KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — Selangor should move beyond being a gateway to ASEAN and play a greater role in driving the regional economy by connecting young entrepreneurs to markets, technology, and opportunities across Southeast Asia, said the Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah.
Rather, its ambition should extend beyond attracting trade and investment to ensure the next generation can build businesses that compete across regions.
“Friends of ASEAN, I have spoken of Selangor because it is where our responsibility begins. It cannot be where our ambition ends. Ten years ago, it is enough to speak of opening up Selangor to ASEAN.
“Today, a young entrepreneur in Selangor should be able to see Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, or Ho Chi Minh City not as distant markets, but as a natural next step.
“ASEAN may be one region, but for too many businesses, we still behave as separate markets,” His Highness said in his inaugural royal address at the opening ceremony of the 10th Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS) at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.
Regional collaboration is becoming an economic necessity as supply chains shift and major economies compete for investment, technology, and talent.
Tengku Amir emphasised that fragmentation would come at a cost, especially for young people and businesses seeking to expand beyond their domestic markets.
His Highness highlighted the TEAM Programme Malaysia, an initiative under Selangor Youth Community (SAY) in collaboration with The King’s Trust International, which engaged Malaysian youth.
Tengku Amir had witnessed many inspiring stories of young entrepreneurs who developed their products locally and successfully expanded into international markets.
“International experiences such as these have reinforced something I have observed repeatedly. The distance between a local enterprise and a regional one is rarely made at talent.
“Talent is present in every town across this region; what is often absent is the bridge — the right network, the right market, or simply the confidence to make the first move beyond what is familiar.
“Build that bridge and a business that begins in Selangor need not remain a small business. It can become an ASEAN business,” His Highness said.
Tengku Amir also noted Selangor’s efforts to widen access to financing and business support, particularly for small traders and home-based entrepreneurs.
Over 90,000 entrepreneurs across the state’s 12 local authorities have been reached this year, with some financing applications that previously took months to process now able to be approved within 48 hours through a single point of contact.
Therefore, the same commitment should be applied to support smaller businesses and founders developing solutions for emerging industries, citing the Selangor Triple Accelerator Programme 2026 as an example.
Regarding the role of education and technology, His Highness said ASEAN’s young population could become a competitive advantage only if youths are equipped with the skills and opportunities to participate in the economy.
Education should prepare young people not merely to obtain qualifications but to build businesses, sell products, lead, and compete in regional markets.
“Technology will be central to that future, but technology without people who can use it well builds nothing. This is where education carries its weight, not simply as a credential, but as a preparation to build, to sell, to lead, and to compete.
“ASEAN's youth is often described as one of our greatest advantages. But youth by itself is not an economic strategy. Its value depends on what we enable young people to do.
“Give them the tools, the training, market access, and demographic promise becomes productivity capacity. Connect that capacity across borders, and it becomes a regional advantage,” said Tengku Amir.
