KOTA KINABALU – Malaysia will miss out on foreign direct investments (FDIs) if the government continues to introduce discriminative and divisive policies, said Datuk Darell Leiking.
The Parti Warisan Sabah deputy president said this in reference to the tabling of the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355), and Control and Restriction on the Propagation of Non-Muslim Bill.
“This is not the right time to talk about race and religion.
“Perikatan Nasional has misplaced their priorities.
“They now want to table Act 355, and Control and Restriction on the Propagation of Non-Muslim Bill.”
The former international trade and industry minister said huge companies, like Apple, Google and Starbucks, will give Malaysia a miss if politicians continue to play the race and religion card instead of saving the economy from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Malaysians, irrespective of race, have to tap into their retirement savings to survive.”
He said lawmakers and groups can talk about race and religion if the people are well off.
“The Philippines and Indonesia have overtaken Malaysia in terms of FDIs.
“There were so many investments in 2018 and 2019 for Malaysia, and notably for Sabah, a high-tech solar panel manufacturer from China, as well as an Australian food tech investment.
“The PN government must provide satisfactory service to foreign investors by expediting their applications, because these investors are providing jobs to Malaysians.”
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s recent trip to the United Arab Emirates was overshadowed by the Middle Eastern country’s decision to invest US$10 billion (RM41.46 billion) in the Indonesia Investment Agency, he added.
“No right-minded foreign investor would want to spend billions of ringgit in a country where a non-democratically mandated ruling coalition continues to fight among themselves after taking over a legitimate government that was overthrown by several selfish individuals.
“And, the reluctance of the ruling coalition to allow Parliament to reconvene only reinforces foreign investors’ perception that the country is now ruled by a junta.” – The Vibes, March 26, 2021
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