MALAYSIA MUST LEAD ASEAN IN TACKLING CYBER SCAMS, STRENGTHENING TRADE, SAYS ACADEMIC

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 (Bernama) -- The rising threat of cyber scams in the region calls for Malaysia, as the ASEAN Chair in 2025, to take the lead in addressing the issue comprehensively.

Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Dr Tunku Mohar Tunku Mokhtar, said this is among the key challenges Malaysia will face as it assumes the ASEAN Chairmanship this year.

“Non-traditional security threats, such as the growing cyber scam industry across ASEAN nations, require strong collaboration among member states. Malaysia must take the lead in tackling these pressing issues,” he said.

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He said this while appearing as a guest on the special segment, Cerita ASEAN, in the Apa Khabar Malaysia programme, titled ‘ASEAN Chairmanship 2025: Malaysia's Leadership Begins’, produced by Bernama TV today.

Tunku Mohar also said that Malaysia, holding the ASEAN Chairmanship for the fifth time, has a crucial role in managing the bloc’s tense relations with major powers like China, particularly concerning overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.

“As a middle power, Malaysia must exercise diplomacy to ease these tensions effectively,” he said.

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From an economic standpoint, he said Malaysia must lead ASEAN in enhancing intra-regional trade and investment, which remains at a relatively low level.

Currently, intra-ASEAN trade, which includes exports and imports among member countries, hovers between 20 and 25 per cent.

“To ensure the region can navigate global economic challenges, ASEAN nations must strengthen trade ties among themselves,” he said.

He also stressed that Malaysia should guide ASEAN in leveraging opportunities from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest trade bloc.

Tunku Mohar said the upcoming ASEAN-GCC Summit and the ASEAN-GCC+China Summit could serve as pivotal platforms for fostering new, strategic economic partnerships amid global uncertainties.

-- BERNAMA