC’s resolve to lead Malaysia’s digital economy forward. She oversees and steers the digital adoption ecosystem in e-commerce, business digital adoption, data ecosystem development and digital infrastructure. Aiza also leads external innovation opportunities to expand commercial strategies and build corporate business and innovations for MDEC.  

Senior economist, Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia

Chen holds a PhD in international economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. His research interests include international trade and development, digital economy and Asian regionalism. He advises governments, international organisations, and the private sector on development issues related to digitalisation and regional integration.  

Dr Juita Mohamad Indo Pacific Fellow Perth USAsia Centre

Principal assistant director Cyber Integration Legal Division, National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA)  

Azleyna’s   division is responsible  for  developing and implementing strategic plans to enhance Malaysia’s cyber laws to address current and emerging threats, and to enhance the capacity and capability of cybercrime enforcement.    Azleyna  was  a former  deputy director  at  the  Network Security Management Department ,  Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) . She  is currently chairman  of  the Malaysia Working Group on Information Security Management Systems WG/G/5-1, organised as a mirror committee to the  i nternational ISO/IEC JTC1 SC27 WG1 committee.   

National Cyber Security Principal Telstra Australia

Stockwell  leads Telstra’s national cyber security team, covering cyber policy, strategic intelligence, critical infrastructure regulation, agency engagement and nationally significant cyber initiatives. Before joining Telstra, she was director of cybercrime intelligence in the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Leveraging on her deep understanding of cyber attacker motivations and capabilities, she helps senior executives apply a national security lens to their risk programmes and advises the government on maximising industry capabilities to keep the nation cyber safe. She is a board director of the Australian Women in Security Network and a member of RMIT’s industry advisory board on cyber.  

Fellow International Cyber Policy Centre Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Rajiv  has worked in the cyber, intelligence and security business for  more than  20 years, over which time he has seen the internet evolve from an academic curiosity to today’s hyperconnected world.   He now leads his own consulting business, MDR  S ecurity, providing advisory services to government and businesses to grow capacity and capability through building partnerships. Rajiv’s experience span s  a broad range of business and technical domains, with roles  in  business analysis, technical architecture, program me  delivery, operational management, strategy, business transformation, client relationship management and more.   He  is  based in Canberra, Australia.  

Freelance journalist; Consultant, Tech Research Asia; Owner, InSight Editorial Services

Yapp  first cut his teeth as a cellular radio frequency optimi s ation engineer in one of Malaysia ’ s largest telcos 25 years ago. After more than five years, he  became a tech  report er  at  The Star  I n.Tech , where he won several awards for  b est  o nline  t echnology reporting.  Yapp  left to start his own editorial consultancy 15 years ago and  five years ago ,  became a freelance executive consultant at Tech Research Asia, based in Australia .  He  is also a  freelance journalist for international publications ,  such as IDG, Computer Weekly, Forbes Asia and Digital News Asia.  

Cyber affairs and Critical technologies Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia

Feakin  is  Australia’s inaugural  a mbassador for  cyber affairs and critical technology . He commenced as  ambassador for cyber affairs  in January 2017, before having  the  mandate expanded to reflect the central role that technology issues have in geopolitics.   He leads Australia’s international engagement to advance and protect national security, foreign policy, economic and trade, and development interests in cyberspace and critical technology.  Feakin  was a member of the  independent panel of experts  that produce d   the  2016  c yber  s ecurity  s trategy. Following that, he led the creation of  the   i nternational  c yber  e ngagement  s trategy.  

Independent broadcast journalist and gender activist

Tehmina has more than eight years of live breaking news and current affairs programming experience. Most recently, she has anchored  Money Matters,  TV3 Malaysia’s flagship financial talk show. She was with Bernama from 2014-2020, anchoring and producing special projects and annual highlights like the national budget and election coverage. She also anchored and produced  Tea with Tehmina ,  Bernama Today  and  The Nation,  focusing on topics of national and regional current affairs. Tehmina is a Thomson Reuters Foundation fellow and TedX Malaysia alumni. She is a versatile and experienced moderator of high-level debates and conferences on a wide range of subjects ranging from business to economy, technology, politics, women’s rights, sustainable development and media freedom.  

CEO, Social & Economic Research Initiative

Helmy is a consultant respiratory physician who heads the Lung Centre at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Previously, as an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, he co-founded Asthma Malaysia and is actively involved in national tobacco control policy work. One of 20 recipients worldwide of the Young Physician Leader award in 2015, Helmy is also the CEO of the Social & Economic Research Initiative (SERI), a think-tank that looks into the rising inequality from the intersection of technology and society.  

Chief executive, Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy

Azrul worked as a health development programme specialist for more than 19 years on issues related to social welfare, public health, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, gender-based violence and humanitarian assistance. He has served at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS); International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); Unicef and Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC). He is a writer and was a columnist at the  Malay Mail  and  China Press . Azrul is currently a board member of the Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4) based in Malaysia.  

Visiting fellow, ISIS Malaysia

Khor is a physician with international experience in the public, private, non-profit and think-tank sectors. Currently, he specialises in health systems and policies and global health, holding fellowships at Chatham House, the United Nations University (UNU-IIGH) and ISIS Malaysia. Previously, he held senior practitioner roles in clinical medicine, refugee and disaster relief, clinical research, and pharma anti-corruption. He holds postgraduate degrees in internal medicine, public health and public policy.  

Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya  

Adeeba is the dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya and an adjunct associate professor at Yale University, US. Her research effort focuses on the intersection of HIV and substance use for which she has played several leading national, regional and international roles. She is a member of the World Health Organisation panel on health science and technology policy, president-elect of the International AIDS Society and a member of the UNAIDS panel on HIV. She played a key role in the establishment and remains actively involved in a regional HIV research network initiative – TREAT Asia. She was the recipient of the Tun Mahathir Science and Merdeka awards and the first recipient of the Australian Advance Global Award in the category of alumni in 2012.  

Datuk Dr Anis Yusal Yusoff is principal fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA). He is currently on secondment as deputy director general of the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC) at the prime minister’s department.

He has served as director general of the National Integrity and Good Governance Department (JITN), and president and chief executive officer of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (INTEGRITI).

Before joining KITA, Datuk Dr Anis had also spent more than ten years at the UNDP as well as at the United Nations Volunteers headquarters in Bonn, Germany from 1994-2005. He was a member of the election reform committee, and the investigation committee on governance, procurement and financial procedures.

Nguyen is vice-president of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and director-general of the East Sea (South China Sea) Institute. Prior to his current designation, Nguyen was deputy director-general of the Institute for Strategic Studies at the DAV. His research focused on major powers relations, regional security governance, maritime security and Vietnam’s foreign policy.   

Nguyen also served as minister counsellor of the Vietnam Embassy in Ottawa, Canada (2015-2018) and second secretary of the Vietnam Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden (2004-2006) .   

He also served at the Asean department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which period he extensively participated in regional summits, and had hands-on experience on many regional processes and issues involving Asean.  

Dewi is a member of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI), research professor at the Centre for Political Studies-Indonesian Institute of Sciences (P2P-LIPI) and chairman of the board of directors of The Habibie Centre. She served as deputy secretary to the vice-president of Indonesia from 2010-2017.

She was a distinguished visiting professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2017-2018, and at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University in 2007.

She has written widely on Indonesia’s foreign policy, and Asean regional political and security issues. Dewi sits on a number of national and international advisory boards, including the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in 2010-2020.

Channer is the senior policy fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre. Based in Canberra, she produces analysis on foreign and defence policy in the Indo-Pacific, engages with key Australian government agencies, and builds and sustains the centre’s domestic and international network.   

  She is a 2021-22 Fulbright scholar and visiting fellow with the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University. She has led a diverse career across politics, government, think-tanks and the not-for-profit sector.  

IT Specialist DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Mourtos is an IT specialist (INFOSEC) with the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Previously, he was with the National Cybersecurity Assessments and Technical Services (NCATS) team. He now serves as an adviser to the executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA.

Visiting Fellow Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia; Associate Fellow, Chatham House The United Kingdom

Khor Swee Kheng is a Malaysian physician with international experience in the public, private, non-profit and think-tank sectors. Currently, he specialises in health systems and policies and global health, holding fellowships at Chatham House, the United Nations University (UNU-IIGH) and ISIS Malaysia. Previously, he held progressively senior practitioner roles in clinical medicine, refugee and disaster relief, clinical research, and pharma anti-corruption. In these roles, he was based in Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Shanghai and Paris, covering more than 90 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He holds postgraduate degrees in internal medicine (Royal College of Physicians), public health (Berkeley) and public policy (Oxford), and is published in international media, think-tanks and academic journals.

Director-General World Health Organisation (WHO) Geneva

Tedros  was elected director-general of the World Health Organisation in May 2017. He was the first director-general elected from among multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly and was the first person from the African region to head the world’s leading public health agency.  Tedros  has held many leadership positions in global health, including as chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; chair of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Board. 

Vice Chair Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) China People’s Republic of China

Born in December 1952, Qian Lihua joined the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in February 1969. He has served in various roles, including soldier, cadet, interpreter, staff officer, deputy director-general, director-general of bureau, deputy chief and chief of the Foreign Affairs Office. He was promoted to major general in 2004. Having graduated from the Beijing Foreign Studies University, Defence Language Institute (UK), University of Birmingham (UK), and PLA National Defence University, he is currently vice-chair of the Chinese CSCAP national committee and vice-president of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association.

Associate Research Fellow China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) People’s Republic of China

Xu Longdi has been with the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) since 2009. He is an associate research fellow who specialises in international relations theory, international security, and EU politics and foreign policy. He received his PhD in international relations from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2009, MA in international relations from East China Normal University in 2006, and BA from Nanjing International Studies University in 1999.

European Union Ambassador to ASEAN Jakarta

Driesmans has served as the EU ambassador to Asean since 2019. He was previously a member of the cabinet of Federica Mogherini, high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy/vice‐president of the European Commission. His responsibilities included Asia-Pacific, cultural diplomacy, transport and fisheries. He previously served as principal assistant to the COO of the European External Action Service (2014), desk officer for Asean (2013‐2014), and deputy head of the political, economic, trade and information section of the EU Delegation to South Africa (2009‐2013). Driesmans has been an official of the EU since 2003.

Head of Delegation in Myanmar International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Before his appointment as ICRC resident representative in Myanmar in August 2018, Sakalian was based at the ICRC headquarters in Geneva. Between September 2015 and June 2018, he held the position of operations coordinator for the Americas, with a special focus on activities in the United States, Mexico, Central America, Haiti and Cuba and later, regional director for the Americas in charge of operations and humanitarian diplomacy in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to Geneva, he headed the ICRC project on armed violence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, headed the sub-delegation in Nyala, Sudan and acted as adviser for multilateral affairs in Asia-Pacific based in Malaysia. 

Professor, Department of Political Science University of the Philippines-Diliman; Fellow, Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation (APPFI) The Philippines

Kraft is a professor of political science at the University of the Philippines at Diliman, Quezon City. He has been working on issues that involve Asean, regional security in Southeast Asia, security sector reform, and intra-state conflict in the Philippines. His latest publications include Great Power Dynamics and the Waning of Asean Centrality in Regional Security (2017); Philippine Foreign Policy in a Changed Strategic Environment: The Duterte Administration and China (2018); Asean and the Protection of Migrant Rights (2019); and Korea’s New Southern Policy, Asean, and the Philippines: Middle Power Dynamics in Southeast Asia (2020). 

Group Chief Risk & Compliance Officer Axiata Group Berhad Malaysia

Abid Adam is the Axiata Group chief risk & compliance officer (GCRCO), responsible for providing strategic direction, implementation, oversight and guidance for cybersecurity, data privacy, enterprise risk management, and compliance/ethics across Southeast Asia. Before joining Axiata, Adam led cybersecurity function and implemented transformational programmes for a large multi-national financial services organisation spanning across Africa, Asia and Latin. Adam also serves at the World Economic Forum Digital Asean initiative and is a member of leading global institutions, such as ISC2 and ISACA, and sits on customer advisory boards and community forums of leading organisations.

Editor-at-Large, Nikkei Asian Review; Senior Fellow, Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) Thailand Thailand

Gwen Robinson is a senior fellow, Institute of Security and International Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, specialising in regional security and economic issues with a focus on Myanmar. She is also editor-at-large at Nikkei Asian Review, a journal of Asian affairs. She was previously a correspondent and editor with Financial Times in Europe, America and Asia (1995-2013), covering Southeast Asia in 2011-14.

Professor of International Relations; Head of Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore

Mely Caballero-Anthony is professor of international relations and president’s chair for international relations and security studies. She is also head of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. She teaches courses on non-traditional security in Asia and security governance and has served as the secretary-general of the Consortium on Non-Traditional Security Studies in Asia since 2008. Her research interests include regionalism and multilateralism in Asia-Pacific, global governance, human security and non-traditional security, nuclear security and conflict prevention. Her latest books include Negotiating Governance on Non-Traditional Security in Southeast Asia and Beyond, An Introduction to Non-Traditional Security Studies and Asia on the Move: Regional Migration and the Role of Civil Society.

Co-Founder Global Awareness & Impact Alliance (GAIA) Brunei Darussalam

Asyura Salleh is the co-founder of the Global Awareness & Impact Alliance (GAIA). She is also a non-resident Vasey research fellow for the Pacific Forum, and the special adviser on maritime security for the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Affairs (YCAPS). Her policy experience lies in her work for the UNODC global maritime crime programme, Stable Seas and Brunei Prime Minister’s Office. Asyura’s research interest lies in maritime security in the Asia-Pacific, with a focus on transnational maritime crime and maritime governance. She holds a master’s in war studies from King’s College London and earned a doctorate in international relations from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore.

Director, Centre for Strategic Studies; Professor, School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand

David   Capie is professor of international relations and director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.   His research interests focus on conflict and security issues, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, and New Zealand’s foreign and defence policy. David has held visiting positions at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and at LUIS Guido Carli in Rome. He is currently regional co-chair of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) and was a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum Experts and Eminent Persons Group from 2012 to 2019.  

Public Policy Manager Google Singapore

Bauer is Google’s head of public policy for Malaysia and South Asia (excluding India). He leads Google’s work with policymakers, government officials and key political stakeholders in those countries. Before starting his current role in October 2017, Bauer spent three years working in Google’s Washington, DC office. He also previously worked on president Barack Obama’s re-election campaign and as a paralegal at a law firm representing political candidates and parties.

Deputy Director of Research Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) Malaysia

Sarena is a deputy director of research at Khazanah Research Institute (KRI). She has a PhD in plant sciences from the University of Oxford. Her PhD used genetic technologies to understand disease control affecting the globally important crop: rice. Due to her interests in agriculture and food security, Sarena is currently conducting policy research at KRI related to food security and agriculture.

Graduate School of Law and Politics Kobe University Japan

Tosh Minohara is professor of international relations and security studies at the Graduate School of Law and Politics, Kobe University. He is the founder and chairman of the non-profit organisation, Research Institute of Indo-Pacific Affairs (RIIPA). He currently serves as a senior adviser to the international media consulting firm KREAB. His core academic interests deal with the diplomatic, political and security dimension of US-Japan relations. Minohara is the author and editor of multiple monographs, volumes and articles, including op-eds with the official LDP newspaper, Jiyuminshu, as well as Sankei Shimbun. He is the recipient of the Shimizu Hiroshi Prize (2002) and the Japan Research Award (2019).

Assistant Director Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology Branch Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australia

Working for the ambassador for cyber affairs, Whitworth focuses on multilateral cyber policy, particularly Australia’s engagement in UN processes on international law and norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. She served as Australia’s lead negotiator for a protocol to the Budapest convention on cybercrime to provide transborder access to data, and as the cybercrime expert to the UN. Her previous experience at the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department and Department of Home Affairs focused on cybercrime law reform, telecommunications security policy and combatting online child exploitation. Whitworth holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Technology Sydney and a Bachelor of Science from the University of New South Wales.

Senior Lecturer Centre for Defence and Security Studies Massey University New Zealand

Anna Powles is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University. She specialises in geopolitical and security issues in the Pacific region and her current research examines New Zealand foreign and security policy in the Pacific; the Australia-New Zealand alliance in the Pacific; non-state security actors and security cooperation in the Pacific; and foreign interference in the Pacific. Powles is an associate scholar with the MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury, and has previously held visiting fellowships with the East-West Centre in Honolulu.

Director General International Vaccine Institute Republic of Korea

Jerome Kim, MD, is an international expert on the evaluation and development of vaccines and is the director-general of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective and affordable vaccines for global health. IVI’s oral cholera vaccine is used around the world to prevent this deadly diarrhoeal disease. Its typhoid conjugate vaccine, tech-transferred to SK bioscience and PT Bio Farma, is completing phase III testing. Dr Kim is also an adjunct professor, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University and at the Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University. He has authored more than 300 publications.

Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree is senior lecturer of the Ph.D. Program in Human Rights and Peace Studies (International) of the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University in Thailand. In October of 2009, she was appointed by the national government to act as the Thai Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, a role she served in until December of 2012. 

In addition to her academic duties, she is currently Co-Chair of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism advocating for effective regional human rights systems in the ASEAN region.

She holds a degree in Political Science from Thammasat University as well as a D.E.A. in Comparative Politics and a Ph.D. in International Politics with distinction from the University of Paris-X.

Ms. Ivy Kwek  is the Research Director for Research for Social Advancement (REFSA), a progressive, not-for-profit think-tank in Malaysia;  and  con currently a Visiting Scholar at the Center of Southeast Asian Studies, National ChengChi University of Taiwan . Prior to this, she was the Special Functions Officer to the Deputy Minister of Defence of Malaysia (2018-2020),  during  which she  was involved in the drafting of the first Malaysian Defence White Paper. She also has experience working in various policy advisory and governmental affairs roles for international organizations and in diplomatic circle, including the United Nations Development Programme  (UNDP)  and the International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ), and in the British High Commission in Kuala Lump ur .   

Ivy  holds a MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS, University of London and was an alumna of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellows Program by the US Department of State. She is also a co-founder of Projek Pertiwi, a blog dedicated to raising awareness on defence and security issues among Malaysian youth, and have  frequently  commented and published on current affairs on various  international and local  media outlets.  

Dr Satu Limaye is Vice-President of the East West Center (EWC), serving concurrently as Director EWC in Washington and theAsia Matters for America initiative. He is Founding Editor of theAsia Pacific Bulletin. He is also Senior Advisor, Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) and Senior Fellow on Asia History and Policy at the Foreign Policy Institute at Paul H.Nitze School of International Studies (SAIS).  

He is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his doctorate from Oxford University (Magdalen College) as a George C. Marshall Scholar. He publishes and speaks widely on Asia-Pacific regional issues and supports various US government, foundation, fellowship and professional organizations. Among his current affiliations are the Korea Economic Institute (KEI) Advisory Council and The Asia Foundation Task Force on US-Southeast Asia Relations.  

Ms Kendra Rinas has served as chief of mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Kuala Lumpur from May 2018. She has over 15 years of experience working with refugees and migrants, managing migration initiatives including labour migration, refugee resettlement, health assessments, counter trafficking and anti-smuggling, and partnering with governments and NGOs on promoting well-managed migration.

Rinas previously served as head of IOM’s sub-office in Damak and head of refugee resettlement for South Asia, also based in Nepal.

Prior to joining IOM, she was operations coordinator with the Resettlement Support Center Africa, based in Kenya; country coordinator in N’djamena, Chad; and processing supervisor in Accra, Ghana. Rinas obtained her MS in Organizational Leadership from Quinnipiac University School of Business, and BA in Political Science and Religion from Gustavus Adolphus College, St Peter, Minnesota.

Datin Sunita is a professional independent director and strong advocate of the importance of governance in general and risk management in particular. She founded Climate Governance Malaysia, which is the country chapter of World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative. She is fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia, promotes gender diversity on boards with the 30% Club, member of the Global Advisory Board of Nottingham University’s School of Business as well as the Advisory Panel of the UN Global Compact Network Malaysia’s Sustainability Centre of Excellence, and workstream lead for government policy for the CEO Action Network, an industry-led initiative to increase sustainability and climate resilience.

Meena is legal adviser and senior researcher at Third World Network (TWN) and president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM). She served as chair of Friends of the Earth International from 2004 to 2008. At TWN, Meena coordinates the climate change programme and has been actively involved in intergovernmental climate negotiations from Bali to Cancún. She has been monitoring and reporting on these negotiations as well as providing analysis and support to developing country governments and civil society participants. In the past 25 years, she has presented papers in numerous conferences on such issues as environmental and consumer protection, climate change, agriculture and fisheries, and globalisation and trade.

Lavanya joined WWF-Malaysia in 2013. She represents the organisation at various national and international levels of engagement on climate change, biodiversity and SDGs, and was part of the WWF network leadership team on climate and energy. She is also part of the CSO-SDG Alliance secretariat that supports the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM) on SDGs. Previously, she coordinated the preparation of Malaysia’s Second National Communication to the UNFCCC, worked at the UN in Geneva on post-conflict issues, and practiced law in Malaysia. Lavanya is passionate about ensuring that nature’s contributions are properly recognised and valued by society and integrated into development and economic agendas

Jim Loi is a partner and the chief operating officer at The Asia Group, an advisory firm that supports Fortune 500 corporations with market entry and expansion strategies and complex conflict resolution initiatives in the Indo-Pacific. Previously, Loi served in a range of economic, political, and security-related policy positions at the U.S. Department of State, including as the deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the director for East Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, and the director for China and Japan with the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Dr Menon works on trade and investment issues and economic development in the Asian region. His last post was at Asian Development Bank (ADB) as Lead Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist. He was also at the ADB Institute in Tokyo from 2005 to 2008. He started work as an academic in Australia, spending almost a decade at the Centre of Policy Studies at Monash University at its original campus in Clayton, Melbourne. He has also worked at the University of Melbourne, Victoria University, and American University in Washington, DC. He holds adjunct appointments with the Australian National University, University of Nottingham, UK, and IDEAS, Malaysia. He has authored/edited 15 books, 40 chapters in books and 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Ms Melody Chen is Assistant Research Fellow at the Department of International Affairs, Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. Her research areas include health policy, trade and health, and issues impacting health in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). She is currently a PhD candidate at the Institute of Health Policy and Management, National Taiwan University and holds a Master’s degree from the Department of Public Health, Taipei Medical University. Her most recent project is with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to enhance public participation in APEC health-related programmes. She has also written extensively on the pandemic and health cooperation.

Dr Wen-Chen Shih is Professor of Law at the Department of International Business, National Cheng-chi University. Her areas of specialty include international economic and trade law, and international environmental law.  Aside from teaching, she also serves as a legal consultant on international trade law and international environmental law issues for Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Administration.

Mr. Terence Too Yang-Yau graduated with Master of Science in International Relations from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Arts Majoring in Economics from St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York. He has served with UNICEF as Research Officer and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, both supporting the country office’s programme planning and monitoring processes based on results-based management and human rights based approach principles, as well as directly implementing various programmes in the areas of data and statistical capacity building, and in disaster risk reduction and resilience activities. Prior to this, he has served in WorldFish Centre as a researcher and coordinating editor of Naga, the WorldFish Quarterly, a peer reviewed journal; and at the Socio-economic and Environmental Research Institute, undertaking research on a range of economic and governance issues for the Penang State Government. His research interests include social welfare policies and programmes, labour migration, development policy, and disaster risk reduction and community resilience.

Barney has a legal background and practiced commercial law for six years before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2001.   During his time in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade he has worked on a wide range of issues, from trade negotiations to climate change and international law.   Previous appointments include postings to the New Zealand embassies in Tehran and Geneva, and Ambassador to Egypt in 2014-2018 (where he was also non-resident Ambassador to Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, and New Zealand Representative to Palestine).

Barney is currently a Lead Negotiator in the MFAT’s Trade and Economic Group, responsible for New Zealand’s trade negotiations with China, as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).   His previous role in Wellington was the Manager of the Trade Law Unit in the Ministry’s Legal Division.   The Trade Law Unit provides legal support in trade negotiations, advice about the consistency of New Zealand policy with our international trade law obligations, and leads New Zealand efforts to resolve trade disputes through international dispute settlement processes.  

Barney attended the University of Otago in New Zealand where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws with Honours, and completed his Professional Legal Studies in Wellington where he was admitted to the Bar in 1995.

Dr Narongchai, a Thai economist / technocrat, is known for his continuous involvement in the economic development of Thailand in many capacities, and in ASEAN and APEC affairs. He had previously served in the Thai government, including as Advisor to several Thai prime ministers, Minister of Energy, Minister of Commerce, as well as Senator and a member of the National Legislative Assembly. He has worked on ASEAN and APEC affairs all along, being an initiator of AFTA and the APEC Leaders Meeting. He has also served as Chairman of the Thailand Committee for PECC. Dr Narongchai is on the board of several publicly listed companies in Thailand, and was also Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of Thailand. Having graduated with a PhD in Economics from Johns Hopkins University, Dr Narongchai has a keen interest in education and research. He is the founding member of Thailand Development Research Institute and is Chairman of the Khon Kaen University Council.

Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali is Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI). In his previous portfolio as Minister of Economic Affairs (May 2018-February 2020), Azmin was instrumental in introducing the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030. He oversaw a broad spectrum of agencies including those directly involved in infrastructure, wealth creation and redistribution, private equity ownership and the short as well as mid-term economic planning and implementation of the country’s socio-economic development. During his tenure as Chief Minister of Selangor (2014-2018), he was instrumental in placing Selangor more prominently on the regional map after having maintained the state as the biggest contributor to the national GDP. Azmin is a member of the Economic Action Council (EAC) and is also on the Board of Directors of Khazanah Nasional Berhad. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Education and Economics from the University of Minnesota.

Shanti Jagannathan is Principal Education Specialist in the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department of Asian Development Bank (ADB). She works on ADB education sector policies and strategies, and provides technical advice to ADB’s lending and non-lending education operations in the Asia and Pacific region. Shanti has over 25 years of experience with education sector transformation initiatives and reforms in school education, technical and vocational education, and training and higher education in Asia. She has led policy research studies on skills for greening economies, Asia’s knowledge-based economies, innovation and implications of industry 4.0 on education and training, among others. Shanti has contributed to international cooperation in education at policy and operational levels, and has been on advisory bodies, steering committees and working groups on education development, gender equality, elimination of child labour, democracy and human rights, and scholarships for underprivileged students.

Mohammad Manzur Rahman is the founding director for Marketing and Innovation at Aspirasi, a fintech specialising in micro-financing and micro-insurance, a subsidiary of the regional leader Axiata Group. Manzur has spent over a decade in the mobile telecom industry as well as in the government sector, leading design, implementation and deployment of digital financial services, brands and solutions across various countries in Asia. He is also a business graduate from NSU and has attended executive education programmes at London Business School, INSEAD and IMD. Manzur is currently based in Washington, DC.

Sharifah Najwa Syed Abu Bakar is Chief Officer of Knowledge Management and Strategy Division, SME Corporation Malaysia, a central coordination agency for SME development under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC). Her current role includes working closely with local and international stakeholders in analysing and formulating SME development policies, as well as coordinating SME development across government ministries, agencies, the private sector and various regional and international platforms, such as ASEAN, APEC, UN, OECD, and OIC, among others. She has extensive experience in various international trade negotiations. She is Lead Negotiator for Malaysia for Economic and Technical Cooperation as well as the SME Working Committee for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). She is also involved in designing various developmental programmes to facilitate internationalisation of SMEs in Malaysia and the region. She has been working in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in carrying out the Third Country Training Programme (TCTP).

Dr Naoko Iwasaki is Professor at the Institute of e-Government in Waseda University, President of International Academy of CIO (IAC), and Deputy Director of APEC e-Government Research Center. Dr Iwasaki’s research areas are CIO, D-Government, ageing society and ICT, and smart digital city. She received her Master of International Relations and PhD of Global ICT from Waseda University. She has been project overseer of APEC project on “Smart Silver Innovation” since 2019, committee member of JANPEC since 2015, committee member on “Government Innovation” of MIC in 2015, and project director on “Silver Business Innovation” of METI in 2015. She served as Deputy Chair of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) on SDGs in 2018 and 2020. She was co-editor of A Decade of World e-Government Rankings (IOS Press, 2015), and received the “Jantima Memorial Award for Women CIO and ICT Leadership” in 2017.

Dr Peter Cowhey holds the Qualcomm Endowed Chair in Communications and Technology Policy, and is Dean of the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego. An expert on the future of communications and information technology markets and policy, he specialises in US trade policy, foreign policy, the Internet and international corporate strategy. His two recent books are Digital DNA: Disruption and the Challenges for Global Governance and Transforming Global Information and Communication Markets: The Political Economy of Innovation . In the last year, Cowhey served as Chair of a bipartisan group of experts on technology, foreign policy and US-China relations. Previously, Cowhey was Chief of the International Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the Clinton administration. In 2009, he had a 12-month assignment as Senior Counselor to Ambassador Ron Kirk in the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Cowhey is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Dr Jayant Menon is Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, following his early retirement from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), where he was Lead Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist. He started work at Monash University on its original campus in Clayton, Melbourne. He has also worked at the University of Melbourne, Victoria University, ADB Institute in Tokyo and American University in Washington, DC. He holds adjunct appointments with the Australian National University, University of Nottingham (United Kingdom) and Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) Malaysia. He has served on the Advisory Boards of Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) and University of Nottingham, Malaysia. He has authored/edited 15 books, 40 chapters in books and 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr Andrew Kam graduated with a first class degree in Economics from National University of Malaysia (UKM) in 2002. He received the prestigious Chevening scholarship in 2006 to pursue his MSc in Economics at University of Warwick. In 2008, he was awarded the Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship to pursue his PhD in Asian Studies at the Crawford School of Economics and Government, Australian National University. He was also a Fulbright Scholar in University of California, Santa Barbara (2015/2016). He is currently Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), and Associate Professor of Economics at UKM. He has served as a consultant to many national and international organisations – Malaysian Productivity Corporation, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, UNCTAD and UNESCO. He is currently working with the National Economic Recovery Council and helped drafted the COVID-19 National Economic Recovery Plan on Trade and Investment.  

Muhundhan Kamarapullai (or Muhu) has over 20 years of experience in the domains of digital transformation, entrepreneurship, education, healthcare and organisational capability development. At Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), he is Director of the Business Digital Adoption Division. He leads a team that looks into policies and initiatives to support traditional businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises’ (brick and mortar) move towards digitalisation.

Lu Guangtong is a researcher and engineer of Digital Economy Lab, Department of Information Policy, China Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team. He mainly engages in research on the Internet platform, digital service tax and international cooperation in the field of digital economy. He is the lead researcher of the digital service tax research project conducted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, and one of the key authors of the “Blue Book of Industry and Informatization: Annual Report on the Development of Digital Economy” (2018-2019 and 2019-2020). Lu also serves as Secretariat of the Chinese delegation to the G20 Digital Economy Task Force in 2020.

Elina Noor is Director of Political-Security Affairs and Deputy Director of Asia Society Policy Institute, Washington, DC. A native of Malaysia, Elina’s work focuses on security developments in Southeast Asia, global governance and technology, and preventing/countering violent extremism. Previously, Elina was Associate Professor at the Daniel K Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Prior to that, she was Director of Foreign Policy and Security Studies at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. Between 2017 and 2019, Elina was a member of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. She was educated at Oxford University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Georgetown University.

Dr Kim Heungchong had served the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) for 19 years before he led the institute as President since June 2020. He has been deeply involved in the policymaking process of the Korean government in the fields of economic, trade and diplomatic policies. He was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar in University of California, Berkeley, and has held visiting positions at Ifri (Paris), VUB (Brussels) and Marmara University (Istanbul). He is the President-elect of the European Studies Association of Korea for 2021. Dr Kim’s expertise includes trade policy, European studies and regional integration. He has published more than 70 papers and books, and has actively contributed to various newspapers and TV programmes in Korea and abroad. Before joining KIEP, Dr Kim was an Honorary Member of the High Table in Christ Church, Oxford. Dr Kim read economics at Seoul National University and University of Oxford.

Ambassador Su Ge was appointed as the PECC Co-Chair on 27 June 2018. Ambassador Su Ge is a senior diplomat and scholar. He has been President of China Institute of International Studies (CIIS). Ambassador Su received his MA and PhD from Brigham Young University and was a Post-doctorate at Harvard University. He was a Senior Fulbright Fellow at Georgetown, John Hopkins and Washington Universities. Before joining CIIS in 2000, Ambassador Su was a professor at Foreign Affairs College and a doctoral supervisor at Tsinghua University. Since 2003, he has served consecutively as Minister Counselor in Chinese Embassy in the USA, Ambassador to the Republic of Suriname and Ambassador to the Republic of Iceland.

Eugene Wong is CEO of Sustainable Finance Institute Asia (SFIA) Limited. He was recently Managing Director, Corporate Finance & Investments of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). His portfolio covered initial public offerings (IPOs), corporate bond and sukuk issuances, collective investment schemes and take-overs. He oversaw the SC’s ASEAN-related initiatives and was Chair of the Deputies of the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum (ACMF) and Co-Chair of the Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG). In addition, he was Co-Chair of the ASEAN Working Committee on Capital Market Development (WC-CMD). Eugene was responsible for accounting related matters at the SC and was a Board Member of the Audit Oversight Board. He served as Advisor to the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board, and was previously a Council Member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and Chairman of its Ethics Standards Board.

Datin Sunita Rajakumar is a professional independent director and strong advocate of the importance of governance in general and risk management in particular. She founded Climate Governance Malaysia, which is the country chapter of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative. She is Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia, promotes gender diversity on boards with the 30% Club, a member of the Global Advisory Board of Nottingham University’s School of Business as well as the Advisory Panel of the UN Global Compact Malaysia’s Sustainability Center of Excellence, and a workstream lead for the CEO Action Network, an industry-led initiative to increase sustainability and climate resilience. Besides, she is Chair of Caring Pharmacy and independent director of Bursa-listed Dutch Lady Milk Industries, MCIS Insurance (a member of the Sanlam group) and Zurich General Insurance, as well as trustee of five charitable foundations.

Dr Richard Cantor is Chair of the United States Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (USPECC). Cantor serves as Chief Credit Officer for Moody’s Corporation and Moody’s Investors Service, a position he has held since 2008. From 2009-2019, he also served as Moody’s Corporation’s Chief Risk Officer. Appointed by the US State Department in 2015, Cantor served a three-year term in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC), during which he chaired ABAC’s Financial and Economic Working Group. Prior to joining Moody’s, Cantor held a variety of positions at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and was an adjunct professor at New York University’s and Columbia University’s business schools. He has also taught Economics at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and The Ohio State University. Cantor obtained his BA in English and Economics from Tufts University, and PhD in Economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr Yose Rizal Damuri is one of the Co-Chairs for the Indonesian National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (INCPEC), and Head of the Department of Economics at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). His research activities focus on international trade, regional integration and globalisation of value chain. He is active in several research and advisory networks in Indonesia and East Asia, such as Indonesia Services Dialogue (ISD) and Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT). Yose also teaches International Economics courses at the Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia, his alma mater. He continued his studies at the National Centre for Development Studies, Australian National University and obtained his Master of Economics of Development. He received his PhD in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI), Geneva, Switzerland.

Dr Kiki Verico is Deputy Director of the Institute for Economic and Social Research – Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI). He is a tenure track lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the Department of Economics, FEB UI. Since 2020, he has served as an industry and international trade advisor to the Finance Minister of the Republic of Indonesia. Kiki obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics (Monetary) from University of Indonesia in 2000, International Masters in Regional Integration (IMRI) from University of Malaya and Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (double degree) in 2005, and Doctor of Philosophy in International Studies (Regional Economic Integration) from Waseda University in 2013. He is the single author of a book entitled The Future of the ASEAN Economic Integration (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017).

Dr Vo Tri Thanh is currently Senior Expert (former vice-president till October 2015) of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM). He holds a BSc from the Moscow State University, and a Master’s degree as well as a PhD in Economics from the Australian National University. Dr Vo mainly undertakes research and provides consultation on issues related to trade liberalisation and international economic integration and macroeconomic policies. His other areas of interests include institutional reforms, financial system and economic development.

Felix Weidenkaff works at the International Labour Organization (ILO) of the United Nations in Bangkok as Employment Specialist to provide technical advice on employment as part of the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team for East and South-East Asia and the Pacific (ILO DWT-Bangkok). Previously, Felix served in the Employment Policy Department of the ILO in Geneva, leading research, capacity building and advisory services on evidence-based policymaking, active labour market policies as well as partnerships for youth employment. Prior to joining the ILO in 2012, Felix worked in the Division on Investment and Enterprise of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Felix holds an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Dr Tan Khee Giap is Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, and Chairman of the Singapore National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation. Dr Tan graduated with a PhD from University of East Anglia, Norwich, in 1987. He has consulted extensively with government ministries and statutory boards of Singapore, and served as a consultant to such international agencies as the Asian Development Bank, Asian Development Bank Institute, United Nations Industrial Development Group, World Gold Council, ASEAN Secretariat, Central Policy Unit of Hong Kong, Kerzner International, Las Vegas Sands and Marina Bay Sands. Dr Tan is the lead author of more than 20 books and has published extensively in international refereed journals. His current research interests include econometric forecasting, cost of living and purchasing power index, global liveable cities index, ease of doing business index, and competitiveness analysis sub-national economies of China, India, Indonesia and ASEAN.

Ambassador Sergio Ley-Lopez is Chairman of the Mexico National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation. He has served in various capacities with the Mexican Foreign Service since 1984: Cultural Counselor in Beijing (1984-1990); Deputy Chief of Mission in Singapore (1990-1993); Consul General in Shanghai (1993-1995); Director General for Pacific and Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1995-1997); and Ambassador to Indonesia (1997-2001) and China (2001-2007). He is currently Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Business Section in the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (COMCE). He is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC), and Editorial Board Member in the International Affairs Committee for El Universal (a Mexican newspaper based in Mexico City).

Dr Shiro Armstrong is a Fellow at the Crawford School of Public Policy. He is Director of the Australia-Japan Research Centre, Editor of East Asia Forum , and Director of the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research (EABER) in the College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University. He is also Visiting Associate Professor at Keio University, Research Associate with the Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB) at Columbia Business School, and Visiting Scholar at the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), Japan. He is the Australian representative on the Research Institutes Network (RIN) of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).

Vangelis Vitalis is Deputy Secretary of Trade and Economic at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He is also Chair of the APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) for New Zealand’s host year in 2021 and Chief Negotiator for the free trade agreement with the European Union (EU). Previously, Vangelis was the chief negotiator who concluded the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Before that, he led the conclusion of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement and the Malaysia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. Vangelis has also worked as an economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretariat, and chaired (in his personal capacity) the OECD Joint Working Party on Trade and Environment (JWPTE) and the OECD Global Forum on the Environment and Climate Change. Prior to taking up his role in 2017, Vangelis served as New Zealand’s Ambassador to the EU and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva.

Dr Richard Record is the Lead Economist for Malaysia in the World Bank Group’s Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice. Based in Kuala Lumpur, he manages the Bank’s engagement on economic policy issues in Malaysia, including publication of the flagship Malaysia Economic Monitor and the report on Malaysia’s Digital Economy – A New Driver of Development. Richard has previously worked across a number of countries in the East Asia and Africa regions, managing programs on macroeconomics, trade and private sector development, including assignments based in Lilongwe, Vientiane and Hanoi. He holds bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in economics respectively from the London School of Economics, the School of Oriental and African Studies and the University of Manchester.

Don Campbell serves as International Co-Chair of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and Chairman of the Canadian National Committee for PECC. He is Senior Strategy Advisor with DLA Piper (Canada) LLP. Don has an extensive background in the international arena in both the public and private sector. From 2000-2007, he was Group President at CAE Inc. His distinguished career with Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade includes serving as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and G8 Sherpa (1997-2000), Canadian Ambassador for Japan (1993-1997), Deputy Minister of International Trade (1989-1993) and Canadian Ambassador to Korea (1984-1985). He is Distinguished Fellow of the Asia Pacific Foundation (APF) of Canada, serves on the Global Council of the Asia Society, New York, and is a member of the board of directors of the Japan Society, Canada. He serves on the board of directors of Toyota Canada Inc. as well as private company boards.

Section Heading

  • Bahasa Melayu

Logo

Ministry of Economy

Agriculture.

  • economic developments
  • Development Policies
  • key policies

Printer Friendly, PDF & Email

The agriculture sector plays an important role in the national economy through its contribution to the national income and export earnings and creation of employment. The sector is also a major supplier of food as well as raw materials to resource based industries.

In line with its prominent role, the government continues to undertake adjustment measures to expedite competitiveness of the sector so as to enable it to face new challenges at domestic and international levels.

NATIONAL AGROFOOD POLICY (2011-2020)

The main objectives of the National Agrofood Policy (2011-2020) are:

  • to address food security and safety to ensure availability, affordability and accessibility;
  • to ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of the agrofood industry; and
  • to increase the income level of agropreneurs.

NATIONAL COMMODITY POLICY (2011-2020)

The main objectives of the National Commodity Policy (2011-2020) are:

  • to increase the contribution of plantation industrial commodities to the nation's economy;
  • to modernise and transform the commodity industry towards a more competitive and sustainable level;
  • to encourage the development of the commodity industry along the value chain;
  • to increase the income of operators and smallholders in the commodity industry; and
  • to promote Malaysia as the centre of excellence in R&D, technology development and the downstream processing of industrial commodities.
  • 14334 views

Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia

Ministry of Economy Menara Prisma No. 26, Persiaran Perdana, Precint 3 Federal Government Administrative Centre 62675 Putrajaya

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Security Policy

  • Net Zero 2050
  • Editor’s Choice
  • Entrepreneur
  • Environment
  • Human Resource
  • Travel & Dining

BusinessToday

  • Editor's Choice

Cultivating Resilience: Malaysia’s Path To Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security

agriculture in malaysia essay

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Why padu downloads will accelerate soon, is foreign investment all that good for malaysia, malaysia’s new post-study work pass: a step forward, but is it enough, leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Don’t Pick On Ringgit, Some ASEAN Country, Yen, Yuan Also Depreciated

Petron, unfavourable crack spreads, matrade targets rm1 billion from mihas dubai expo, fuel float boon for ev, affordable car sales but not for....

Home / Essay Samples / Geography & Travel / Asia / Malaysia

Poverty and Agriculture in Malaysia

Essay details

Geography & Travel , Social Issues

Malaysia , Social Problems

  • Words: 1803 (4 pages)

Please note! This essay has been submitted by a student.

Get quality help now

agriculture in malaysia essay

Verified writer

Proficient in: Asia

agriculture in malaysia essay

+ 75 relevant experts are online

More Malaysia Related Essays

Tun Dr Mahathir was born on 10th July, 1925 in Kampung Seberang Perak, Alor Setar, Kedah, described by Tun himself as "the poorer quarters" of town. Tun Mahathir's parents were Mohamad bin Iskandar and Wan Tempawan binti Wan ...

Thailand, an oddly shaped elephant head looking country, is situated near Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. It is divided into four main topographic regions which are appealing to the tourists and present numerous business ...

The term ‘red light district’ refers to the regions or a region in urban areas where activities such as prostitution and sex oriented businesses such as sex shops are practiced. According to Barbara, the term "red light ...

In 1973 the government of Malaysia approved a new policy that all school is compulsory to establish an association which is known as PTA. PTA (Parents Teacher association) which is more known as PIBG in Malaysia is an ...

Human as the smartest species on the earth has kept to demand innovative technology that can push the human life to the next highest level. In fact, through constantly broken away the constraint, some useful method is created ...

Studies have shown that among Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia these four countries surveyed, Malaysian employees recorded 67 days of presenteeism and absenteeism in a year, which rank after Hong Kong. Presenteeism ...

A company which I have chosen is Gardenia Bakeries (KL) Sdn. Bhd in Malaysia. The founder of this brand is an American man called, Horatio 'Sye' Slocumm. In 1969, he was sent by International Executive Service Corporation (IESC) ...

In Malaysia, all contracts of restraint of trade are void unless it falls within exception provided in S. 28 of CA 1950. Thus, in Malaysia, the legislature had purposely made the list of exceptions in restraint of trade simply ...

Malaysia is one of the best countries in the world that I have ever visited and I will encourage anyone to visit the moment you land at the airport there is this welcoming atmosphere that makes you want to travel and explore ...

apologies

This feature is still in progress, but don't worry – you can place an order for an essay with our expert writers

We use cookies to offer you the best experience. By continuing, we’ll assume you agree with our Cookies policy .

Choose your writer among 300 professionals!

You cannot copy content from our website. If you need this sample, insert an email and we'll deliver it to you.

Please, provide real email address.

This email is exists.

Official Website of the International Trade Administration

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Website

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  • Search ITA Search

 alt=

  • Market Overview
  • Market Challenges
  • Market Opportunities
  • Market Entry Strategy
  • Agricultural Sector
  • Aerospace and Defense
  • Equipment & Machinery
  • Environmental Technology
  • Information & Communications Technology
  • Renewable Energy
  • Education and Training
  • Trade Barriers
  • Import Tariffs
  • Import Requirements and Documentation
  • Labeling/Marking Requirements
  • U.S. Export Controls
  • Temporary Entry
  • Prohibited & Restricted Imports
  • Customs Regulations
  • Standards for Trade
  • Trade Agreements
  • Licensing Requirements for Professional Services
  • Distribution and Sales Channels
  • Selling Factors and Techniques
  • Trade Financing
  • Protecting Intellectual Property
  • Selling to the Government
  • Business Travel and Etiquette
  • Investment Climate Statement

The agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors employ roughly ten percent of the Malaysian labor force and account for about eight percent of the country’s GDP. Palm oil, rubber, cocoa, and wood products account for around half of the output while other significant contributors include tropical fruits and rice. 

Malaysia is the world’s second largest palm oil producer and exporter after Indonesia. Malaysian palm oil production accounted for 26 percent of world production and 34 percent of world exports in 2020. As additional land for palm oil production is unavailable, any increase in national production at this point would have to come from yield and productivity increases. Malaysian palm oil companies also have a big presence in Indonesia and have invested in palm oil refineries in major markets such as Europe, India, China, and the United States. Many of Malaysia’s largest and most successful companies are palm oil plantation enterprises where the state holds an ownership share.

Poultry is the dominant protein consumed in the country. The poultry and pork sectors are relatively strong and well developed. Rice is considered a staple product in Malaysia, though the country depends on imports to meet about 30 percent of its needs.  Recently, the government has prioritized development of the dairy sector in Malaysia.

Malaysia has a relatively strong agricultural research capability, especially in the palm oil sector, and the extension system is effective. The GOM subsidizes rice production through price support, input subsidies, and consumer subsidies. Although the Ministry of Agriculture does focus on other sectors, almost all new meaningful agriculture investment is destined for the palm oil plantation sector. There is no commercial production of genetically engineered (GE) plants in the country, despite ongoing research in this area. 

Malaysia’s Food Act 1983 and the Food Regulations of 1985 govern food import and export. The MOH Food Safety and Quality division and other government agencies (https://myohar.moh.gov.my/ )implement and enforce compliance through sampling, inspection, import control, and regulation. Malaysia’s halal certification and dairy facility registration requirements, covrered below, are notable among the regulations and procedures related to importing food and agricultural products. For additional information, please see the latest Food and Agriculture Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) Report from the Foreign Agricultural Service.

Halal Certification: All beef, poultry, and dairy products require halal certification to enter Malaysia. Customers in Malaysia may require certification for other food products as well, depending on the end use. Currently, the Islamic Development Foundation of Malaysia (JAKIM) has approved three U.S.-based Islamic institutions to inspect and halal certify food and beverage products for export to Malaysia: the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), the Islamic Services of America (ISA), and the American Halal Foundation (AHF). For additional information, please see FAS’s report on halal in Malaysia .

Dairy Facility Registration: Malaysia requires foreign producers and exporters of dairy products to apply for registration with the government. For additional information about this requirement, please see FAS’s related report .

Malaysia’s global agricultural trade reached $61.3 billion in 2022 with exports of $37.4 billion and imports of $23.9 billion. Palm oil is the dominant export and the leading export markets  include India, the European Union, China, Pakistan, and the United States. Indonesia, China, and Thailand are the top suppliers of agricultural products to Malaysia, with the United States ranked seventh in 2022. Despite an agricultural trade surplus of $13.5 billion, Malaysia nonetheless heavily relies on imports for many key products, including wheat, rice, protein meal, dairy products, beef, and most deciduous and citrus fruits.  

U.S.-Malaysia bilateral agricultural trade was at $2.4 billion in 2022. U.S. agricultural product exports to Malaysia in 2022 totalled $1.34 billion, a decrease of 2.4% when compared to 2021. Soybeans remain the top U.S. export to Malaysia,  reaching $141 million  in 2022 (?).

Additional information about Malaysia as a market for U.S. food and agricultural products is available in FAS’s Exporter Guide .  FAS’s Malaysia office may also be contacted using the information below.

USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Malaysia  

Office of the Agricultural Affairs  

Embassy of the United States of America 

376, Jalan Tun Razak   

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 50400  

Tel: (011-60-3) 2168-5082 

Fax: (011-60-3) 2168-5023 

[email protected]   

Malaysian Government:  

Ministry of Agriculture Department of Veterinary Services

Ministry of Finance Customs Headquarters

Concept Groups

  • Company Background
  • Vision, Mission and Value
  • Management Team
  • Event Highlights
  • Payroll Management
  • Local Worker Recruitment
  • Hostel & Transport Management
  • Document Renewal Service
  • Foreign Worker Recruitment
  • Social Responsibility

Concept Groups

  • Mission, Vision & Core Value
  • Event Highlight
  • Quota Application Assistant
  • Hostel & Transport Management
  • Corporate Social Responsibility

The Challenges of Agriculture sector in Malaysia

agriculture in malaysia essay

The Importance of Agricultural Industry in Malaysia

Agriculture in Malaysia is a significant industry. It has been the backbone of the economy for decades, and it is still an important contributor to the country’s growth. Malaysia’s agricultural sector has been able to grow because of its strong export orientation. The country exports a wide variety of agricultural products such as palm oil, rubber, cocoa beans, pepper and pineapple. In addition to that, Malaysia also exports food products like processed food and fresh produce like bananas and pineapples.

The industry provides a wide range of job opportunities for people in rural areas and generates a significant amount of revenue from exports. Agriculture is one of the main industries in Malaysia, contributing to nearly 20% of Malaysia’s GDP. The agricultural sector also employs about 30% of Malaysia’s labor force. In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for Malaysian agricultural products from both domestic and international markets, which has led to an increase in export revenue generated by this industry.

What are the challenges faced by Malaysia’s agricultural sector?

Malaysia has a vast agricultural sector which provides the country with food and raw materials. It is also one of the main sources of income for rural communities. However, there are many challenges that this sector faces, such as lack of manpower and innovation, that could hamper its growth in the future.

One major challenge that Malaysia’s agriculture sector faces is a lack of manpower. There are not enough people to work on farms or in processing plants because most Malaysians want to work in more urban areas where they can earn more money. This leads to a shortage of labor for Malaysia’s agriculture sector which makes it difficult for farmers to grow their crops and process them into food products.

The lack-off innovation in agriculture is also one of the major challenges faced by Malaysia’s agricultural sector. The lack-off innovation leads to a lack-off technology and tools that can be used to improve productivity in agriculture and this has led to a stagnation in productivity and efficiency. There are many innovations that could be made for agriculture, but there is no platform or system for these innovations to get implemented into this industry.

This lack of innovation and technology has led to Malaysia’s competitiveness in the global market to be weaker than that of other countries such as Thailand or Indonesia. As a result, the country’s agricultural sector has not been able to keep up with the changes in the global economy. The government should create an innovation idea that fosters growth for this industry so that it can continue being a major contributor to Malaysia’s GDP and employment rates.

The Political Factors that Affect Innovation Potential in Malaysia’s Agriculture Sector

The political factors that affect the agriculture industry are the ever-changing policies, which make it difficult to plan for the future. There is a lack of clear direction from the government on how they want to support this sector, which means that farmers and plantation organizations have no idea what they can do to improve their business.

The challenges faced by farmers in Malaysia are many and varied. They range from lack of access to modern farming equipment and technology, high cost of fertilizers and pesticides, high cost of labour, land grabbing by developers and low prices for produce due to competition with imports. Additionally, there is an increasing lack of skilled workers to help with the farming process and an increase in competition from other countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

How to Re-invigorate the Agriculture Sector to be More Competitive?

agriculture in malaysia essay

Innovation & Modernization

The agriculture sector is not as competitive as it used to be. This is mainly because of the lack of modernization in the industry. The use of modern technology can help this sector become more competitive by adopting new and innovative ideas for agriculture. The use of modern technology can help farmers in many ways. For example, they can use drones for crop spraying which will save them time and money as well as increase productivity. They can also use precision farming techniques to ensure that they are using water efficiently and reduce wastage of fertilizers.

agriculture in malaysia essay

Labor & Manpower Shortage

The agriculture sector is one of the most important sectors in the world. It provides food to the entire population and also provides jobs for many people. However, it is struggling due to a few problems. One of the main problems is that there are not enough people working in this sector. There are not enough laborers available to work on farms and agricultural fields.

  • In order to solve these problems, we need to find a way to increase manpower in this sector. One way to solve this problem is by hiring manpower agencies in Malaysia . They can provide workers for farms and agricultural companies that are experiencing labor shortages.
  • Another solution could be raising the minimum wage for agriculture workers. If we increase their pay, we will attract more people into this industry and help it become more competitive in the global market.
  • Foreign workers recruitment could also be another solution as they might not require higher wages than what they already earn back home and would come with certain skillsets that are useful for farming

agriculture in malaysia essay

Government Policies & Incentives

The government plans to support the agriculture sector by clearing up its agricultural policy and providing a clear roadmap for the next five to ten years. In order to make this sector more competitive, the government needs to work on creating a better supply-chain management system and also should try to provide incentives to encourage farmers to produce more and export more. Besides, the idea of reduce the input cost of farming by subsidizing inputs for smallholder farmers, as well as providing them with access to better markets for their produce.

Related Posts ...

The Benefits and Risks of Hiring Foreign Workers: What Employers Need to Know

The Benefits and Risks of Hiring Foreign Workers: What Employers Need to Know

agriculture in malaysia essay

What is FWCMS

Comments are disabled.

IMAGES

  1. Benefits of agriculture in malaysia essay sample

    agriculture in malaysia essay

  2. Benefits of agriculture in malaysia essay sample

    agriculture in malaysia essay

  3. (PDF) AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN MALAYSIA: THE ROLE OF SMALLHOLDERS

    agriculture in malaysia essay

  4. Overview Of Agriculture Sector In Malaysia

    agriculture in malaysia essay

  5. Overview Of Agriculture Sector In Malaysia

    agriculture in malaysia essay

  6. Development of Agriculture Sector in Malaysia

    agriculture in malaysia essay

COMMENTS

  1. The Agriculture In Malaysia Economics Essay

    The Agriculture In Malaysia Economics Essay Climate. Located in the peninsula in south-east Asia, Malaysia has agriculture friendly climate. Being a hilly region it... Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, Malaysia (MOA). MOA is Ministry of Agriculture who helps to private... DEPARTMENT ...

  2. Agriculture in Malaysia Essay

    Agriculture in Malaysia Essay The Role of Washington County, Ohio in the Success of the Underground Railroad. The paper will begin with a Review of... Racial Profiling: Scientific Or Empiric Claims. The research method of this thesis is desk research. Thus, it only makes... Agriculture's Influence ...

  3. PDF Selected Research Issues in the Malaysian Agricultural Sector

    ABSTRAcT The agriculture sector remains a significant development factor in Malaysia even though its share to the nation's GDP has shrunk pronouncedly from some 30% in the 1970s to only 7% in 2013. Such statistics may not, however, reflect the true significance of the Malaysian agricultural economy.

  4. PDF A Background Review of Agriculture and Food Systems in Malaysia, in

    A Background Review of Agriculture and Food Systems in Malaysia, in preparation for the TEEBAgriFood Malaysia Study November 2020 This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union

  5. Local Food Production in Malaysia

    Agriculture in Malaysia is both a source of food and livelihood. In addition, the sector is essential to the country's economy. However, the three decades have been characterized by low agricultural productivity as a result of structural changes in the economy.

  6. (PDF) The importance of the agricultural sector to the Malaysian

    Malaysian agriculture constitutes 4.06 million hectares, with 80% encompassing industrial crops and agro-food production, boosting the economy through implementing precision agriculture (PA).

  7. Agriculture As an Important Engine of Growth in Malaysia

    The agriculture industry is an important contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Malaysia. This has remained true since the day I submitted this article to a national-level essay writing competition back then in 2014.

  8. The Agriculture In Malaysia Economics Essay

    Located in the peninsula in south-east Asia, Malaysia has agriculture friendly climate. Being a hilly region it has become a disadvantage for cultivation of rice and other produces which require a flat land, which has resulted into import of the same. Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, Malaysia (MOA)

  9. Agriculture in Malaysia

    Nearly twenty four percent of Malaysia's land area is composed of land dedicated to agriculture alone. There are around 43,000 different agricultural machines and tractors. Malaysia contains 7,605,000 hectares of arable and permanent cropland.

  10. Transforming the Agricultural Sector is Needed to Support Malaysia's

    PUTRAJAYA, November 20, 2019 - Malaysia's agricultural productivity is less than half of high-income country averages, highlighting an urgent need for reforms and expanding the sector's contribution to the country's development trajectory, according to a new World Bank report Agricultural Transformation and Inclusive Growth: the Malaysian Experience, launched here today.

  11. The Agriculture In Malaysia Economics Essay

    Located in the peninsula in south-east Asia, Malaysia has agriculture friendly climate. Being a hilly region it has become a disadvantage for cultivation of rice and other produces which require a flat land, which has resulted into import of the same. Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, Malaysia (MOA)

  12. Agriculture in Malaysia

    GDP from the agriculture industry in Malaysia 2022, by sub-sector. Gross domestic product (GDP) from the agriculture industry in Malaysia in 2022, by sub-sector (in billion Malaysian...

  13. PDF Food Security and Sustainability: Malaysia Agenda

    Issues pertaining to sustainability and food security in agricultural development are still the main agenda of Malaysia in its vision of being a developed nation. It is basically the government's responsibility of installing public confidence that food is

  14. Development of Malaysia's Agricultural Sector: Agriculture as ...

    He then moved to academia and has taught economics for 25 years at three Malaysian public universities - Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Universiti Malaya. Furuoka specialises in Asian economy, with a focus on Japanese foreign direct investment and official development assistance in Asean.

  15. Agriculture

    key policies Share this article Development Policies Key Policies The agriculture sector plays an important role in the national economy through its contribution to the national income and export earnings and creation of employment. The sector is also a major supplier of food as well as raw materials to resource based industries.

  16. The Importance Of Agriculture In Malaysia

    The Importance Of Agriculture In Malaysia. Agriculture, are also known as an occupation of cultivating land, producing crops, and raising livestock has back as a firmly policy agenda not only in other countries also in Malaysia. A total of 329, 847 square kilometers, Malaysia it comprises of 13 states and divided by east and west land areas ...

  17. Cultivating Resilience: Malaysia's Path To Sustainable Agriculture

    BusinessToday. -. October 19, 2023. In an era marked by the effects of climate change and global uncertainties, securing a sustainable source of food and bolstering the agriculture industry has never been more critical. Malaysia, with its rich agricultural heritage and biodiversity, has the potential to become a leader in ensuring food security.

  18. Poverty And Agriculture in Malaysia

    Poverty and Agriculture in Malaysia Essay details Category: Geography & Travel, Social Issues Subcategory: Asia Topic: Malaysia, Social Problems Words: 1803 (4 pages) Download Please note! This essay has been submitted by a student.

  19. Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Portal

    The agriculture sector contributes to the country through exports, especially by products produced from agricultural commodities such as palm oil. Total agricultural exports increased from RM118.7 billion in 2020 to RM154.5 billion in 2021.

  20. Malaysia

    The agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors employ roughly ten percent of the Malaysian labor force and account for about eight percent of the country's GDP. Palm oil, rubber, cocoa, and wood products account for around half of the output while other significant contributors include tropical fruits and rice.

  21. Agriculture And Tourism Relationship In Malaysia Tourism Essay

    It is a form of tourism in agricultural areas such as orchards, agroforestry farms, herbal farms and animal farms. According to World Tourism Organisation (WTO, 2002) that agrotourism is part of rural tourism and relates to tourism on farms. It gives farmers the opportunities to expand their activities and also to increase their income.

  22. The Challenges of Agriculture sector in Malaysia

    Agriculture in Malaysia is a significant industry. It has been the backbone of the economy for decades, and it is still an important contributor to the country's growth. Malaysia's agricultural sector has been able to grow because of its strong export orientation.

  23. Climate change in Malaysia: Trends, contributors, impacts, mitigation

    1. Introduction. Climate change is a global phenomenon and is particularly evident in the past three decades. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Fifth Assessment Report, reveals an increase of average global land and ocean temperature by 0.85 °C from 1880 to 2012.The IPCC is highly confident that the period between 1983 and 2012 was the warmest in the past 800 years ...

  24. Malaysia, Canada to enhance agriculture and food security cooperation

    Bots Heal Flair Jom! Groove Sunday Vibes VIEW ALL LIFE & TIMES. Jom! PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Canada have expressed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors, in addition to welcoming technical cooperation in agricultural research and development.