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KUALA LUMPUR: Strong government-private sector engagements are needed to make businesses more resilient, especially in view of current economic uncertainties, said ASEAN Business Advisory Council Malaysia consulting director Jukhee Hong.

She said governments need to strive for a peaceful resolution so that trade can happen without any tensions and uncertainty.

“Businesses can only operate when we have certainty in the business environments. Everything is very volatile these days. We do not need geopolitical tension,“ said Hong during a webinar on ‘AEC 2025 Blueprint: Stumbling blocks towards the creation of AEC’ today.

The webinar was organised by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.

Hong was responding to a question on how businesses remain resilient with the current geopolitical challenges and political uncertainties in the ASEAN region, particularly in Malaysia.

“I think it is very important to make our voices heard. I think making our concerns to policymakers would make them a lot more informed about the positions that Malaysia should take within the context of the geo-economic situation,“ she added.

Meanwhile, Institute of Malaysian and International Studies principal fellow Professor Dr Sufian Jusoh pointed out that ASEAN needs to be forward-looking and be precise on its future plans, rather than focusing on building ambitious plans in one or two areas that would not be implemented throughout the region.

“On obstacles in services (industry) in ASEAN where services are dominated by domestic regulations. These are rarely addressed. We also are facing a daunting task on services and investments, especially on domestic regulations and facilitations,“ he added.

Source: https://www.thesundaily.my/business/strong-govt-private-sector-engagements-needed-to-build-resilience-business-council-AI9974714