00:00Your Highness, leaders of ASEAN, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, oh, what a relief.
00:13We have come to the close of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
00:20It has been a privilege to host, Your Majesty, and leaders here in Kuala Lumpur through these
00:33intense and illuminating exchanges.
00:37In today's world, where constancy is a rare virtue, Shakespeare warns us against being
00:49passion's slave and urges us that we should be governed by reason to be steadfast amid
00:58the stirrings and frenzies of the hour.
01:02That must be ASEAN's way if we are to endure.
01:09We also take quiet satisfaction in seeing conversations unfold among partners and powers beyond these
01:19walls.
01:21We revived dialogues, built new bridges, and proved that ASEAN's missionary, when guided
01:29by patience and reason, still works.
01:34We recognize that no chairmanship, not even a generation, can right every wrong.
01:42Some crises will persist.
01:45Some lives remain shadowed by fear and want.
01:49Yet history seldom leaps.
01:54It bends slowly through the will, labor, and sheer stubbornness of those who refuse to despair.
02:05I salute you, leaders, because you refuse to despair.
02:09What matters is that each act of courage, each small step, helps to arc our region closer to hope and justice.
02:27I therefore thank again, from the bottom of my heart, to every member state, our dialogue partners, and the ASEAN secretariat, Dr. Kao, for their perseverance, patience, and cooperation.
02:44Without their steadfast support, purpose will have spoken loudly but achieved little.
02:52So, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, on the first day of 2026, ASEAN will begin a new chapter.
03:04This evening, it is my honor to mark that transition and to ceremonially hand over the chairmanship to the Republic of the Philippines.
03:14To my friend, Bonbon, good luck, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., as you assume this responsibility, I have every confidence that under your steady hand, ASEAN will continue to act with clarity, composure,
03:38and that warmth, and that warmth, and poise for which the Filipino people are known.
03:46As Jose Rizal wrote in El Filibus Teresmo,
03:50It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal.
04:01It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming part of any edifice.
04:08The great, wanderlust Malay, the Filipino, and ASEAN hero, Jose Rizal.
04:20Before I conclude, allow me to express my deepest gratitude to the officials, volunteers, and partners,
04:28whose devotion, stamina, and professionalism have made this chairmanship possible.
04:35I also wish to thank the people of Malaysia for their patience and generosity throughout this demanding year.
04:45You, fellow Malaysians, welcome our guests with warmth.
04:55Adapted to every disruption.
04:56It reminded the region that hospitality is not just our custom, but our character.
05:08Applause
05:10In your hands, thousands, from the airport to the police on the ground,
05:19duty became service, and service became love of the country.
05:28In the eyes of the world, you have shown the best of Malaysia.
05:34Applause
05:35With that, I declare the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summit closed.
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