KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 (Bernama) -- Given the complexity of todayʼs business environment, companies must plan for not just growth, but resilience as well, said the Tunku Laksamana and former Regent of Negeri Sembilan, Tunku Datuk Seri Utama Naquiyuddin ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar.
“Malaysian companies must reassess their exposure to geopolitical risks. This means more than diversifying export markets. It requires a deep understanding of supply chain vulnerabilities, financing channels and technology dependencies.
“Businesses must plan not just for growth, but for resilience. Firms that continue to treat geopolitics as an external issue, disconnected from commercial strategy, are taking unnecessary risks,” he said in a special address at the Malaysia Economic Forum (MEF) 2025 today.
The MEF 2025, themed “Navigating the Future: Pioneering Economic Resilience and Green Prosperity”, has successfully convened over 100 high-level delegates from across government, business and academia.
The forum, co-organised by the KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific and the Economic Club of Kuala Lumpur (ECKL), delivered robust discussions aimed at shaping Malaysia’s economic transformation amidst global volatility.
Tunku Naquiyuddin said there must be a shift from passive compliance to strategic alignment.
“Environmental, social and governance (ESG), data governance, carbon disclosure and technology localisation are becoming baseline expectations. These are not trends; they are shaping the rules of global trade, investment and procurement.
“Companies that treat these as peripheral will find themselves excluded from future opportunities, particularly in higher-value supply chains,” he continued.
He said regional integration must be taken seriously.
“ASEAN may appear slow-moving, but the region is still one of the most open in the world. Malaysian firms are well-placed to lead cross-border partnerships, create regional platforms and tap into investment incentives across multiple jurisdictions. The full potential of the ASEAN Economic Community remains underleveraged by our private sector,” he added.
He also called on businesses to stop treating technology as an abstract buzzword. “We have been talking about Industry 4.0 for the better part of a decade, yet many firms still approach it with hesitation or confusion. Artificial intelligence is not new, nor is cloud computing, big data analytics or digital platforms,” he said.
He advised Malaysian companies to reframe their role in the national economy.
“The private sector is not a passenger in the development process, yet it is a driver. We need firms that take ownership of outcomes, shape policy through engagement and act with the same urgency they demand from the state,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
