2020 Malaysia Economic and Strategic Outlook Forum

The Malaysia Economic and Strategic Outlook Forum is a high level meeting of minds among those interested in the economic development, strategic direction and future of Malaysia. It is held at the beginning of each year to assess the key challenges, strategic issues and business opportunities in the coming year. The Forum provides an apt and timely opportunity to feel the pulse of the economy and the tempo of developments in the country.

The new Malaysia will be heading into its 3rd year soon following the 14th General Elections in May 2018. After almost two years in office, the new Pakatan Harapan Government has unveiled the shared prosperity vision and outline the way forward for the new Malaysia economy. Fiscal consolidation, enhanced corporate and economic governance and new directions provide a road map for the new Malaysia economy.

What will be the major challenges facing the economy in 2020? How will the political outlook be like? What are the main political risks? What will the industry and sectoral outlook be like? What are the main priorities for the new Malaysia economy? The Forum will provide opportunities for business interaction and networking. The Forum will also enable participants to have better insights, information and intelligence to make more informed decisions and better strategic plans for their organisations.

This high level and timely Forum is brought to you by the Economic

Accelerating SDGs in Policy & Services At the Local Levels: Civil Society Perspectives

The Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance presents views on eleven key concerns pertaining to SDGs as indicated in the contents page. These are divided into three main headings namely Overarching Themes, Target Groups (Leaving no one behind) and finally on the Means of Implementation.

In this document sixteen people have made contributions based on their area of the interest and expertise. The write up reveals the depth of understanding, including the level of frustration, in the inability to find solutions. These are really aspects of advocacy, calling on the government to take a stronger position in SDGs. CSOs have in this document attempted to write down their concerns and hope policy makers will be able to appreciate these findings as input and review of some of the most pressing issues and concerns in the localisation of SDGs especially in ensuring an impact of the ground.

Next Steps in Tackling Poverty in Malaysia

The visit by UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty & Human Rights, Professor Philip Alston’s to Malaysia on 12-23 August 2019 received fair attention from the public, hoping for an honest professional view of the country’s poverty situation.
His observations shattered claims that poverty has been eliminated in Malaysia which drew a mixture of reactions - flak from the government and support from civil society organisations, academicians, and think tanks.

Following the release of the report of Professor Philip Alston's visit, KSI and the Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance organised a roundtable discussion to gather feedback regarding the said report as well as to provide an opportunity for participants to share their own experiences dealing with poverty in Malaysia. Also, present to give their views were Marianne Clark-Hattingh, UNICEF Representative for Malaysia; Prof Dr Sulochana Nair, Vice Chancellor of Binary University; Dr Kenneth Simler, Senior Economist at the World Bank; and Sivarajan Arumugam, Secretary General of the Malaysian Socialist Party.

Malaysia's Foreign Policy Should Make Malaysia A Smart Middle Power

The Malaysian government, in particular the Foreign Ministry should be congratulated for the new Foreign Policy Framework. The Prime Minister, in launching the new policy framework of the new Malaysia, captures the essence of the foreign policy direction of the new administration which focused on change in continuity. Malaysia continues to pursue an independent, principled and pragmatic foreign policy founded on the values of peace, justice and equality.

This new policy framework should enable Malaysia to be a middle smart power. We need to aspire to be a middle power with Malaysia assuming the chairmanship of APEC in a few months time and hosting the 2020 APEC Summit in November 2020.

I would like to suggest that our foreign policy framework should also emphasize the 3Es – Economic Diplomacy, Ethical Diplomacy, and Ecological diplomacy. With the haze and greater focus on sustainability the importance of ecological diplomacy.

Merdeka a time to unite, heal nation

As the country gears up to celebrate National Day on Aug 31, we should re-dedicate ourselves to building a better Malaysia. Let National Day be of hope and national reconciliation, bridging racial, religious and geographical divides and boosting unity, social cohesiveness and social harmony. Let us end divisiveness and celebrate our diversity. We need to overcome divisive politics.

We must boost the 4Ts — trust, tolerance, transparency and truth — and the 4Ps — peace, people, partnership and prosperity. The 4Rs are also important: racial harmony, religious tolerance, reconciliation and rights-based governance. The latter will ensure the rights of Malaysians are protected.

Equally important for the nation to move forward are the 4Is: integrity, innovation, inequalities and investments.

A better Malaysia must also address the 4Ds: development divide, debt, digital disruption and devolution of state powers for better federal-state relations. No one must be left behind. We must adopt and pursue policies that are fair and just. More importantly, we should ensure that no new injustices are created.

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