He said the post-Covid-19 economic recovery momentum was also expected to continue until the end of this year.

“With the maturity of the Malaysian family and the effectiveness of the government administration machinery which uses the collaborative approach, we are able to focus on restarting the economic recovery process quickly and effectively,” he said at an event with civil servants here today.

“The government’s decision to reopen all economic sectors and international borders was among the most appropriate moves to jumpstart the economic cycle.”

As a result, Ismail said, the economy saw an encouraging performance when the gross domestic product for the second quarter of 2022 recorded a growth of 8.9%, the best in Southeast Asia.

Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade also recorded a sturdy growth year-on-year of 44% to RM132.8 billion in June.

“For the first half of 2022, foreign direct investments recorded a net inflow of RM41.7 billion compared to RM23.3 billion in the same period before the pandemic in 2019,” he added.