Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday renewed his call for Malaysia to support Bangladesh’s bid to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN.
He made the call when Nurul Izzah Anwar, vice-president of People’s Justice Party and daughter of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, met him at state guesthouse Jamuna in Dhaka on Sunday.
“We want to become a part of the ASEAN, and we will be needing your support,” said the chief adviser.
Bangladesh applied to become a sectoral dialogue partner of the ASEAN in 2020, with Yunus hoping that Malaysia, the current chair of the ASEAN, will take a proactive role in granting Bangladesh’s application to become a sectoral dialogue partner of the ASEAN and, in turn, become a full member of the regional body.
At the beginning of the meeting, Nurul Izzah offered her condolences over the recent fighter jet crash at Milestone School in Dhaka.
“It’s a tragic and sad event for our country. We lost so many people,” the chief adviser responded.
The chief adviser congratulated Nurul Izzah on her new role as vice president of the People’s Justice Party.
Yunus also highlighted Bangladesh’s recent political changes and the reforms undertaken by the interim government.
“We are going through a reform process. Our students took bullets in their chests and ousted the fascist Hasina regime. It started as a youth-led movement, but people from all classes took part,” he said.
“Students painted the walls and streets with the spirit of the July Uprising,” he added.
The chief adviser encouraged Malaysian firms to invest in Bangladesh. “Asia is ageing rapidly, but Bangladesh has a lot of young people. Half of our population is under 27. Set up your industries here and export from Bangladesh. It will help both our economies,” he said.
The CA’s Special Envoy for International Affairs, Lutfey Siddiqi, and Senior Secretary and SDG Coordinator Lamiya Morshed were also present at the meeting.
