Kuala Lampur, July 20 -- Rising household debt has become a defining feature of South-east Asia's economic landscape, and nowhere is this more acute than in Malaysia.

Once an exemplar of export-driven modernisation, Malaysia now finds the foundation of its prosperity under strain.

At the heart of this vulnerability sits a structural transition-from industrial production to consumption-led services-leaving many households with unstable incomes and a mounting reliance on borrowing.

Left unchecked, this accelerating debt burden risks stalling broader development and undermining social cohesion The Alarming Numbers The scope of the problem is stark.

By the end of 2021, Malaysia's household debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 89 per cent, the secon...