Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has finally responded after people told him he “shouldn’t travel so much.”
According to BERNAMA, he explained that Malaysia needs investments, and without them, the country can’t solve job-related issues, create more opportunities, or boost the economy for everyone.
“I didn’t even have the time to play golf”
Anwar fired back, pointing out that many don’t realise how much effort he puts in to attract investments that could drive the country’s development forward.
“Some people ask if I really need to keep travelling abroad. Some just say I shouldn’t travel so much.”
He pointed out that the public has no idea how he usually arrives at his destination in the evening, and before even checking into his hotel, he has to attend multiple meetings, including a pre-council session with the ambassador.
“From 7am onwards, I had several bilateral meetings to attend. That’s what I did, and when I got back, I went straight to work. I didn’t even take a day off to play golf,” he added.
His packed schedule starts the moment he lands
Anwar’s keynote address was part of his two-day working visit to Vietnam, his first since Malaysia officially took over the ASEAN chairmanship in January.
The Prime Minister landed at 7:10pm on February 25 and headed straight to the Communist Party of Vietnam’s headquarters to meet General Secretary To Lam. They spent 30 minutes discussing various topics related to Malaysia-Vietnam diplomatic ties.
Later that evening, Anwar also met with Ramos-Horta to discuss similar bilateral matters.
He concluded his busy day by chairing a pre-council meeting with the Malaysian delegation.
M’sia will be welcoming leaders from South Africa and China
By 7:30 am on February 26, Anwar was already leading the Malaysian delegation in a breakfast meeting with the Vietnamese delegation, led by Phạm, where both sides discussed issues of mutual interest.
He then rushed to deliver his keynote speech at the ASEAN Future Forum before holding a press conference with Malaysian media covering his visit.
Before heading home, Anwar still managed to squeeze in a courtesy call to Vietnam’s President, Luong Cuong.
He also revealed how Malaysia will also be welcoming leaders from South Africa in March and China in April.
“In April, Chinese President Xi Jinping will come to Malaysia and when he comes, he comes with a big delegation of business people, dozens and hundreds of them, to explore (business and trade) opportunities in Malaysia,” he added.
The investments are expected to create over 207,000 new jobs
Yesterday, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul said Malaysia hit a record high of RM378.5 billion in approved investments for 2024, making it the highest in the country’s history.
That’s a 14.9% increase from last year, covering 6,700 projects across key sectors.
Even with global economic challenges, Malaysia continues to attract major investments, with domestic investments making up RM208.1 billion (55%) and foreign investments contributing RM170.4 billion (45%).
Foreign investor confidence is still strong, with the biggest contributions coming from the United States (RM32.8 billion), followed by Germany (RM32.2 billion), China (RM28.2 billion), Singapore (RM27.3 billion), and Hong Kong (RM7.4 billion).
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