KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made an appearance for the Prime Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today and responded to concerns on Malaysia’s economy over the past year as well as what his MADANI Government is doing to safeguard the country’s non-aligned stance amid global geopolitical tensions.
The session was an opportunity for lawmakers to question the Prime Minister on issues ranging from the slowdown in economic growth to Malaysia’s changing diplomatic posture amid realigning global dynamics.
Addressing GBS dialogue participants, Anwar said Malaysia’s economic growth last year had fallen below expectations and this was attributed to external factors such as global equity market volatility, supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressures.
He said Malaysia, like other economies, had been affected by geopolitical tensions and volatile commodity prices. At home, structural problems and uneven recovery in some industries also helped to pull down underperformance.
In return, the new measures to build resilience under the MADANI framework were emphasized by the Prime Minister. These range from targeted fiscal policies and investing in digital transformation to actions aimed at increasing productivity in all sectors. He said the government is focusing on sustainability in growth, and will protect vulnerable group by means of the social support programmes.
On foreign policy, Anwar re-emphasised Malaysia’s traditional stand of neutrality. He had stressed that Malaysia should stay neutral and independent in its position, not to be swayed by the major power blocs and continued to uphold peace, cooperation and inclusiveness in ASEAN with its friends beyond ASEAN.
“Political stability, good governance, credible leadership and clear policies must continue to be pursued so that the world’s confidence is translated into actual progress which directly is felt by the people,” he said.
He said the constructive debates in Parliament also carry meaning, and these are important for reinforcing people’s confidence in directions taken by the government. He also wished that such dialogues will be rational-centric than divisive so-tug, in order to ensure that democratic institution in Malaysia continue “walking the talk” for the people.
The meeting came at a crucial juncture, commentators observed, as Malaysia grapples with domestic economic recovery while maintaining its regional diplomacy position. The government is viewed as needing to maintain credibility and stability at a time when global tensions are ratcheting higher, which makes it necessary for ministers to remain neutral.
The Dewan Rakyat meeting ended with a reminder for unity and cooperation to cut across from political lines, stressing the importance of teamwork in placing the economy on surer footing and strengthening Malaysia’s position on the world stage.
