“The government has announced billions of ringgit in foreign direct investments and the signing of numerous memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with various countries.
“But has the government taken any follow-up action,” Hishammuddin Hussein (BN-Sembrong) asked in the Dewan Rakyat.
The former home minister said it is not enough for ministers to issue statements or hold press conferences on such matters.
“The rakyat is entitled to see and feel the effects of such action,” Hishammuddin said when debating the 2024 supply bill.
He said he found it hard to identify the key takeaways from the budget tabled by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“Government ministers do not appear interested and based on their attendance in the Dewan, they do not seem keen to participate in the debates.”
“I am not here to point fingers at anyone, but just to provide my views so that the government can give hope and encouragement to the rakyat. Imagine yourselves in their place.
“Feel their struggles and think about their concerns,” he added.
Earlier this month in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar said Malaysia had the potential to secure investments worth RM216 billion following his visits to China, the US, and the UAE.
Meanwhile, Hishammuddin also called upon the government not to take the decline in GDP growth, from 5.6% in the first quarter of 2023 to 2.9% in the second quarter, lightly.
He also expressed concern over the declining value of the ringgit which he said is at the “emergency level”.
He said the US dollar was now trading at RM4.72, the lowest the ringgit had fallen to in the last 25 years.
According to Hishammuddin, Bursa Malaysia’s KLCI had also yet to recover to its pre-2018 period, when Malaysia had “the world’s longest bull run” of 12 years, peaking at 1,895 points.
By comparison, the KLCI stood at 1,440 earlier today.
“The combinations of these three factors – declining GDP growth, declining ringgit and poor Bursa performance – needs to be seen seriously and comprehensively or they will continue to add pressures to the nation’s economic performance,” he said.
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