Malaysia To Strengthen Global Cooperation To Address Climate Crisis - Anwar

SERDANG, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will continue to strengthen diplomatic relations with major world powers and ASEAN member states to ensure that the progress achieved ultimately brings direct benefits to the people, particularly farmers, smallholders and paddy farmers.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said good relations with countries such as the United States, China and Australia were important to ensure that Malaysia was regarded as a stable country capable of safeguarding the welfare of its people.

He said global challenges such as the climate crisis now required closer international cooperation, as their impact had begun to threaten the agricultural sector and food security.

Sharing details of his recent discussion with former United States Vice President Al Gore, Anwar said they discussed the global climate crisis, Malaysia’s energy transition, as well as the haze situation in Serian, Sarawak, which had forced an emergency to be declared in the district.

“This world cannot always be under control. The worsening climate crisis, such as the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas, has caused massive floods in Nepal, claiming so many lives and threatening the safety not only of the people of Nepal but also Malaysians.

“These are things that we cannot predict. However, for things that we can plan for properly, we must do so. That is why we are carrying out our energy transition. We are reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and coal,” he said in his speech at the closing ceremony of the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) 2026 here today.

Also present were Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu; Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari; Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar; and secretary-general of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Isham Ishak.

Elaborating, Anwar said Malaysia was actively developing undersea cable routes to transmit renewable energy generated through cooperation with Vietnam and Sarawak to Johor and Singapore, which would also benefit Sabah, Kalimantan and southern Philippines.

He said the diversification of new energy sources would be aligned with the energy transition policy to support the sustainability of the local agricultural sector.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also shared about his phone call with former Indonesian President Joko Widodo early this morning, who is currently in Penang, to further strengthen the ties of friendship between the two countries.

“So, as an old friend, I should have gone down to Penang to be with him. But I told him, ‘I’m sorry, Pak. I have an event with the people, MAHA, smallholders, paddy farmers and farmers. So, I apologise, I can’t be there with you,’” he said.

-- BERNAMA