KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s delay in reopening international borders is the main factor behind the decline in the country’s overall ranking in the 2022 International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR), according to Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
The international trade and industry minister said the downward trend in ranking is clearly seen among countries that were slow in reopening their international borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Compared with US and European countries, Malaysia took a cautious approach before deciding to reopen its borders fully on April 1, 2022 after considering the balance between saving lives and livelihoods, he explained.
“Due to the delay in comparison with other countries, Malaysia’s ranking dropped in the IMD WCR,” he said during the Dewan Rakyat sitting here.
The minister was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (Kubang Pasu-PN) who asked for the reasons that Malaysia fell seven rungs from 25th spot to 32nd place in 2021.
Tengku Zafrul said other factors affecting the ranking included the perception of the local and international business communities that the regulations and laws were restrictive and not business-friendly.
He said the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) is finetuning a business facilitation proposal to assist local and foreign companies interested in investing in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul said that in an effort to create an investment ecosystem that is more sustainable in the country, Miti and its agencies have implemented various strategies to attract more high-quality investments to Malaysia.
Among the main strategies that have been and are being carried out are enacting and enhancing the New Investment Policy to facilitate new investments, he said.
“Based on the National Investment Aspirations, the new policy will accelerate the entry of quality and sustainable investments especially in new growth fields as well as focusing on inclusivity and sustainability in line with the environmental, social and governance aspirations and goals,” he said in reply to a supplementary question from William Leong Jee Keen (Selayang-PH) who wanted to know the government’s plan to increase investor confidence via resetting the economy, especially by developing new growth areas.
Tengku Zafrul said Miti will implement a comprehensive review of the current tax incentive framework and implement a national approach as per the targets under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
“On this matter, emphasis will be given on investments in new growth areas including electric vehicles, smart factories using 5G technology, digital economy, green technology, smart farming and supply chain ecosystem,” he added. – Bernama, March 28, 2023
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