KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must accelerate a decisive transition towards more sustainable, diversified and cost-effective energy sources, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said this move is not merely an environmental necessity but also part of a broader strategy to navigate growing global uncertainty.
He acknowledged that Malaysia remains exposed to global energy disruptions but said the government is taking steps to cushion the impact on households.
“For Malaysia, this means acknowledging that we are not immune to disruptions in global energy supply.
“We remain firmly committed to safeguarding the well-being of our people.
“In the immediate term, my government has taken steps to manage exposure to volatility, striving to balance the need for adequate supply with alleviating the pressures on the cost of living,” he said.
In his keynote address at the Kuala Lumpur-Ankara Dialogue 2026, the Prime Minister said long-held assumptions about the global economy’s resilience have been fundamentally challenged, particularly as geopolitical tensions intensify in key regions.
“When tensions intensify in a region as strategically vital as the Gulf, the consequences are felt far beyond the immediate theatre of conflict,” he said.
“The oil shocks of the 1970s were not merely episodes of energy disruption. They triggered inflation, constrained growth and reshaped the global economic order.
“Yet today, the risks are more profound and pernicious. Our economies are more integrated, more digitised, and far more dependent on uninterrupted flows than at any point in the past,” he said.
He warned that any sustained disruption in the Gulf, particularly at the Strait of Hormuz, would have far-reaching consequences.
“It would reverberate across production systems, supply chains and the daily cost of living for hundreds of millions across both advanced and developing economies,” he added.
To minimise the impact, Anwar pointed to diplomacy, which he said must extend beyond governments to ensure its benefits are widely shared.
“The question before us is simple.
“Do we act collectively and purposefully to avert a crisis whose consequences will span generations?
“Or do we allow short-term calculations for quick gains that would eventually lead us to long-term instability?” he asked.
“Peace is not sustained by silence nor secured by force alone, but by the quiet, persistent work of those who refuse to accept that conflict is our destiny.”
