Previously, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Malaysia caught the attention of American conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly, who shared his thoughts about it on his YouTube channel.
O’Reilly basically “broke the news” by telling the Chinese President that he wasted his time coming to Malaysia because he believes Southeast Asia is poor, even hinting that the visit might be part of something sneaky.
“Malaysia’s household income is much lower than the US”
The issue even caught the attention of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who slammed O’Reilly’s remarks as both arrogant and ignorant.
After hearing Anwar’s words against him, O’Reilly once again took to his YouTube channel to address the statement, pointing out how Malaysia’s household income per capita is much lower than America’s.
Unsurprisingly, the comment has sparked a response from Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi later took to his X account to clear things up, pointing out that O’Reilly’s claim wasn’t just misleading, but completely inaccurate.
“O’Reilly’s claims are factually wrong”
Earlier, the controversial commentator took a swipe at Malaysia by comparing the country’s household income per capita to the United States, claiming that Malaysians only earn US$ 5,731 (RM25,061) a year, while Americans rake in US$ 42,220 (RM184,628).
In a post, Fahmi slammed the claim, explaining that Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in 2023 stood at US$ 11,379 (RM49,788).
“According to the World Bank, Malaysia’s GDP per capita in 2023 was US$ 11,379. When adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), the amount is US$ 36,416 (RM159,350), placing Malaysia among upper-middle-income countries,” he wrote.
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