Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today urged Malaysians to remain confident in the efforts undertaken by the government to strengthen the economy, citing the increase in foreign direct investments (FDI) last year.

"If foreign investors are confident of Malaysia's economy, do we, Malaysians, have any reason to neglect this fact?" he asked in his blog posting.

"The strength of an economy can be measured through many aspects, including FDI, because this shows the confidence of foreign investors in the economy of the country," Najib said.

"It is not easy to attract foreign investors as countries all over the world are competing for them," he added. 

The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) recorded a 63.5 percent increase in the FDI in 2016, compared with the previous year, he said. 

"We have successfully secured RM59 billion in FDI last year, compared to RM36 billion in 2015. This made the total investment last year to RM207.9 billion," he said. 

"The impressive increment portrays the confidence of foreign investors in Malaysia's economy and shows that the government's policies, which determined the economic direction, are on the right track."

All these prove that allegations of Malaysia going bankrupt and turning into a failed state are mere slander and done in bad faith, Najib stressed. 

The government would work hard to ensure the country's economy continues to grow, so that the people would benefit from it, he added.