KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has hinted at good news for Pahang after the conclusion of his upcoming working visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday.
Speaking at a ceramah event for the Pelangai by-election last night, Anwar expressed confidence that this trip will not only bring investment opportunities for the east coast state’s development but that it will also benefit the entire nation.
“With help from the ministries (involved), including the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, there will be an important announcement not just for Malaysia, but also for Pahang.
“I haven’t told (Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri) Wan Rosdy (Wan Ismail) because I want it to be a surprise… we’ll announce very good news for Pahang (from the trip to the UAE).”
Anwar, who also serves as finance minister, will visit the UAE and Saudi Arabia on October 5, prior to attending the inaugural Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC) Summit, which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on October 16.
For the record, Anwar’s recent three-day trip to New York saw the prime minister courting international corporate leaders, thought influences, civil society personalities, and world leaders from the UAE, Turkiye, Iran, Iraq, and many others.
Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Aziz, who will be part of Anwar’s entourage to the UAE, had also revealed an immediate RM2 billion investment from Alton Industry and Top Line Furniture in the US.
Meanwhile, Anwar said foreign investors’ rising confidence in Malaysia can be attributed to the nation’s political stability as a result of the cooperation between unity government partners Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
“Neither PH nor BN can (achieve political stability) by itself. The reason why we’re working together is to ensure political stability and clear policies, as evidenced by how we’ve set the Madani economic plan, the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030).
“Our government officers, professionals, and ministries have worked hard at making sure there is clarity in our economic policies, which is why we have managed to record high investments this year,” said Anwar, who is also PH chairman.
Previously, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) reported that Malaysia has established itself as a top investment destination, attracting RM71.4 billion in approved investments during the first quarter of 2023.
It was reported then that foreign direct investments (FDI) continue to outpace domestic direct investment (DDI), with the former contributing RM37.5 billion, accounting for 52.5% of total approved investments.
He also appeared to take a swipe at rivals Perikatan Nasional (PN), saying: “You can make as much noise as you want, but Insya-Allah, the unity government will remain strong until the next general elections.”
“There are attempts (to bring down the unity government), but we will remain strong in our principles to bring up the economy and defend the people’s fate (as) no matter how rich we are in natural resources, we can never save our nation if we don’t properly manage our responsibilities.
“As long as we set our policies in a way that protects the people’s wellbeing and fulfills our responsibility (as leaders), we can confidently walk on this Earth as God’s servants instead of slaves to money or other people.” – October 3, 2023