MCA Youth has accused Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng of habitually politicising policy matters, which weakens investor confidence and damages the economy.

In a statement today, MCA Youth chief Chong Sin Woon claimed Lim "brainwashes" the public and feeds them "toxic honey" to create the illusion that Pakatan Harapan is managing the economy well.

The latest instance, he said, occurred when Lim told a forum yesterday that Malaysia is not in austerity mode and is instead moving towards "smart spending". 

Chong argued this is not true because Putrajaya has clearly stated that several mega infrastructure projects will be reviewed and scaled down.

He also pointed to the World Bank's recent downgrading of Malaysia's GDP growth forecast which took note of the uncertainties surrounding these mega projects.

"This will ultimately affect the overall economic growth. However, the finance minister seems naïve to think that such gloomy trends can be reversed by 'saving more money'," he said.

Chong also accused Lim of repeatedly making contradictory statements, without going into specifics, and accused the finance minister of souring business sentiments further.

"Lim has come up with many illogical remarks, which lead to a slip of tongue in the end.

“He seems to be unable to figure out what he has said and keeps contradicting his earlier statements as if creating sugar-coated remarks to portray the Harapan government as a saviour.

"But he is actually destroying the country's economy," he added.