Malaysia Can Be 'Beneficiary Window' Linking ASEAN To South Asia Through Bangladesh
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 -- Chief Adviser to the Government of Bangladesh, Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus, in a recent interview with Bernama, said Malaysia could serve as the 'beneficiary window' for enhancing economic connectivity between ASEAN and the populous South Asian region.
By Kisho Kumari Sucedaram
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) — Malaysia can be the 'beneficiary window' in greater economic connectivity between ASEAN and the populous South Asia region, with Bangladesh's central position as a strategic trade, production and investment hub offering immense business opportunities.
In spelling out Dhaka's importance to both Malaysia and ASEAN, the Chief Adviser to the Government of Bangladesh, Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus, said the populace in Bangladesh and surrounding areas alone is in excess of 170 million, offering a lucrative consumer market. It also offers the potential for regional production through the country's substantial human resources.
Yunus pointed out that Bangladesh's location gives it a unique role in facilitating regional trade, particularly for landlocked neighbours such as Bhutan and Nepal, as well as India's northeastern 'Seven Sisters' states, which have no direct access to the ocean. The seven states are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
'Many of the (economic) facilities could be located in Bangladesh because it is easier to get to the sea. For countries that have no direct access to the sea, we become the route to the world. This means Malaysia can connect its economy to an extended network of countries through Bangladesh,' he told Bernama in an exclusive interview at the end of his three-day official visit to Malaysia from Aug 11 to 13, at the invitation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The interview was led by Bernama Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, together with Editor of International News Service Voon Miaw Ping and Assistant Editor of Bernama Economic Service Kisho Kumari Sucedaram.
During the visit, Yunus met with Anwar, with both leaders reviewing the progress of Malaysia–Bangladesh ties, focusing on trade and investment, labour, education, tourism and defence, as well as regional and international developments of mutual interest. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate also met a few businesses and investors, including Proton Holdings, Sunway Group, Axiata Group Bhd and Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
Yunus, who has headed the Bangladesh interim government since Aug 8, 2024, has cited foreign investments and global trade as crucial components in rebuilding its developing economy.
Elaborating on his country's advantageous geographical position that enables access to Bhutan, Nepal and India, he said such cooperation could boost the economic growth of Malaysia and Bangladesh, with the latter helping to facilitate the transportation of goods and services. 'We welcome cooperation whereby Malaysia can be the beneficiary window, and this is absolutely what we are looking for,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
People's will, not mine – 85-year-old Yunus shares why he stepped into Bangladesh's political hot seat
KUALA LUMPUR: Age has not slowed down Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus, 85, who could have chosen a quiet life of retirement, far from the turbulence of Bangladesh's national transition. Instead, he now finds himself in the centre of a political change, sitting in a hot seat to take up a role that he described not as ambition but a duty he has to perform. Yunus, the Chief Adviser to the Government of Bangladesh, responding to questions at a recent interview here, quickly says it was never about him but the people. "It's not me. It's the people who want this change. I am just helping them to go the way they want," Yunus told Bernama, in an exclusive interview at the end of his three-day official visit to Malaysia. He was in the country at the invitation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from Aug 11 to 13. "I don't impose anything of my own. I just wait to see what the will of the people is, and then I facilitate it," he said in a conversation with Bernama Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, together with Editor of International News Service Voon Miaw Ping and Assistant Editor of Bernama Economic Service Kisho Kumari Sucedaram. For a man who earned global recognition as the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for pioneering microfinance, stepping into the seat of political leadership was never part of his plan. However, he said, circumstances left him with little choice. Yunus humbly describes his role, less as a leader, and more as a guardian of a democratic process long denied. Yet, he acknowledges the immense challenges ahead. "There are many difficulties. Many people want to disrupt this, as the political elements that were ousted from Bangladesh are attempting to destabilise the entire system," he said, adding that many first-time voters who came of age over the past decade and a half had never cast a ballot before. He said some people had been waiting for 10 years, and some even 15. "Imagine being 18 years old, excited to vote, but your chance never came because elections were never truly held. Now, they will be casting their vote for the first time in 15 years," he explained. His words carry the weight of hope for a national transition. Bangladesh's next general election is scheduled for February next year. The world-renowned economist and social entrepreneur was hand-picked by Bangladesh's President Mohammed Shahabuddin to lead the transitional government on Aug 8, 2024, in the aftermath of the youth-led uprising that ousted former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and brought an end to her authoritarian rule. Yunus's journey of service began decades earlier, inspired by the Bangladesh famine of 1974. Moved to help those in dire need, he made a modest personal loan of just US$27 to 42 families, enabling them to produce goods for sale without the crushing burden of high interest under predatory lending. The Grameen Bank initiative began in 1976, as an action research pilot project in Bangladesh's Chattogram district. By 1983, the project had evolved into a fully operational bank, with a mission to alleviate poverty and empower marginalised communities in Bangladesh through micro-credit.
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
Public must work together to stop bullying - Mohd Na'im
KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar today urged Malaysians, especially Muslims, to work together to put an end to all forms of bullying. He said bullying is a vile act that not only causes physical harm but also leaves deep emotional scars. 'Islam teaches us to live with mutual respect and compassion, and to safeguard the rights and dignity of every individual. Bullying does not merely injure the body but also breaks hearts and extinguishes hope. 'Remember, the prayers of those who are wronged have no barrier before Allah. Therefore, avoid any form of injustice, even as small as a speck. Bullying must stop, and love must flourish,' he said in a video posted on Facebook today. Mohd Na'im added that bullying does not reflect Islamic values and urged the people to work together in fostering a harmonious society that upholds good relations. - Bernama
Barnama
27 minutes ago
- Barnama
Bangladesh Cites Economic, Strategic Potential In ASEAN Bid
By Noor Bakhtiar Ahmad KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Bangladesh is stepping up its bid to be a sectoral dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus emphasising the country's economic and strategic advantages as key to deepening ties with the bloc. Yunus highlighted that Bangladesh's population of more than 170 million offers ASEAN both a substantial market and an available workforce for regional industries, while its untapped economic potential presents significant opportunities for collaboration and growth. bootstrap slideshow 'There are many unexplored areas of investment which would be easy to pursue with Myanmar. We don't do deep sea fishing, for example. We have a big ocean right outside, but we never exploit that. 'So with Myanmar joining in, it becomes another opportunity to work together in deep sea fishing because we share the ocean together," he told the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) in a special interview held on the sidelines of his official visit here. The interview was led by Bernama's Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj together with Editor of International News Service Voon Miaw Ping, and Assistant Editor of Economic News Service Kisho Kumari Sucedaram. The South Asian nation has sought for a sectoral dialogue partner status with ASEAN, and the pursuit has gained momentum since Yunus assumed leadership of Bangladeshi interim government in Aug last year. The Nobel Prize Laureate who was on an official visit to Malaysia from Aug 11 to 13 said the matter was also discussed during his meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and current ASEAN Chair. "One of the things we have been discussing since his visit on October 4 (last year) was joining ASEAN.
