At least five countries want Malaysia to lead ASEAN space agency, senate told

KUALA LUMPUR: At least five or six countries have asked Malaysia to become an ASEAN space agency, the Senate was told today.

In fact, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said those countries also wanted Malaysia to be the satellite launch centre even though the establishment of ASEAN space agency is still in the planning stage.

"We (the government) have not yet chosen the state or the place (where the establishment of this space agency) will be, but we will discuss it with the relevant ministries and agencies before it is brought to the Cabinet to decide," he said in reply to Senator Datuk Lim Pay Hen during Question Time.

Lim had wanted to know whether the government would consider the proposed establishment of the ASEAN space agency, which was discussed at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition last year, when it takes over the ASEAN chairmanship in 2025.

FIVE years ago, President and CEO of Axelspace Japan Nakamura Yuya was quoted as saying that ASEAN member countries should work together to establish the space agency because it may help reduce costs and resources that are often among the obstacles to any space-related project.

To a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Dr Arman Azha Abu Hanifah on whether the presence of ASEAN countries in BRICS will also be discussed during the ASEAN Summit next year, Mohamad said it depends on the member countries involved.

The minister, however, did not deny that the new economic bloc was the best platform for Malaysia to speak out, considering the population and gross domestic product (GDP) value of its member countries is greater than ASEAN's.

"BRICS is an informal bloc that does not require us (Malaysia) to deal with any 'treaty'. We see a bloc that can be a good platform for the country because the population of the member countries is more than two billion with a GDP that is bigger than ASEAN's.

"That's why Malaysia has expressed interest in joining BRICS if application for new membership is open," he said.

BRICS was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China with South Africa, hence the acronym, but Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were admitted as new members earlier this year.

-- BERNAMA