KUALA LUMPUR: The metropolis is gearing up to impress as Asean foreign ministers descend on the country’s capital.
Kuala Lumpur is rolling out the red carpet as it prepares to host Asean foreign ministers from July 8 to 11 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, with the city aiming to project a polished image as Malaysia holds this year’s Asean chairmanship.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said KL City Hall is spearheading logistics and city preparations for the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting – from safety to street-level cleanliness.
“We’re not just welcoming high-level delegates, we’re showcasing Kuala Lumpur to the region.
“City Hall is working closely with multiple agencies to ensure everything runs smoothly, and that the city leaves a strong impression,” Zaliha told reporters after presenting keys to 10 Dapur Digital (cloud kitchen) entrepreneurs at Menara DBKL yesterday.
Efforts to spruce up the city are already in full swing, but the minister stressed that maintaining cleanliness is not just the job of local authorities.
“We’ve launched several initiatives involving City Hall, local communities, NGOs, hotels and student volunteers. Cleanliness is a shared responsibility – it’s not just up to the council.”
The 58th Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) will see foreign ministers from 10 member states – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – gather in Kuala Lumpur. Timor-Leste’s foreign minister will also attend as the country pushes for full Asean membership.
On the Dapur Digital initiative, the minister said the five pilot digital kitchens launched last year had shown strong results.
As of end-May, the combined sales of digital kitchens at the People’s Housing Projects in five sites – Intan Baiduri, Wangsa Sari, Kerinchi, Kampung Limau and Setapak Jaya – had surpassed RM1.08 million.
“This is clear proof that when given the opportunity, our people can thrive.
“Building on this success, Budget 2025 has allocated RM5 million to roll out 25 more digital kitchens nationwide. Ten of these will be in KL, positioning the Federal Territory as the frontrunner in this initiative,” said Zaliha.
The 10 KL sites are: Seri Semarak, Hiliran Ampang, Seri Alam, Raya Permai, Kampung Muhibbah, Taman Mulia, Beringin, Pangsapuri Sentul Utara, PA Sri Kedah and PA Seri
Perlis II.
The Dapur Digital initiative serves, not only as modern community kitchens, but also as food processing hubs, e-commerce spaces, skills training centres and venues for community activities.
