Kota Kinabalu: Sabah can play a central role in shaping the future of East Asean, given its diversity, natural wealth and strategic location, said Sunway Group Founder and Jeffrey Cheah Foundation Chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah.
He said Sabah’s position at the heart of East Asean provided it with a great opportunity to contribute towards improving lives, protecting natural resources and promoting sustainable development across the region.
“Sabah can play a central role in that mission. Its diversity, natural wealth and strategic location at the heart of East Asean gives it a great opportunity to help the region’s future,” he said when delivering a keynote address at the Sabah International Business Luncheon Talk 2026 (SIBLT2026) at the Sabah International Convention Centre here recently.
Dr Cheah said trade had connected communities across the region for centuries and these ties should be built upon to strengthen cooperation and create opportunities for future generations.
“As an organisation, Sunway is proudly Malaysian, and I am a true blue Malaysian,” he said, adding that Sunway hoped to build on and enrich its experience through partnerships in Sabah and the wider region.
He said Asia would remain a driving force of global economic growth, with Asean assuming an increasingly important role in shaping that future.
Dr Cheah also highlighted Sabah’s diversity as an example of how strong local identities could enrich a shared national and regional identity.
“This is one reason Sabah moves me deeply. Sabah shows us that strong local identities can enrich a shared national and even regional identity,” he said.
He said Sabah’s diverse heritage offered a hopeful example of people building a shared future while remaining rooted in their own cultures and traditions.
“Your diverse heritage offers a hopeful example of people building a shared future while remaining rooted in their own cultures and traditions,” he said.
Dr Cheah said the example was significant beyond Malaysia, particularly within the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), which is home to more than 80 million people of different ethnicities, languages and faiths.
He said the region shared an interest in protecting natural resources, promoting sustainable development and creating opportunities for the next generation.
“This common interest gives us compelling reasons to deepen cooperation and strengthen trust,” he said.
Dr Cheah said closer economic ties and human connections could unite people across borders while allowing communities to honour their identities and traditions.
He also stressed the importance of Malaysia continuing to build a shared, progressive and united Malaysian identity across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
