Kuala Lumpur (VNA)– Nearly eight in 10 Malaysians considered the COVID-19 pandemic the mostimmediate threat to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), accordingto a regional survey.
A report from theSingapore-based ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute released onFebruary 16 showed 57.8 percent of Malaysians polled said ASEAN countries mustconsider unemployment and economic recession as a serious challenge.
This was followed by political instability in the region (50.4percent), increasing military tensions (28.9 percent), socioeconomic gaps andclimate change (26.7 percent each), deteriorating human rights conditions (20.7percent), as well as terrorism (11.1 percent).
Concerns among Malaysians about COVID-19 attracted about 75.4percent of respondents, citing it as the biggest threat ahead of unemploymentand the economic recession. ASEAN's ability to overcome current pandemic challengesare concerned by 49.0 percent of respondents.
Another key issue for Southeast Asia is theurgency to tackle climate change and extreme weather which already affected theregion by 2021, the report said.
The survey, conducted betweenNovember 11 and December 31, 2021, had involved 1,677 respondents, with 8.1 percentfrom Malaysia. Most of the respondents were academics from thinktanks or research institutions.
Established in 1968, the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute is aregional centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security, andeconomic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategicand economic environment./.
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