Tan Sri Azman Hashim
President
MASSA 

The global economy in 1H2023 appeared poised for a soft landing and gradual recovery from the blows of the pandemic and of Russia-Ukraine War. Supply-chain disruptions are unwinding, and the disruptions to energy and food markets are ebbing. Concurrently, the tightening of monetary policy by most central banks should start to bear fruit, with inflation tempering toward its targets.

Below the surface, however, indicators suggest that expectations should be tempered, as banking volatility and financial turbulence remain in the foreground. According to the OECD’s and IMF they anticipate global GDP growth to range between 2.7-2.8% in 2023.

The pace of expansion of the Malaysian economy is expected to moderate due to headwinds that include the uncertain global outlook, inflationary pressures, financial tightening, slower external demand and extreme climate occurrences. Nevertheless, some of the tailwinds for the Malaysian economy include the gradual recovery of international tourism arrivals with the reopening of international borders. Tourism Malaysia is targeting 16.1 million international visitor arrivals for 2023, a 60% increase compared with the estimated 10.1 million international visitor arrivals in 2022. Additionally, the decision of a number of electronics multinationals to invest in large-scale new projects in the nation also favourably attest to Malaysia’s competitiveness and position as a global hub for electronics, manufacturing, and services amongst others.

Given the global considerations, Malaysia’s strong economic fundamentals remain intact. The growth of the Malaysian economy in the first quarter of 2023 registered 5.6%, which is in line with our Government’s projection for Malaysia to achieve real GDP growth for the year 2023 to be between 4.0 – 5.0%.

The imperative for businesses to adopt ESG-compliant approaches and solutions continues to be underscored by the Government. The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) reported that between 2021 – September 2022, a total of RM4.9 billion in green technology projects had been approved. The business opportunities and economic spillover benefits of ESG adoption indicate a new front for businesses to leverage alongside digitalisation and digital transformation. We look forward to the Government’s policy approach for industries particularly under the National Carbon Policy, the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2023 and the i-ESG Framework when they are announced.

MASSA held its 32nd Annual General Meeting on a hybrid basis on 28 June 2023. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Office Bearers and Executive Committee Members for their service from the term 2021-2023, in particular, I would like to place on record MASSA’s appreciation to Datuk Lim Fung Chee and Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid for their services as Vice-President and Member of the Executive Committee respectively.

I also take this occasion to congratulate and welcome the Office Bearers and Executive Committee Members who have been elected to serve the Association till 2025. In particular, I would like to thank Datuk T Y Lee, Dato’ Lawrence Lim Swee Lin and Datuk Merlyn Kasimir for agreeing to serve as Vice-President, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Assistant Secretary respectively, and to the new Members of the Executive Committee, Mr Arshad Ismail, Mr Lee Chun Fai and Mr Chang Yii Tan.

During the 32^nd AGM, MASSA reaffirmed its mission to bridge the South-South, and to complement the Government’s initiatives to enhance ties and business linkages with developing countries by continuing to engage and collaborate with the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) and its agencies, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra).

I appreciate the continuing support of all Members with your involvement at our regular meetings and events. I also wish to thank article and feature contributors from across the MASSA network, who have provided valuable and insightful articles for our newsletters and not forgetting the sponsors of our website.

Tan Sri Azman Hashim
President
1 August 2023