28/08/2025

THURSDAY | AUG 28, 2025

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Embracing dependence on one another vital for Asian nations: PM KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged Asian nations to embrace a new approach of “sovereign interdependence” to withstand global economic turbulence, technological disruption and the weaponisation of trade. He said the model recognises interdependence as unavoidable, and stressed that it must be built on resilience, mutual respect and national choice while rejecting both forced dependence and enforced decoupling. Speaking at the Kuala Lumpur Roundtable on Asia-Pacific Regional Cooperation of the Boao Forum for Asia, Anwar warned that the global trading order was breaking down, with major economies now acting as disruptors. “The global trading system is in distress. The World Trade Organisation has been left in near-paralysis. “Tariffs swing wildly, export controls are imposed and lifted without warning, and financial sanctions reach far beyond their targets. ‘’What was once a web of mutual gain is now a network of vulnerabilities.” He cautioned that instead of fostering cooperation, critical systems such as energy pipelines, shipping routes, semiconductors, payment networks and capital flows are increasingly being used as tools of leverage. Anwar said history shows that prosperity declines when nations build barriers. He said Asia’s rise as a centre of growth could only be sustained through stronger regional cohesion, coordinated policies and shared resilience. “Asean offers a model, as one of the few groupings where rivals sit together in dialogue. “As this year’s Asean chair, Malaysia is determined to preserve that centrality, not as rhetoric but as practice.” He highlighted the recent conclusion of negotiations on the Asean-China Free Trade Area 3.0, which would be presented to leaders in October. He said the upgraded agreement now covers digital economy, green growth, supply-chain connectivity, technical standards and SME support. Anwar called for the revitalisation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest free-trade pact covering 30% of global GDP. He said Malaysia intends to convene an RCEP Summit in October to accelerate implementation. – By Harith Kamal

WARM RECEPTION ...

The Sultan of Brunei Sultan

Hassanal Bolkiah, who is on a state visit to Malaysia, being welcomed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Seri Perdana Complex yesterday. – PIC COURTESY OF PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE

Take Johor tremors seriously, says expert o ‘Three incidents in a week show Malaysia not as sheltered from seismic forces as many believe’

power plants and high-end private developments are designed with earthquakes in mind. “But ordinary buildings, old shoplots, schools, low-cost flats and older apartment blocks will be the first to show damage if a stronger quake strikes.” He urged the authorities to respond with greater urgency without causing panic. “When we get three quakes in the same area within a week, that’s nature waving a big yellow flag. A magnitude 5 or higher event on Peninsular Malaysia’s old faults is a real possibility, and our buildings are simply not ready.” He said urgency means keeping seismic monitoring active around the clock, inspecting critical facilities after each tremor and carrying out evacuation drills in schools and offices. Azlan highlighted the need to start a genuine national conversation on strengthening building codes and upgrading vulnerable structures. “Better to face the risk now than to be caught off guard later. We must expect more such events, possibly stronger ones, and we should prepare as though they will come.” The first quake was a 4.1-magnitude one recorded at 6.13am on Aug 24, with its epicentre 5km west of Segamat at a depth of 10km. Tremors were felt in Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and southern Pahang. A second, weaker quake measuring 2.8 struck at 9am the same day, about 28km north-west of Kluang, Johor.

Ű BY HARITH KAMAL newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Segamat, the third recorded in Johor within a week, struck at 8.59am, with tremors felt in several parts of Johor and southern Pahang. Meteorological Department director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said in a statement yesterday that it was a weak event. Azlan cautioned that the tremors should not be dismissed. “When tremors repeat within days, it means the ground beneath us is not calm. The stress is active. Malaysia may not sit directly on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ but we are far from stable. “We are squeezed between the Sumatran subduction zone to the west and the Philippine plate boundary to the east. That constant pressure can creep into our crust, shaking old faults we thought were asleep.” Azlan said Malaysia’s real vulnerability lies in its infrastructure readiness. “The reality is that most buildings in Johor and across Malaysia were not designed with earthquakes in mind before 2017 when the country introduced its first seismic design code, although compliance was largely optional, especially for privately-owned structures. “Only a handful of critical facilities like dams,

PETALING JAYA: Earthquakes in Johor are neither a passing curiosity nor a coincidence but a warning sign that Malaysia must take seriously, said a structural earthquake expert. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Engineering Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research head Prof Dr Azlan Adnan said the recent tremors show that the country is not as sheltered from seismic forces as many believe. “Three quakes in a week are not a coincidence. They are a warning sign, and if we ignore it, we do so at our own risk,” he told theSun. Azlan said in earthquake science, tremors usually fall into three categories – foreshocks, mainshocks and aftershocks. “The sequence of quakes in Johor since Aug 24 could fit any of these storylines. They may be small aftershocks quietly releasing stress underground or they may be foreshocks, the warning taps before a bigger quake. “And that’s the scary truth. Science cannot say for sure which it is until a bigger one happens.” Yesterday’s 3.2-magnitude quake near

‘Court approval needed for live broadcast of high-profile graft cases’ PUTRAJAYA: The proposal to broadcast live proceedings of high-profile corruption trials must first be examined against existing legal provisions before it is implemented, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. audio form, which is already being done in many cases. “However, if this matter is to be taken seriously, it has to be discussed with the Chief Justice,” she said after attending the ministry’s monthly assembly and a Jalur Gemilang flag raising ceremony yesterday. Recently, Malaysian Anti-Corruption proceedings could help boost public confidence in the judicial process. Azam said the move was necessary as some parties had been using social media to distort court facts, leading to baseless allegations. Separately, Azalina expressed her

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coordinated and integrated. “That was the prime minister’s suggestion, and I thank him for it. He will evaluate the matter and make the decision.” Anwar had raised the idea on Aug 21, stressing that such a ministry would enable Malaysia to engage more meaningfully with regional partners in advancing the rule of law, particularly within Asean. – Bernama

appreciation to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for proposing the creation of a dedicated Law Ministry to ensure that the

“I am not sure what the legal regulations are but court approval will be required. Normally, proceedings are recorded, mostly in

Commission chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki suggested that live telecasts of such