PM ANWAR’S POWERFUL G20 ADDRESS ADVOCATES FOR THE MARGINALISED -- ISIS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has delivered a powerful message at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using the platform to highlight the gross injustices faced by weaker and marginalised nations.

Chairman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Faiz Abdullah, said Anwar’s interventions at the summit’s two  sessions carried a clear and stern message.

“He articulated in language that could best be described as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”, demonstrating his holy anger at the gross injustice perpetrated against the weaker and marginalised nations and communities, and the blatant bigotry and duplicity of the Global North vis-à-vis the Global South," he said.

In calling out the global powers that be for their indifference and hypocrisy on global governance, Mohd Faiz  said Anwar underscored that this has led to the institutions failing, and these failures perpetuate the very inequalities and oppression they were designed to alleviate and avert.

“Cut the crap and walk the talk, that’s what the Prime Minister is saying effectively, a mantra that I believe should be in Anwar’s active vocabulary especially when being interviewed by the wolf-in-sheepskin-press,” he said.

Mohd Faiz said Anwar at the G20 Summit had highlighted the systemic inequities in institutions like the United Nations Security Council, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the Bretton Woods frameworks.

Without holding back in his intervention, Mohd Faiz said Anwar chastised the permanent members of the Security Council for their abuse of the veto power in repeatedly obstructing much-needed action on urgent global issues, drowning out the collective voice of less powerful nations.

The ongoing genocide in Gaza and atrocities in Lebanon underscore the failure of international mechanisms to halt the bloodshed, with the Security Council unable to hold Israel and its partners accountable, he said.

 In all, Mohd Faiz said Malaysia has been consistent and clear in its advocacy for multilateral governance reform and equitable trade at both the APEC and G20 summits in November 2024.

"These imperatives reflect Malaysia’s growing aspiration and stature as a bridge builder between the Global North and South—while also aligning closely with its priorities as ASEAN Chair in 2025," he said.

For ASEAN especially under Malaysia’s chairmanship, he opined that the time for advocacy to turn into action is fast approaching.

He said that though increasingly central to global trade and geopolitics, ASEAN has often been criticised for its lack of unified and decisive action, its vaunted centrality being tested against the reality of cohesiveness.

"This time, led by our dynamic and sometimes needfully strident Prime Minister, Malaysia’s leadership may yet be able to address this fragmentation, by rallying the bloc around a cohesive vision for global reform that prioritises not the wants and demands of the rich and powerful Global North, but the voices and needs of the generally poorer Global South and developing countries," he said.

-- BERNAMA