VERBATIM TEXT

 

CLOSING CEREMONY SPEECH

 

BY

 

YAB DATO’ SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

 

 

AT THE

 

MYDRONE EXPO 2026

 

 

27^th JUNE 2026 (SATURDAY) |11:00AM

MAEPS SERDANG, SELANGOR

 

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabaratuh dan Salam Sejahtera.

 

Saudara Dato’ Lester Tay,

Organizing Chairman of MyDrone Expo 2026;

 

Rakan-rakan pihak penganjur dan tetamu-tetamu yang saya muliakan.

 

1. Terima kasih atas usaha membangunkan satu bidang teknologi baharu, yang negara Malaysia sebagai keutamaannya memberikan tumpuan. Sebagaimana saudara tahu, negara kita pernah menjadi gergasi pengeluaran getah dan bijih timah. Kalau kita tumpu, kita boleh tingkat sebagai pengeluar utama.

 

2. Kita beralih ke bidang industri, industri peringkat rendah. Kemudian, kita meningkat lagi dalam bidang-bidang baharu. Sekarang Malaysia, dengan strategi semikonduktor yang baru, menjadi tarikan, dan pengeluaran semikonduktor kita di antara yang paling gagah di rantau ini.

 

3. Bila keadaan ekonomi meleset, kita lihat keupayaan kita bertahan kerana teknologi baharu. Dan sebab itu, strategi semikonduktor kita berhasil. Tetapi kita juga harus meningkat. Sekarang bidang Artificial Intelligence dan Data Center. Malaysia sekarang menjadi di antara tumpuan utama di rantau ini. Tentang penumbuhan Data Center dan Artificial Intelligence. Belum cukup. Kita menjelajah lagi baru-baru ini, ke Jepun, ke negara China, ke Rusia, selain daripada hubungan lama yang kuat dengan Amerika Syarikat dan Eropah, dalam bidang Quantum Computing.

 

4. Dan hari ini saya diberikan penghormatan, kerana atas inisiatif persatuan, memperkenalkan kepada rakyat dan memberi sokongan kepada ekosistem yang membina industri baru yang disebut drones. Drones ni tak masuk dalam kamus kita 20 tahun yang lalu. Semasa saya membesar, saya di universiti atau tatkala mengajar di Amerika Syarikat, drones itu baru berkembang. Dan tidak dapat kita tangkap, tidak menangkap kita punya pandangan.

 

5. So as we bring this event to a close, that conviction that if we do focus, there are a few things. First, political stability. Without that you will not be able to attract investors. The country will be relatively peaceful and politics is stable. Having said that, we have to focus on clear clarity of policies. Investors when they come, or even domestic investors, they know exactly. We talk about semiconductor strategic policy. This is it.

 

6. When we talk about the new industrial master plan, you know precisely. Although there must be some flexibility because these are new innovations and we must allow for creativity. But there is clarity in policy.

 

7. Similarly, now that we have see the potential of UAV industry, we now need to focus. I’ve asked cabinet ministers, the framers of our policies, the science research establishment and all related agencies to give all the support necessary. So, but they don’t need to worry Lester Tay, because the policy is clear.

 

8. Now drones and related industry is given the support not only for the Air Force, the defense industry, but also for the civil activities, for example in plantations. I’ve seen the work of some of plantations remarkable use of drones to help assist to increase enhanced productivity through new technology, drones and AI.

 

9. So, thank you very much for this initiative and I do certainly on behalf of the government, appreciate express my profound appreciation to those who have given time to support this venture, particularly those and also those from foreign countries.

 

10. This, if well managed, both government and private sector can be a platform for innovation and collaboration in the global UAV industry.

 

11. Now, have you seen daily news about the uncertainties, global uncertainties, in terms of the war in the Middle East. Endless statements that caused more worries than giving us hope, but notwithstanding, we also know the positive aspect. I mean, UAV is one as related to drones, of course, AI, digital transformation and the growing number of semiconductors and data centers.

 

12. And we need the one to focus and let the politicians probably in the other part of the world worry about. Of course we worry, but they have to grapple with thess uncertainties created by them. Things are peaceful, they go provoke countries, they going to attack boundaries, they attack people, societies, they grab lands and this sheer madness, of course we don’t tolerate them, it’s beyond our control.

 

13. But we in Malaysia must remain focused in what we need to do. As I’ve said, alluded to earlier, politics must be stable, corruption must be tackled, fought with vigor. Policies must be clear or as I said, clarity in policies and effective implementation by the bureaucrats and the civil service, and to understand that collaboration involves both the public and the private sector.

 

14. Now, here you are talking about unmanned aerial vehicle technology. As I said, is only in the books about the future and the past, but now it is a reality and it is accepted that it can be a or has emerged as a powerful catalyst for innovation and growth. And Lester Tay made a reference to the fact that global UAV market is projected to exceed… I don’t know, 55 billion dollars by 2030. It’s your figures, I hope it’s right.

 

15. While the low attitude economy is slowly becoming an increasingly important driver of investment, productivity and economic activity. So, we are determined therefore in Malaysia to seize these opportunities.

 

16. Our advantage again, in the MADANI Economy, is to remain focused but to engage with all countries as you have seen, the West, the East, we can be great friends to United States who happens to be the major investor and trading partner. You are a great friend to China, very important neighbour and they’re doing remarkably well in terms of this bilateral collaboration. We are now growing to engage with Russia. This is the greatness of Malaysia. Malaysia is a friend to all.

 

17. We stand to our principles, we voice our concern, we are loud sometimes, but we know our priorities and the priority is to make sure that this country attracts the best from the country and from overseas. And this is what we call inclusive prosperity.

 

18. I just came back in the last few days from Kazan, Russia. Before that I stopped over a few hours in Kazakhstan to enhance trade with Central Asian countries. But our standing achievement in our friendship with Turkmenistan, that the country has now given so much trust and confidence to Malaysia. One of the largest gas reserve in the world is entrusted to Malaysia by Turkmenistan.

 

19. And of course, I was deeply, I mean, grateful to my friend the President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who has shown so much affection to our country and to our collaboration.

 

20. You know, the competition in the oil gas industry is very fierce. He had impressive offers from the top countries and oil companies in the world. But he still decided to support PETRONAS.

 

21. Again, precisely because we are friends to all, politically stable. There’s clarity in economic policies. Despite the fact that Malaysia is a multiracial, multi-religious country, we maintain that peace, harmony and respect for one another.
22. So, ladies and gentlemen, you have gone through surveys and structural inspections in the west term as geospatial mapping. We need to improve project delivery and strengthen environmental management to support better planning and decision making, even in terms of focusing on the development and expanding the drone technology.

 

23. Drone technology, with all these parameters that I have explained, would cover what? Almost everything possible. I mean, I talk about defense industry, of course, but even during normal times; plantation sector, times of crisis like flood relief, search and rescue operations, drones still provide this critical situational awareness. Locate stranded victims, assist emergency responders in areas which otherwise difficult or almost impossible to reach.

 

24. So, the value of this technology, drones, cannot be underestimated. Yes, it is for productivity, economic advancement, it is for defense, but it is also to serve our people, to strengthen our resilience and, importantly, improve the quality of public services.

 

25. So, we are committed to support, and I said building the ecosystem of the UAV industry. We will improve the regulatory framework.

 

26. Dato’ Lester Tay and colleagues who understands the industry can work with agencies where we need to improve in terms of the ecosystem, in terms of research, in terms of additional investment, research, testing, certification, and, of course, we need collaboration between the industry, government research establishment and the universities.

 

27. We want universities to be more involved. I’ve seen some participation, some universities, and I think we need to encourage this, as they have done so in AI faculty, quantum computing and, of course, drones.

 

28. Jadi sekali lagi saya ucap terima kasih atas inisiatif ini. Ia tidak gagah dan megah, tetapi ia memberikan satu tumpuan dalam teknologi baharu, kerana kalau Malaysia mahu menjadi negeri yang lebih berjaya, gagah dari segi ekonomi, ia mesti segera, cepat, pantas dan laju meneroka teknologi dan bidang-bidang baharu. Dron satu bidang dan terkait dengan digital dan AI, dan kita harus bina ekosistem yang sesuai dan wajar untuk memperkukuh.

 

29. Terima kasih kepada persatuan dan Dato’ Lester Tay dan rakan-rakan daripada semua agensi dan jabatan yang membantu dan syarikat yang menyertai pameran ini. Terima kasih.

 

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.