Malaysia Advises Foreign Investors Not To Believe Claims By Anwar

Malaysia Advises Foreign Investors Not To Believe Claims By Anwar

SINGAPORE, Aug 12 (Bernama) - Foreign businessmen who are contemplating to invest in Malaysia have been advised not to believe claims by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that he would take over the Malaysian Government in September. "Don't believe it," Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin told Singaporean businessmen at a trade dialogue here Tuesday.

He said he did not see the possibility of that happening, more so as Anwar kept moving the date on when he would take over the Barisan Nasional (BN)-controlled federal government, from August to September or October and so on.

Muhyiddin said the biggest question was how Anwar could become the prime minister when none of the BN parliament members whom he claimed would cross over to join him since the last general election on March 8 had not done so.

The dialogue was held in conjunction with a one-day seminar on business opportunities in Malaysia which was jointly organised by the trade agencies of Malaysia and Singapore, and declared open by Muhyiddin.

The minister said the current political situation in Malaysia was created by just Anwar alone, who had been telling stories that he could take over the government by this September.

Muhyiddin, who is also UMNO vice-president, said Malaysian voters had made their choice in the last general election by voting in the BN party to the federal government.

He said although the BN did not win the majority of the parliamentary seats as usually seen in elections many times before, but "still a win is a win".

Muhyiddin said a lot of investors were now worried with the current situation in Malaysia because they were not sure what would happen to the investment climate in the coming months. He said the investors wondered whether Malaysia be as stable or as peaceful as before or would the people go berserk on the streets and give all sorts of problems which might be injurious to any investor coming to Malaysia.

"Of course, this is a big question. And we are as concerned as you are, to deal with the situation of that sort.

"What the government has been doing is to keep assuring, to say that as far as Malaysia is concerned, we love peace like Singaporeans love peace, we love prosperity and we love unity that we have enjoyed for many decades," added Muhyiddin.

The question of peace was of utmost importance to Malaysians and that had been a very strong benchmark for the country, he said, adding that stability was also a strong point for Malaysia's drive towards investment.

Muhyiddin said democracy had long been the system of government in Malaysia and it had worked well, and the BN had accepted the decision of the people.

"Anwar Ibrahim will have to respect the decision.

If he feels he wants to be the prime minister, he has just to wait for another four more years, stand for the elections, win the majority and form the next government, if that is possible," the minister said.

He said that as far as the situation was concerned, Malaysians wanted to maintain the stability that they had today.

Muhyiddin also assured investors who wanted to come to Malaysia and those already in the country that irrespective of some changes in the local political scenario, and that some state governments were not under the BN party now, it did not matter as the investment policies remained the same for the entire country.

The minister said these opposition-held states also wanted investments and they would make sure that every new investment and those that had been in the states for many decades would be taken care of and duly protected.

-- BERNAMA