VERBATIM TEXT

SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

YAB DATO’ SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

 

INDIAN COMMUNITY EVENT

ON THE OCCASION OF

THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF H.E. NARENDRA MODI

PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA

 

SATURDAY, 7^th FEBRUARY 2026

MINES INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION

AND CONVENTION CENTRE

 

 

Terima kasih.

Pada petang ini saya sangat sukacita dan gembira kerana sahabat saya, Perdana Menteri Narendra Modi, India bersama-sama kita.

 

Prime Minister Modi;

Ministers;

Excellencies.

 

 

1. We can sense the excitement, the affection, displayed today not even the dancers but all present, how our two friends, two great countries, and me and you, Prime Minister Modi.

 

2. It’s a real honour. I told you right in the car that I am personally very excited, very thankful, very appreciative that I have a great friend. Great friend from India joining us in Malaysia.

 

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

 

3. This gathering recognises something deep and enduring between two nations. Long before, there were embassies and trade agreements. Long before, there were nation states, traders, scholars and sailors crossed the Indian Ocean between the Indian subcontinent and the Malay Archipelago.

 

4. Consider the Bali Yatra, one of the oldest maritime commemorations observed in India. It is honours that the ancient seafares who set out from the eastern coast of India, for the ports of Southeast Asia some two thousand years ago. Guided by the monsoon winds, they made harbour along the Malay Peninsula, bringing spices, textiles and precious goods.

 

5. In the centuries that followed, Indians came to Malaysia in great numbers: to work in the plantations, to build railways and ports, to staff hospitals, schools and government offices. They helped clear the interiors. They laid rail tracks linking down the coast. Alongside their Malay and Chinese neighbors, they helped build the foundation of a great Malaysian economy and country.

 

6. And Prime Minister Modi Ji, let me assure you. When Malaysia embarked on the great project of building a nation from its diversity, the Indian community, my brothers and sisters was an integral partner in that journey.

 

7. Like many of us, I grew up with neighbors, teachers and colleagues from the Indian community whose dedication shaped everyday life. We went to school together, played sports together, and celebrated festivals together. That is how nations are truly built: not through grand policies alone, but in the classrooms, in workplaces, and our shared life.

 

8. We see Indian heritage in the vibrancy of the life. Little India districts from Brickfields to Penang. In bharatanatyam an odissi performed on Malaysian stages. We see it in our music in the rhythm, some of the songs familiar to you because I did sing in front of you. Our cinema, literature, food, where Indian, Malay, Chinese and indigenous traditions have come together into something unmistakably ours.

 

9. Diwali, Thaipusam are now celebrations for all Malaysian. They bring light, colour, and meaning to our national life. Since our independence in 1957, our relationship has steadily expanded. And I am proud to note that in recent years, Malaysia-India relations have gained renewed momentum. In economic cooperation, in digital engagement, and in the movement of people and ideas between countries. India’s at peace policy has placed ASEAN among the primary pillars of its engagement with this wider region. And Malaysia is proud to be part of that framework.

 

10. And may I say this at a personal level. Prime Minister Modi Ji, under your premiership. Our bond of friendships both of us as brothers and our two nations has grown much stronger. Thank you.

 

11. This is not merely a declaratory statement. It produces a result. Bilateral trade reached almost 19 billion dollars in 2025. India, Bharat is among Malaysia’s top trading partners and Malaysia is one of India’s leading partners in ASEAN. And it is not only goods that move between us. Palm oil, electronic, manufactured goods, petroleum products, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals flow. But in 2025, over one and a half million visitors came to Malaysia. This has surpassed pre-pandemic level. Now as we mark Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and amazingly, Prime Minister Modi Ji is one of the first visitors from India.

 

12. We are now deepening cooperation in the frontiers that will define our century: semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, digital finance, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Malaysia’s established electronics ecosystem and India’s expanding market and design capabilities are natural complements. As global supply chains reconfigure, there is real potential to make our region a more resilient and trusted hub for high technology manufacturing.

 

13. The Malaysia-India Digital Council reflects this shared ambition. The linkage between India’s Unified Payments Interface and Malaysia’s PayNet systems make cross- border payments simpler for business, students and travellers.

 

 

Excellency, ladies and gentlemen.

 

14. At a time of great uncertainty in the world, our region need voices that speak for dialogue over confrontation. For cooperation over narrow self-interest. Malaysia and India can be among those voices.

 

15. Together with Prime Minister Modi, let me reiterate my commitment to deepen cooperation in trade, technology, education, culture, because the worth of any partnership is measured in the end by the difference it makes to the lives of ordinary people.

 

16. Prime Minister Modi Ji, I followed your struggle. And I am fortunate to be a great personal friend of Modi Ji of India. Thank you. Namaste.