Positioning Malaysia in the International Arena

From the time of independence, Malaysia has sought to strengthen its international presence, and has positioned itself by focusing on areas such as international trade, globalisation's impact on developing economies, and development policies. Currently, Malaysia is one of the world's most globalised economies, with its trade 1.3 times greater than its gross domestic product. Her export-led economic growth is made possible through attractive foreign investment policies accelerated by the open markets that sprung from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

As a developing country, Malaysia attaches high priority to the security and stability of South East Asia, expressed through Malaysia's active membership in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean). Malaysia is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The challenge for Malaysia is to continue on its growth path while balancing national needs against growing globalisation and regionalism.

In this monograph, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, speaks on the evolution of Malaysia's foreign policies, from its pro-Western post-independence stance to its present decisively non-aligned position. He talks also of Malaysia's initiatives in fostering friendships among poorer, developing nations, and how that has returned dividends to Malaysia.

His speech is followed by a panel session in which discussants Dato' Harun Siraj, Dr Azman Awang, Dr Zulaiha Ismail, and Mr Mohd Rafa'ei Mohd Tahir commented on the keynote speech, and offered their own perspectives on the topic. The session was moderated by Universiti Teknologi MARA's Assistant Vice Chancellor, Associate Professor Dr Mustaffa Mohamed Zain.

A useful reference for readers keen to know more about Malaysia's foreign policies, from 1957 to 2003, this publication contains transcripts of the keynote address, panel session as well as summaries of the group discussions.

The Perdana Discourse Series was jointly organised by Perdana Leadership Foundation, an independent research and archive institution dedicated to Malaysia's Prime Ministers, and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), the biggest public university in Malaysia.

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