PUTRAJAYA, March 7 — Wisma Putra Retreat 2023 has recommended that Malaysia must make significant contributions as a rule maker and shaper at the international arena, and should fully leverage “the Anwar Ibrahim factor” to further boost its soft power capabilities
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the retreat, which was also attended by the members of the Consultative Council on Foreign Policy (CCFP), viewed that Malaysia cannot be in the backseat and watch other nations take the lead in shaping the rules and regulations that govern the world.
“The retreat highlighted that we must take charge and become the driving force behind the decisions that affect us all. The retreat strongly viewed that Malaysia must be proactive in our approach, taking the initiative to propose ideas and solutions that address the challenges facing our world today,” he said.
He was speaking during the interaction session of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with 106 Malaysian heads of diplomatic missions abroad, here, in conjunction with the two-day retreat that ended Tuesday.
Zambry noted that there was an appetite expressed by some parties during the retreat to claim, or rather reclaim, Malaysia as a Middle Power.
As Malaysia has long been recognised as a leader on the international stage, he said the retreat recommended that Malaysia must continue to perform in areas such as peacemaking through the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO); championing the rights of the Ummah; Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) and South-South cooperation.
“Towards this end, Wisma Putra will examine closely the aspiration to achieve Malaysia’s status as a Middle Power,” he said.
Zambry said members of the retreat collectively agreed that Malaysia should fully leverage “the Anwar Ibrahim factor” as the prime minister is well known at the international stage to further boost its soft power capabilities, as well as leveraging its economic strength in advancing the human security agenda.
They recommended that Malaysia should utilise the MTCP as a tool to further strengthen its soft power and enhance its scientific and educational diplomacy, including through the internationalisation agenda of the Higher Education Ministry such as the Jangkauan Global Malaysia (JGM) and Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS).
“The retreat highlighted the need for Wisma Putra to boost global and moral standing through effective public diplomacy in order to increase Malaysia’s visibility, through comprehensive social media communication strategies such as TikTok Diplomacy and Insta-Diplomacy,” he said.
Zambry pointed out that the retreat also recommended the establishment of a task force consisting of competent and multi-disciplinary experts to implement the internationalisation of the six MADANI values.
The MADANI concept was officially introduced by Anwar in January based on six pillars – sustainability, prosperity, innovation, respect, trust and compassion.
“The retreat also recommended the establishment of a platform for dialogues and intellectual discussions on the causes, processes and proper responses in countering issues of Islamophobia, religious intolerance and discrimination. In this regard, Malaysia will promote the MADANI values and aspirations by aligning them to our foreign policy,” he said.
Zambry said the retreat also deliberated on Malaysia’s future outlook on the African and Latin American regions.
“The importance of these regions, both in terms of their economic potential and their strategic significance; deepening our engagement with these regions; and the possibility of opening more missions in these strategic locations,” he said.
On Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025, Zambry said the retreat acknowledged that Malaysia must identify, as soon as possible, the key priorities and deliverables that the country would set to achieve during the chairmanship.
“The retreat proposed for Malaysia to undertake an in-depth and comprehensive assessment to be made on the achievement of the three pillars of ASEAN: (i) Political-Security; (ii) Economic; and (iii) Socio-Cultural pillars,” he said.
