Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election showed that voters cannot be taken for granted.

In his congratulatory message, he said Malaysia looked forward to continuing its partnership with the US under the president elect.

He said Trump's "remarkable victory" proved opinion polls and media commentators wrong, and he did so by focusing on those who have been left behind.

"Mr Trump’s success shows that politicians should never take voters for granted. Opinion polls, and established political figures, all underestimated the strength of his support.

"His appeal to Americans who have been left behind - those who want to see their government more focused on their interests and welfare, and less embroiled in foreign interventions that proved to be against US interests - have won Mr Trump the White House," he added in a statement.

He said that Malaysia would continue to fight terrorism and extremism alongside the US.

PM cites Trump slogan

Met later at an event in Kuala Lumpur, Najib said he has a personal relationship with Trump, who owns a business empire.

"I personally know him and he's not a stranger to me," he told reporters.

He said Trump's message has been consistent, that is to make America great again by growing the economy and job opportunities.

Malaysia has been a focus of US foreign policy in Asia Pacific thanks to the Obama administration’s push for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

However, analysts told Malaysiakini the TPPA is "doomed" as Trump has made clear he opposed the deal.

The Republican comfortably defeated Democrat candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, securing the presidential election and control of both the upper and lower houses of the Congress.

Markets take a beating

The US dollar plunged three percent against major currencies in response to Trump's victory.

Bank Negara Malaysia said it is "closely monitoring the market situation".

This is to ensure ample liquidity, it said in a statement.

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was down in a knee-jerk reaction in line with global bourses over the election results.

At 3.03 pm, among the top losers on the local bourse, Dutch Lady fell 62 sen to RM58.08, British American Tobacco slipped 60 sen to RM47.76, AEON Credit Service went down 40 sen to RM13.92 and KESM Industries dropped 37 sen to RM8.58.

FXTM Market Research Vice President Jameel Ahmad said gold's safe-haven appeal is also being driven through the roof with the precious metal rallying on investor uncertainty, Bernama reported.

At mid-day the global gold price stood at US$42.24 a gramme.