KUALA LUMPUR: The government has relentlessly committed to policy reforms and sustained engagement with firms and fund managers, many of whom were spoiled for choice as to where they put their money and their manufacturing, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the work continues and Malaysia will pursue it with discipline.
“A war in West Asia is sending tremors through global markets, driving energy prices up and pushing capital out of some markets,” he said during the opening ceremony of Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security Asia (NATSEC) 2026 here today.
The Prime Minister pointed out that in recent weeks, global funds bought over US$2 billion in Malaysian bonds, the highest inflow in ten months.
He said the ringgit has been Asia’s best-performing currency for two consecutive years, while Malaysia’s economy grew 5.2 per cent last year.
He also said Malaysia has attracted record levels of investment, driven by manufacturing, semiconductors and aerospace.
“None of this arrived without effort,” he said.
He said investors have seen a government that follows through on what it commits to.
“They have seen an economy that held its ground while conditions around it deteriorated and they have seen something that Malaysians do not say often enough: that this country makes things the world genuinely depends on,” he said.
Anwar said companies in Malaysia manufacture wing structures for some of the most widely flown commercial aircraft in the world.
“They produce precision components for aero-engines on long-haul routes across every continent,” he said.
For instance, he pointed out that semiconductor plants in Penang and Kulim handle assembly, testing and packaging for chips embedded in defence and security systems.
“One Malaysian-owned company holds Tier-1 supplier status with a leading global aero-engine manufacturer, producing here in Malaysia components that only a small number of countries are trusted to make,” he added. — BERNAMA
