KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) hosted the third series of Malaysia Madani Scholars Forum (FIM) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Kompleks Seri Perdana last week.

The forum, themed "Direction and Strategy for Malaysia’s Asean Chairmanship 2025”, saw Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as the moderator for three guest panelists: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Haji Hasan, Chairman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia Datuk Prof Mohd Faiz Abdullah and Honorary Research Fellow of Perak Academy.

The panel discussed Malaysia’s preparation and strategy for its role as Asean Chair in 2025, as well as inclusivity and sustainability in Asean Vision, and the enhancement of Asean regional cooperation.

The forum also addressed challenges and opportunities in global issues, Asean’s role as an economic bloc and diplomatic power, social issues and welfare, and strengthening Asean unity and leadership.

The third FIM outlined Malaysia’s continuous efforts and commitment to addressing regional and global challenges while leveraging opportunities to enhance cooperation and collective wellbeing.

FIM, an initiative inspired by the prime minister, serves as a platform for intellectual discourse, and is aligned with MoHE’s aspirations to foster and promote a culture of knowledge-sharing and exchange among scholars and the public across various fields based on the Whole-of-Nation approach.

Also present were Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, MoHE Secretary-General Datuk Seri Dr Zaini Ujang, and several secretaries-general and department heads.