NEW YORK — World leaders and delegates congregating here for the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will be listening attentively as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim gives his maiden address at the assembly as prime minister.
It appears to many that it is a speech 25 years in the making as Anwar was expected to succeed Tun (then Datuk Seri) Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister in the late 1990s before he was sacked in 1998.
“Many leaders of other countries said they were looking forward to the prime minister’s address because of his experience and leadership,” Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir told Malaysian journalists here on Monday.
Anwar is expected to explain the Madani framework – which in essence encompasses universal values of good governance, social justice and developing human capital.
“It is very important for us to let the world know what it is about,” Zambry added.
Anwar is expected to take to the podium at 10pm on Friday (September 22).
Anwar’s address will be based on the general debate at UNGA which is “Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
The establishment of the Unity Government following a bruising and divisive general election is also expected to be a talking point – at the assembly as well as the numerous talks and meetings on the sidelines of UNGA.
Anwar will amplify his calls for unity, peace and good governance at the Friday sermon at the Islamic Cultural Centre (ICC) – a first for a world leader at the ICC which is renown for its interfaith outreach programmes.
Significantly, Anwar will be meeting Fortune 500 companies including Boeing, Philip Morris International and Procter & Gamble to present Malaysia’s pitch of economic stability, regional leadership, ease of doing business and moderation – all anchored by political stability stemmed from political maturity of opposing factions coming together to work for the betterment of the nation.
Anwar who is also finance minister will be accompanied by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz at this meeting.
Other ministers in the delegation are Zambry, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution and Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
Anwar’s wife and former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is also be in the delegation.
Several MPs including Ipoh Timur’s Howard Lee; Datuk Noraini Ahmad (Parit Sulong), Onn Abu Bakar (Batu Pahat), and P. Prabakaran (Batu) are also in the delegation, along with Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Sim Kui Hian and Sabah Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan.
Several business leaders are also expected to meet Anwar for one-on-one investment meetings.
Anwar is also scheduled to meet his close friend President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesighe, Prime Minister of Thailand Srettha Thavisin, and President of Iraq Abdul Latif Rashid.
Meanwhile, Zambry met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson along with his other counterparts from Péter Szijjártó (Hungary); Vincent Biruta (Rwanda); and Sheikh Abdullah Zayed Al-Nahyan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) .
Yesterday, he met with the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsberg; Elina Valtonen (Finland), Jean Asselborn (Luxembourg), and Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi (Oman). — September 20, 2023