Anwar Ibrahim
KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on BRICS to reject occupation, settler colonialism and “settler terrorism” while stressing the need to protect civilians amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Anwar made the call when addressing the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, today, where he also expressed Malaysia’s appreciation to India for convening the session at a time of profound shifts in the global economic and geopolitical landscape.
He said the world was facing a major contradiction, with technology advancing at an unprecedented pace while economic progress remained out of reach for much of the developing world.
“Too many countries are in debt distress or at serious risk of it, while far too many people live in countries where more is spent on interest than on teaching the young or tending the sick,” he said.
Anwar stressed that no nation should be forced to choose between servicing its debts and fulfilling its obligations to its people.
“Financing must therefore be fit for purpose, ensuring that meeting basic needs and providing public goods do not leave countries carrying debts they cannot sustain,” he said.
He also highlighted the need to advance initiatives through the New Development Bank, local currency settlement mechanisms and the potential of Islamic capital markets.
According to Anwar, BRICS should also take concrete measures to dismantle unfair trading practices, share development experience and strengthen technical cooperation and training in emerging fields, including semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI).
On the green transition, he said it must take into account the different national circumstances of member countries, as nations would move at different speeds and follow different pathways according to their respective stages of development.
Anwar said BRICS also offered significant geoeconomic advantages through its vast integrated market, creating opportunities for trade diversification while reducing member economies’ overreliance on traditional Western markets.
“These synergies can serve as an impetus for economic growth and shared prosperity,” he said.
However, Anwar said efforts towards inclusive growth and prosperity could not be separated from the impact of war, which had driven up energy prices and threatened vital sea lanes supporting the global economy.
“Israel’s aggression in West Asia has reached far beyond the parties directly involved, with countries that have no part in this war now paying the price through higher inflation and uncertainty.
“Malaysia’s position is clear: sovereignty must be respected, civilians protected and the arteries of the global economy kept out of the battlefield,” he said.
Anwar stressed that BRICS must make its position clear that occupation, settler colonialism and, more pointedly, “settler terrorism” could not be allowed to become destiny.
“No life weighs less for where it is lived,” he said.
He added that Malaysia viewed strategic autonomy as the freedom to determine its own course and the courage to stand by that choice when it mattered.
“As a BRICS Partner Country, Malaysia stands ready to contribute in that spirit,” he said. – DETIK MALAYSIA
Kredit foto – FB ANWAR IBRAHIM
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