WITH the Government taking pride over Milken Institute’s report saying Malaysia was the most attractive country for foreign investors in Southeast Asia, the DAP poured cold water on the findings.
“Putrajaya should have revealed that the Milken Institute didn’t include Singapore in their study despite being a Southeast Asian nation.
“Anyway, we will conduct a detailed analysis in the survey and announce our results after Chinese New Year,” its secretary general Lim Guan Eng said in a statement.
Yesterday, Bernama reported that the 2022 Milken Institute Global Opportunity Index (GIO) said that Malaysia has become the most attractive country in Southeast Asia for foreign investors, driven by the success of attracting more than RM220 bil in approved investments in 2021 for the manufacturing and services sectors.
With that, Senior Minister of International Trade and Industries Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said the findings proved the Government’s resolve, commitment and proactiveness in developing sound policies, and efficiently and constantly driving domestic reforms.
“The commitment has ultimately elevated Malaysia’s position as a preferred investment destination, no doubt signifying the strong confidence of foreign investors in our agile business ecosystem and vibrant economy,” he was reported saying.
The index reported that Malaysia secured its top spot due to its strong performance across all categories measured; namely having a strong economic performance, offering highly qualified workforce, and being firmly integrated with the global economy.
Taking pot shots at Azmin, Lim said the former failed to mentioned that Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam recorded higher investment to Malaysia.
Citing data, the former finance minister added that in 2020, Malaysia recorded US$3 bil in foreign direct investments (FDIs). However, Singapore recorded U$91 bil, Indonesia with US$19 bil, Vietnam at US$16 bil and Cambodia at US $3.6 bil.
“And what will Azmin do if Malaysia fails to exceed all these countries this year? The minister should stop his linguistic gymnastics and boasts,” the Bagan MP remarked. – Jan 29, 2022
